Fish oil is essentially fish fat. Not really a suppliment.
Not quite last word... Fish oil IS a supplement. You are not getting it by eating fish. It is processed, can contain additives (most will, even it they are natural additives to act as preservatives and even if it is classified as 'pure' fish oil) and, depending on the fish used for these oils, can contain contaminants. Basically, it's not wringing the fish to get oil out of it (since you made the analogy of squeezing the juice of an orange), it goes through a whole manufacturing process and you can't get the oil without this process. Therefore a supplement.
Final word now. Promise. I won't continue.
lol.. ok, you win..
Sorry if my thread seems like its pushing supplements. I have to supplement it this way because I personally can't eat seafood, but for those not allergic to seafood, I agree with you 100%, that they should eat seafood and a balanced diet.
Did I mention I'm allergic to broccoli and many green leafy vegetables too?.. fish oil has been a life saver for me.
I wasn't thinking of it that way, and for that I apologize.
If I had the choice, I would definitely eat these things naturally and recommend others do as well.. Since I can't, I was just trying to see what others experiences with fish oil were and so far they've been extremely positive.
Still talking but not on the fish oil but on supplements in general, including vitamins.
The problem with this is that a lot of people don't know what they are taking, how much and why. Quite often they may be taking one multi, a bit more of D on top of that, a bit of fish oil, a bit of this and that, competely neglecting their diet as they may think it's OK because they are taking supplements. One has to also bear in mind that there are a lot of 'fortified' foods/drinks on the market (easy one... orange juice with added Vitamin C). True, the body will normally get rid of the excess but there are some supplements which are stored and you can actually get ill if you take too much - it accumulates over time - prime examples are vitamin D or A. Also, with all these supplements, usually not much use taking one thing without another one to help it be absorbed.
Sorry if I came across hard nosed about it, but there is so much ignorance when it comes to supplements and interaction with medication and other foods (or other supplements) and I feel very strongly about that.
A healthy person with a healthy varied diet should not require supplements. Those that cannot get what they need from a balanced diet (due to allergies, illness, etc.) do require supplements but this should be discussed with a doctor and people should not 'self medicate' (for lack of a better word).
Still talking but not on the fish oil but on supplements in general, including vitamins.
The problem with this is that a lot of people don't know what they are taking, how much and why. Quite often they may be taking one multi, a bit more of D on top of that, a bit of fish oil, a bit of this and that, competely neglecting their diet as they may think it's OK because they are taking supplements. One has to also bear in mind that there are a lot of 'fortified' foods/drinks on the market (easy one... orange juice with added Vitamin C). True, the body will normally get rid of the excess but there are some supplements which are stored and you can actually get ill if you take too much - it accumulates over time - prime examples are vitamin D or A. Also, with all these supplements, usually not much use taking one thing without another one to help it be absorbed.
Sorry if I came across hard nosed about it, but there is so much ignorance when it comes to supplements and interaction with medication and other foods (or other supplements) and I feel very strongly about that.
A healthy person with a healthy varied diet should not require supplements. Those that cannot get what they need from a balanced diet (due to allergies, illness, etc.) do require supplements but this should be discussed with a doctor and people should not 'self medicate' (for lack of a better word).
I totally agree with you..
As far as self-medicating, I totally agree with you as well, however, in my specific case, the doctor was putting me on different drugs that weren't working, unnatural drugs that were being used to experiment on me.. Since I took research into my own hands by taking quecertin and fish oil, I can swallow food again without choking. A problem I've had since I was a child is 100% gone.
Had seafood been part of my diet, I probably never would have had this problem, but I can't eat seafood and many other omega 3 things naturally.
I'm never one to get my medical advice from a message board (I'm frequently on here arguing against that), but I'll admit that I started taking fish oil after reading this thread. I'll be sure to let my doctor know next time I see him, in case he thinks there's a problem; but I'm relatively healthy and don't take many meds or any vitamins, so I'm not too worried. I do realize that there can be reactions between different things. And I totally agree that having a good diet is the best way to get omega-3's and everything else. But I also need to face reality. I hate seafood (though I'm learning to like salmon just so I can have a better diet). I hate nuts and seeds. And I hate to cook - primarily because I suck at it (I've tried, but it's hopeless). I'm sure I wasn't getting the omega-3's I needed and, realistically, I didn't see that changing without supplementation. So I decided to try this. Thanks for the info. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
I'm never one to get my medical advice from a message board (I'm frequently on here arguing against that), but I'll admit that I started taking fish oil after reading this thread. I'll be sure to let my doctor know next time I see him, in case he thinks there's a problem; but I'm relatively healthy and don't take many meds or any vitamins, so I'm not too worried. I do realize that there can be reactions between different things. And I totally agree that having a good diet is the best way to get omega-3's and everything else. But I also need to face reality. I hate seafood (though I'm learning to like salmon just so I can have a better diet). I hate nuts and seeds. And I hate to cook - primarily because I suck at it (I've tried, but it's hopeless). I'm sure I wasn't getting the omega-3's I needed and, realistically, I didn't see that changing without supplementation. So I decided to try this. Thanks for the info. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
You can overdose, but its pretty hard to. Not like you would with vitamins. You'd have to take many, many grams. It thins out the blood, thus making it easier for internal bleeding. As long as you don't take much more than 3 grams a day for a long period, you should be fine.
I'm never one to get my medical advice from a message board (I'm frequently on here arguing against that), but I'll admit that I started taking fish oil after reading this thread. I'll be sure to let my doctor know next time I see him, in case he thinks there's a problem; but I'm relatively healthy and don't take many meds or any vitamins, so I'm not too worried. I do realize that there can be reactions between different things. And I totally agree that having a good diet is the best way to get omega-3's and everything else. But I also need to face reality. I hate seafood (though I'm learning to like salmon just so I can have a better diet). I hate nuts and seeds. And I hate to cook - primarily because I suck at it (I've tried, but it's hopeless). I'm sure I wasn't getting the omega-3's I needed and, realistically, I didn't see that changing without supplementation. So I decided to try this. Thanks for the info. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
You can overdose, but its pretty hard to. Not like you would with vitamins. You'd have to take many, many grams. It thins out the blood, thus making it easier for internal bleeding. As long as you don't take much more than 3 grams a day for a long period, you should be fine.
I'm not at all worried about overdosing. Half the time I don't even remember to take them. Thanks a lot for all the info.
Comments
Sorry if my thread seems like its pushing supplements. I have to supplement it this way because I personally can't eat seafood, but for those not allergic to seafood, I agree with you 100%, that they should eat seafood and a balanced diet.
Did I mention I'm allergic to broccoli and many green leafy vegetables too?.. fish oil has been a life saver for me.
I wasn't thinking of it that way, and for that I apologize.
If I had the choice, I would definitely eat these things naturally and recommend others do as well.. Since I can't, I was just trying to see what others experiences with fish oil were and so far they've been extremely positive.
Can we agree to agree?
The problem with this is that a lot of people don't know what they are taking, how much and why. Quite often they may be taking one multi, a bit more of D on top of that, a bit of fish oil, a bit of this and that, competely neglecting their diet as they may think it's OK because they are taking supplements. One has to also bear in mind that there are a lot of 'fortified' foods/drinks on the market (easy one... orange juice with added Vitamin C). True, the body will normally get rid of the excess but there are some supplements which are stored and you can actually get ill if you take too much - it accumulates over time - prime examples are vitamin D or A. Also, with all these supplements, usually not much use taking one thing without another one to help it be absorbed.
Sorry if I came across hard nosed about it, but there is so much ignorance when it comes to supplements and interaction with medication and other foods (or other supplements) and I feel very strongly about that.
A healthy person with a healthy varied diet should not require supplements. Those that cannot get what they need from a balanced diet (due to allergies, illness, etc.) do require supplements but this should be discussed with a doctor and people should not 'self medicate' (for lack of a better word).
As far as self-medicating, I totally agree with you as well, however, in my specific case, the doctor was putting me on different drugs that weren't working, unnatural drugs that were being used to experiment on me.. Since I took research into my own hands by taking quecertin and fish oil, I can swallow food again without choking. A problem I've had since I was a child is 100% gone.
Had seafood been part of my diet, I probably never would have had this problem, but I can't eat seafood and many other omega 3 things naturally.
You can overdose, but its pretty hard to. Not like you would with vitamins. You'd have to take many, many grams. It thins out the blood, thus making it easier for internal bleeding. As long as you don't take much more than 3 grams a day for a long period, you should be fine.
I'm not at all worried about overdosing. Half the time I don't even remember to take them. Thanks a lot for all the info.
Aslo..
http://www.fishoilbenefit.net/
And the argument against flaxseed..
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47487.asp