The Anti-Inflammatory Powers of Omega 3s
Omegas omegas omegas. We’ve all heard a zillion times that we should take our omegas every single day, because they’ll make us live forever without cancer and wrinkles and bad moods.
But then we’ll also see attention-grabby headline claiming it’s snake (er, fish) oil, or that it’s too often contaminated with mercury to be safe for daily use. Well, here’s our take:
High-quality omegas are just possibly the single most amazing supplement in the entire world, for a number of reasons.
Bam! They’re an anti-inflammatory superstar, and inflammation, as we explain in the book, is health and beauty enemy number one. Yes, it’s our body’s natural response to bad things—it’s how we fight off infection—but study after study has shown that often, when there’s no infection at all, inflammation is triggered and the body kind of attacks itself.
The result of that ain’t pretty. We’re talking acne and rosacea on the relatively benign end of the spectrum, and rheumatoid arthritis and worse on the other.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, there are tons of delicious ways to get your omegas through your diet—salmon, walnuts, egg yolks, etc.—and you will be rewarded with glowy hydrated skin. As for supplements, we’re partial to fish oil from Nordic Naturals, but if you’re a flax seed kind of gal, that’s cool too. Just make sure they’re freshly ground and organic (duh).
I love this! I have gotten out of the habit of taking my Omega 3 supplements but I’m starting again right now. Just found your blog via a facebook post by safecosmetics.org. LOVE IT! Can’t wait to get the book!
I am sorry to tell you this.. but besides from the fact that humans are eating the oceans empty . :(
many fish / sea food is actually very much polluted with toxins like pcb and heavy metals .
you can get omega 3 from canola oil instead .
greetings.
Nice article, I look forward to reading the book. Don’t forget to recommend that the salmon be wild Alaskan vs. farmed, which contains less Mercury.
@Passerby Totally true on both counts. It’s advisable to choose fish from the bottom of the food chain, if you are going to do fish oil, and Nordic Naturals does third party testing for heavy metals, PCBs etc, which is why it’s the brand I recommend —though I’m sure there are other brands that do that as well, and are safe to take.
And @Kristi: Totally! Gotta be wild Atlantic salmon!
Hi, I found the site through good.com and I love it! Keep up the good work.
(one tiny correction tho: You want wild Alaskan salmon – *atlantic* salmon is farmed.)
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
Oh rats. I ONLY buy Alaskan! It was a typo. Thanks so much for pointing it out, Michael.
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
The thing about Canola Oil…it’s a GMO. I am pretty sure there have been some recent studies questioning how safe it is as a food product in regards to long term use.
Agreed about canola oil. What studies are you referring to? Would love to see them.
I have never taken Omega 3 supplements before, but in the past few weeks I have added Barlean’s Omega Swirl to my nightly routine. I take the Essential Woman blend, a Chocolate Raspberry flavored blend of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, gamma-linolenic acid, organic evening primrose oil, organic flaxseed oil and lignans. No idea if it’s doing anything yet, at least the benefits are not easily isolated or identifiable, but it tastes delicious and purports to provide all of the benefits we seek in such a supplement, and does so without the fishy taste of a fish oil. Anyone else know anything about this product? Recommendations for or against?
Rather have Canola with ‘GMO’ that has never been proven to even be a problem.. Where as the heavy metals in the fish certainly are. Personally I think GMO’s are needed if man plans to continue to be able to feed himself and his selfish never ending crowding of mother Earth.
How bout them chia seeds? dont they have a bunch of omega in them….?
Udo’s Choice is hands down the best omega supplement. It’s vegan (no mercury!), and it’s not in capsule form so it’s really easily absorbed by your body. I’ve experimented with primrose and flaxseed capsules- nothing even comes close to Udo’s.
Great advice, thanks. I have rosacea and I had no idea omega 3s worked so well. But I agree with passerby. Here in France I find supplements made of flax oil, it’s much better than fish oil…