That's Fit

The benefits of fish oil are many: providing essential vitamins and minerals, aiding in the battle against bad cholesterol, reducing weight, assisting with cardiovascular function, muscle repair and growth, etc., etc., etc. By now it's far from a secret that high Omega-3 content, in addition to a high concentration of certain vitamins and minerals, make fish oil a healthy choice.

But just like all good things, there's a bad side to fish oil, as well. For one, if you were to consume fish oil from a bottle (as it is sold as some health food stores), be prepared to want to throw up for the next five years of your life. I remember a few years back I purchased some fish oil, knowing that adding it to my diet would improve my overall health. My plan was to mix the prescribed tablespoon (or teaspoon, I don't remember. It really doesn't matter) with my daily protein shake, because -- at least in my head -- the fish smell would be overpowered by the full glass of chocolate protein powder. Wow, I could not possibly have been any more wrong.

First of all, I had to throw away the shake that I had made, because it smelled like a chocolate-covered cod. And just when I thought that would be enough, I found that the smell of the fish oil would not leave my blender, regardless of how many times I washed and scrubbed it. After a full week, and just before I was about to toss the blender, the fish smell finally started to dissipate. But it took a full week!! Bottom line, the stuff does not smell good at all, which is why your best bet may be to get it in pill form of some kind. There are several brands of fish oil pills that supposedly have an orange flavor and give off any odor whatsoever. Needless to say, I'm skeptical. I have a feeling that it will taste like orange alright, Orange Roughy!!

Aside from the horrible, horrible odor of fish oil, you need to be careful what kind you are consuming. Not long ago, while listening to an interview with a doctor on NPR (when did I turn into an adult and start listening to NPR?), I learned that cod liver oil may not be the overall healthiest source of fish oil. Apparently, cod liver oil contains high levels of Vitamin A that may contribute to low-level bone toxicity. While it does also provide you with a good amount of Omega-3s and Vitamin D, you may want to avoid cod liver oil for reasons just mentioned and get you fish oil from a different source (such as the pills I mentioned above).

Speaking of which, if anyone out there has tried this orange-flavored fish oil supplement, let us know what you think. I am going to pick some up myself, so perhaps I'll write my own review of them, as well. Just don't expect me to ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever add fish oil to my chocolate protein shake again.