One of the best things you can do to prevent heart disease, cancer, depression and Alzheimer's disease and treat rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, ulcerative colitis, Raynaud's disease and a host of other diseases is increase your intake of the omega-3 fats found in fish oil.

However, as you increase your intake of essential fatty acids like omega-3, you also increase your need for fat-soluble antioxidants. Why? Because fish oil is extremely perishable, and the antioxidants will ensure that the fish oil doesn't oxidize and become rancid in your body.

Ensuring that you have plenty of fat-soluble antioxidants will make certain that you receive the maximum benefits that fish oil has to offer.

What type of fat-soluble antioxidant is best?

As you likely know if you have been following this newsletter, we each have a unique biochemistry that requires different foods to run at its most optimum level. Your ideal combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates is largely dependant on your nutritional type. Along these lines, your nutritional type will also determine which type of fat-soluble antioxidant will be most beneficial for your unique chemistry.

Carbohydrate Types

Fresh vegetable juice, made from a variety of carb-type vegetables such as cucumbers, collard greens, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes and swiss chard, is the best source of antioxidants for a carb nutritional type. You should drink the juice at the start of a meal for best results.

A vitamin E supplement, which is what is commonly thought of when speaking of fat-soluble antioxidants, is not a priority for carb types, who are typically slow oxidizers. Too much vitamin E will only serve to further slow down a carb type's oxidation rate.

If you are a carb type and you choose to take vitamin E, you should be sure to only take the dry form of vitamin E, D-alpha tocopherol succinate, as opposed to the oil form, and you should take no more than 100 units a day. If you can only find 200 unit capsules, you will need to break the capsule in half to get the proper dosage.

Supplements such as CoQ10, lipoic acid and vitamins A and D are also beneficial. Cod liver oil, as opposed to fish oil, contains vitamins A and D already. However, cod liver oil should only be taken during the cold weather months when sun exposure is limited, and if you are taking cod liver oil, it's important to have your vitamin D level monitored, as it is possible to overdose on vitamin D.

Mixed Types

A person with a mixed nutritional type will also benefit from the antioxidants in fresh vegetable juice. Additionally, you may want to consider taking a vitamin E supplement.

Mixed types should take the oil form of vitamin E with mixed tocopherol/tocotrienols in a dose of 400 units per day.

Supplements such as CoQ10, lipoic acid and vitamins A and D are also beneficial. Cod liver oil, as opposed to fish oil, contains vitamins A and D already. However, cod liver oil should only be taken during the cold weather months when sun exposure is limited, and if you are taking cod liver oil, it's important to have your vitamin D level monitored, as it is possible to overdose on vitamin D.

Another healthy option for mixed types is the convenient super food, Living Fuel. Living Fuel Rx contains a mix of antioxidants that are most appropriate for a mixed nutritional type. While vegetable juice will also provide these for you, Living Fuel Rx can be useful when you simply don't have time to juice, such as when traveling.

Protein Types

The oil form of vitamin E is most appropriate for protein types, who are typically fast oxidizers. You can take 800 units of vitamin E in two doses, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Protein types can also benefit from fresh vegetable juice, but it should consist of only protein-type vegetables like celery, spinach, cauliflower and asparagus. Celery and asparagus make an especially tasty combination.

In order to keep the optimum metabolic balance, protein types should drink vegetable juice after their meal.

What type of fish oil is best?

When choosing your fish oil or cod liver oil, it is important to remember that not all brands are the same. Certain brands definitely seem inferior to others.

I have researched this extensively and the brands I most highly recommend is Carlson's fish oil and cod liver oil, which we carry on Mercola.com. You can also check your local health food store to see if they carry these.