Without question I consider fish oils the single most important food item you can optimize in your diet. You might think I would be thrilled with this announcement. Well think again. This is where subscribing to a newsletter like this can give you the “inside” scoop so you can determine for yourself what to make of all the “health” news you are regularly bombarded with through the media.

That is one of the reasons why this newsletter was started, to give you a trustworthy reliable resource to help you cut through the misguided attempts of industry to improve your health and the frequently deceptive spin the media places on these “innovations.”

Superficially, this would appear to be a wonderful improvement. Most of us are deficient in omega-3 fats and of all the omega-3 fats (ALA, EPA, DHA), DHA is, without question, the most important one. Nearly one-quarter of your brain is DHA and if you don’t have enough your health will invariably deteriorate. So what is wrong with adding this valuable omega-3 fat to cereal?

Balance.

You were NEVER designed to have isolated free fatty acids out of balance with the way they are consumed in nature. You simply don’t encounter isolated DHA in any foods. It is always accompanied with the lower 20 carbon omega-3 fat, EPA. If you were to consume large amounts of isolated DHA your health will eventually go south.

I strongly believe that we were designed to consume DHA in proper balance with EPA. So the superficially good move by Kellogg may actually be a long-term prescription for nutritional disaster, as it will eventually distort the optimal EPA/DHA ratio in your body.

Bottom line:

Avoid this cereal and any other product that has highly purified DHA without EPA. Additionally, most Americans would benefit from severely limiting or eliminating all grains, including breakfast cereals, anyway.

Similarly we also need to balance plant-based omega-3s. While most of you know that I am not a great fan of flax seed oil, I still believe that we all require some plant-based ALA in our diet. So freshly ground organic flaxseed is probably the best way to get not only really fresh unoxidized ALA but also the highly beneficial fibers in the flaxseeds called lignins, which help metabolize estrogens and decrease the risk of both prostate and breast cancer.

Get Your Omega-3 From the Best Source

There is no doubt in my mind that high-quality fish and cod liver oils are currently the best way for most of us to obtain omega-3 fats and the way I personally use. One important factor to remember about taking fish oil, however, is that finding a source free of impurities is extremely important for your health. How do you know which fish oil is best? Here are three quick tests:

1. Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:

• Contact the manufacturer for their analysis

• Review an independent third party that has analyzed the product

• Hire a company to test the product yourself

2. Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish or cod liver oil.

It is important to understand fish oil and cod liver oil have long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA) and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.

3. Make certain that your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it.

Nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.

Finally, through clinical experience, I have found that the brand of fish oil you consume is extremely important. While I am sure there are a few other high-quality brands available in the world, one I recommend with total confidence is Carlson's fish oil and cod liver oil. Carlson's quality is exceptional, and their purity is documented by many independent organizations. It is also one of the few brands that put the extra vitamin E in it for you straight from the get go so you don't have to take extra vitamin E if you don’t want to.

If you can't find the Carlson brand, or a comparable brand, in your local health food store, for your convenience we also offer it in our store.

What if You Just Simply Like to Eat Fish?

Some of us really do enjoy eating fresh fish. Unfortunately, most fresh fish, whether from the ocean, lakes and streams, or farm-raised, are full of toxins that are best avoided. Mercury levels in nearly all fish have now hit dangerously high levels across the world, and the risk of this mercury to your health now outweighs the fish's omega-3 benefits.

But there is hope if you really love to eat fish. After searching for a safe source of fish, I discovered, via independent lab testing, that Vital Choice Alaskan Wild Red Salmon offered on this site is the one source that is safe from mercury and other toxins. It is a bit pricey because overnight shipping is required, but if you buy them in large quantity the shipping price per pound reduces quite dramatically.

Related Articles:

How Fish Oil Protects Your Heart

Cardiovascular Benefits of Omega-3 Fats

Importance of Omega Three Fats in Health and Disease

Omega-3: How to Properly Increase Intake of Omega-3 with Fish Oil to Protect Against Disease

More Support for Fish Oil for Heart Disease