Best Omega 3 Sources,  How to Avoid the Toxicity of Omega 3 Foods and Choose the Right Supplements for Omega 3 Oils

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Alex Ragner

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All high quality omega 3 sources help you lose weight and avoid an essential fatty acid deficiency, but you should know that most sources of omega 3 oils contain omega 6 as well.

And, as you might recall from our discussion on omega three fatty acids, the SAD (Standard American Diet) contains 4-5 times more omega 6 than a healthy diet should.

If you are like most people, you too get too much omega 6 in relation to omega 3 fatty acids. So how can you add more sources of omega 3 to balance the fatty acids ratio and get the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids?

Well, here are the best omega 3 foods, from the most omega 3 content to the least:

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  • Fatty fish: salmon, anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, trout, swordfish, tuna, pollock, halibut, haddock, cod
  • Seafood: blue mussels, oysters, shrimps, krills, scallops, clams
  • Vegetarian: flaxseed oil, flax seeds, chia seeds, butternut squash, hemp hearts, walnuts, garbanzo beans, brown algae (kelp)

In a perfect world, the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids would be fatty fish, like salmon.

But today, dangerous pollutants like mercury (a heavy metal that affects the development and function of the brain), industrial chemicals like dioxin, PCB (Poly-Chlorinated-Biphenyl), toxaphene and the pesticide DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane), are present in alarmingly high quantities in most fatty fish.

The highest concentration of contaminants accumulates in the large predatory species at the top of the ocean food chain, like sharks and swordfish.

Quite frankly, the consequences of eating highly contaminated fish (and even taking dubious fish oil supplements) are scary!

With this in mind, you should know that the safest, least contaminated oily fish (the best source of omega 3 fatty acids) are anchovies, Pacific sardines, Atlantic Mackerel, Alaskan or Sockeye salmon, Pacific Halibut and Albacore tuna caught in Western U.S. or Canada.

For the safest and most up-to-date fish and seafood recommendations check Seafood Watch, a program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where you can download handy pocket guides or mobile Apps to help you choose safe-to-consume fish wherever you live or travel.

“Okay, big deal”, you say. “I’ll just eat other foods containing omega three fatty acids, like…

…Vegetarian Omega 3 Sources”

Well, not so fast.

You should know that most vegetarian sources of omega 3 contain only the fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), the precursor of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are found in fish and seafood, and which your body actually requires for good health.

Although your body can convert the ALA to EPA and DHA, this conversion is limited by your age and general health.

So, too much fish could be dangerous and the vegetarian sources of omega 3 might be not effective enough for you… What can you do to avoid an essential fatty acid deficiency?

Quite a dilemma, isn’t it?

That’s why you may want to consider…

High Quality Omega 3 Supplements: Fish Oil or Krill Oil?

Want the benefits of omega 3 oils without the dangerous toxins that you get by eating a lot of fish? The easiest way is to take an omega 3 supplement. But not just any will do – here’s why.

Omega 3 fatty acids are typically sold as fish oil supplements. Not all fish oil is created equal – it has to be very high quality – molecularly distilled fish oil – usually called “pharmaceutical grade”. Why? Because molecular distillation separate the oil from most of the contaminants. Then, these distilled omega 3 oils from fish sources are typically encapsulated into large soft gels (a serving size is 2-3 capsules, which you may find quite difficult to swallow).

A much better option to avoid the current worldwide fish toxicity – plus the typical fish burps, acid reflux, fishy aftertaste and the inconvenience of swallowing these huge capsules?

Krill oil.

Krill are tiny “shrimps on steroids” that live in the cold oceans and are the primary food source for wild salmon. In fact, the salmon’s characteristic red color is due to a very beneficial antioxidant found in krill, astaxanthin (don’t be fooled by the intense color of farmed salmon – it’s just artificial coloring).

You may or may not have heard about krill oil, but the latest research comparing krill oil to fish oil is impressive. It shows that supplementing with krill oil is a radical improvement for our health when compared even with the best quality of fish oil.

Why? Mainly because of the higher absorbability of krill oil in the body; the omega 3 in krill oil is bonded to phospholipids (rather than to triglycerides in fish oil), which makes it more easily absorbed by our body. As a result, less krill oil is needed to get the wanted health benefits.

I’ve summarized for you here the conclusions of newest research done on krill oil versus fish oil:

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So if you’re still taking fish oil you may want to upgrade to krill oil as the best option for omega 3 sources. If you want to have a much easier time dropping unwanted pounds and the sugar cravings, improve your mood, energy, memory, vision and optimize your brain and heart function, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and more – switch to krill oil.

Which brand and where to get it from?

While you can get good quality NatureWise Krill Oil from Amazon, I highly recommend Prograde’s EFA Icon Omega 3 Krill Oil as a much better option.

Why?

Primarily because of its better absorbability and potency – felt in the body as well as stated on the labels (higher omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, DHA and Astaxanthin content in EFA Icon Krill Oil) – which means you get more omega-3s for your buck.

Also, because its certification of superior purity, lowest price guarantee, free shipping options, convenience of delivery and more – just take a look and see for yourself why EFA Icon Azantis Krill Oil is a superior brand of krill oil – and why Prograde’s Krill Oil harvested ecologically in the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean may be your best choice of omega 3 sources too:

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Click here to get the full scoop!

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