Omega3 Fatty Acids. Should You Eat Fish To Get Them?
It's a good question isn't it. Fish is contaminated with mercury, so should we be eating fish to get those good omega3 fatty acids in our diets?
And if you shouldn't eat fish how do you get that Omega3 in your diet?
You can get Omega3 fatty acids from some plant sources, but by far the best place to find good quantities of the right type of Omega3 fats if fish.
But there is a problem with eating fish isn't there? What about mercury contamination? Isn't fish contaminated with mercury?
The EPA says that there is mercury contamination in all fish.
Now of course mercury isnt something that you want in your body, and your body doesnt get rid of it all that easily. Its a particular problem for children.
But the EPA does not tell us to take fish out of our diet. It only has small amounts of mercury, and eaten in moderation it's ok to eat fish, and they offer guidelines on how much.
Its ok to eat around 2 serves of fish a week. However for children or pregnant women theres some more things to think about, because mercury is more of a risk to children or developing fetuses.
Pregnant women and children ought not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish. These types of fish are higher in mercury.
But it's unnecessary to eliminate fish from your diet. You can eat it, in small amounts.
But of course if you understand the importance of omega3 fatty acids in your diet you need a regular supply of fish oil. Preferable a daily supply. And there is the rub. You see for most of us ordinary people eating fish regularly is really expensive. Fish is getting more and more expensive all the time, and as it gets scarcer it gets more expensive.
And although the EPA says its ok to eat it, if youre eating fish to get your Omega3 then there is a better way. Of course if you just love fish then go for it.
And although it's small amounts, there is still mercury in fish. So if you can find a way of getting your Omega3 fats that isn't so expensive, and doesn't have mercury, that's got to be a better way.
Use fish oil supplements. You can get Omega3 fatty acid supplements. They contain fish oil, and they are extremely clean, sourcing their oil from fish that live in the cleanest ocean in the world, the southern ocean, and then this is put through a molecular distillation process until contaminants are undetectable.
But be aware that although many fish oil supplements claim to be contamination free, there are varying standards, none binding, and not all fish oil supplements are truly contamination free.
So if you love to eat fish, and you're independently wealthy, go for it. But if you're eating it to get your Omega3 fats, then there's cheaper better ways, with no risk of eating any mercury.