4 Ways to Determine a Quality Fish Oil
We've all whizzed past the vitamin aisle at Aldi's and seen something like 2 bottles of 180 capsule Fish Oil for $5.99! Some of you might think "Fish Oil!?! That's healthy and it's a great deal", while others of us have trust issues because we've been burnt before. I'm no different and I've been burnt enough times to know better. I can't help but think "How can this company afford to manufacture, package, label, and ship their product for only $3.99 a bottle?" The answer is the obvious one. Does (A) this company care so much about the health and well being of the planet that they are willing to run their company of razor tight margins? OR... (B) are they using an extremely CHEAP product with deceptive marketing? Option B is woefully the majority of companies. That's why I have taken it upon myself as a coach to bring you the best news for your body. Today, we will be discussing the best ways to spot a quality fish oil from a bad one.
1.) EPA AND DHA - EPA and DHA is the active ingredient in fish oil that produces the benefits. It is recommended that adults get 200mg-500mg a day for optimal benefits. A quality fish oil will have the amount of EPA and DHA on the label. A shady fish oil company might put something like "600mg of Fish Oil" on the label to make you think it's the same thing. It's not. 600mg of fish oil could be anything. It's the Omega 3 content inside (EPA and DHA) that makes it quality.
2.) SOURCE - A high quality fish oil will show the source of its oil on the nutrition label or front label. A high quality fish oil will also usually have one source. For example it will tell you if the fish oil was produced from anchovies, krill, algae, salmon, etc. If the label doesn't show the source of its oil or if the oil has many sources, it's a red flag that it's likely not a high quality fish oil product.
3.) DISTILLED AND PURIFIED - Many of us know that tuna can have small amounts of mercury. It doesn't end there. There are lots of metals in the environment that does effect the inhabitants. You want to make sure that you buy a fish oil that says on the label, or website, if the product has been distilled and purified to remove metals and mercury. Be safe and buy the right product. There is no sense in trying get healthier if we choose to buy cheap fish oil that results in us ingesting heavy metal everyday.
4.) SMELL AND TASTE - Sure it might say all these things on the bottle about certified this and high quality that, but how would we know if those labels are misleading? By the smell and taste test, ofcourse! The one test that has steered millions away from poison for thousands of years. If you smell the bottle of fish oil, it shouldn't give off a fishy aroma. If you take a capsule and swallow it, you should NOT be getting a fishy after taste. If you do, that means the fish oil is not from a good source and did not go through a proper purification process. If the label seems to check all the "right boxes", but gives off this type of aroma and taste...steer away.
