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Tracy's Newsletter |
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Tracy's Newsletter |
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Issue #52
Happy One-Year Anniversary to Tracy's Newsletter!
Thanks to you, readers, for your inspiration!
3-14-07
In This Issue...
Tell Your Friends
Want to help your friends stay in shape? Tell them to visit www.cavemaneating.com and sign up for Tracy's Newsletter. It will give you and your friends something new to talk about each week! Have Questions? Please feel free to email me at tracy@cavemaneating.com with questions or ideas about this newsletter or about my two books, The Smart-Carb Guide to Eating Out: Fast-Food and Family Restaurants and The Dessert Diet. |
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You've probably heard a lot about fish oil. Scientists and doctors say it's good for combating heart disease, arthritis and inflammation. But which is the best brand to take?
I've covered this in a previous newsletter, but I wanted to make it even more clear, because I know it can be confusing with all the brands out there.
Taking the right fish oil is important for a few reasons.
1. Most fish oils are high in contaminants. These include PCBs, dioxins and somtimes mercury. If the fish oil you take is not highly-concentrated, it may contain high levels of these chemicals. There's no way you want that stuff in your body.
2. Fish oils made from fish liver, such as cod liver oil, may contain overly-high amounts of vitamin A. This is bad, since we can overdose on vitamin A. Therefore, it's important to take fish oil make from fish bodies rather than from fish livers.
3. Less-concentrated fish oils mean less omega-3 fatty acids (the substances that you're trying to get from the fish oils). So if you're taking a cheap fish oil, you're not even getting that much of what you're taking the fish oil for.
Bottom line on fish oils: Don't go for cheap, go for highly-concentrated quality.
Which Brands of Fish Oil are Worth Buying?
There are only two brands of fish oil on the market that I currently recommend. If you take any of the others, just don't blame the results on me. Seriously, though, this is your health, so follow these recommendations carefully; I've done my homework on this.
Less Expensive / Less Validated...
If you don't have a lot of money to spend on nutritional supplements, buy Dr. Michael Murray Recommended RxOmega-3 Factors Pharmaceutical Grade fish oil from Natural Factors.
You can find this at Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats Market and some other health food stores. However, call ahead because they're sometimes out of it. It's a white bottle with a blue label. It has Dr. Michael Murray's picture on it.
To buy it for even less, go to iherb. They seem to have the lowest prices around for this product.
Based on the label, this is a highly-concentrated fish oil.
Fish oil labels are completely confusing, because you need to compare the amount of fish oil per caplet with the amount of EPA/DHA per caplet and then reference that to other brands.
I've done that for many brands of fish oil, and this one is very pure based on the label's information. It's also very economical for the amount of EPA/DHA it contains.
The down side to this product is that it's not tested by an outside laboratory to assure its purity. That means you have to just hope that the product is what they say it is. There is not much regulation of nutritional supplements to speak of, so you're going on faith with any supplement you take and fish oil is no exception.
However, I have done a test at home to verify that the fish oil is at least very concentrated. This test is recommended by Dr. Barry Sears, author of The Zone and an expert on fish oil. If you currently take fish oil, try this with the brand you take to see how concentrated it is.
Cut open a fish oil caplet and squeeze the contents onto a small plate or dish. Put this in your freezer for four hours. If the fish oil is highly-concentrated, it should still be at or near room temperature after being in the freezer. This is because omega-3 fats are a type of natural antifreeze that keep sea creatures from freezing in cold ocean temperatures.
More Expensive / Well-Validated...
If you want the very best fish oil, then take the kind made by Dr. Barry Sears himself. Dr. Sears was the one who kicked off the fish oil industry and consistently puts out the highest-quality product on the market. It sets the gold standard for fish oil purity.
Every batch of Dr. Sears fish oil is tested by the IFOS, an independent laboratory that tests fish oil for many factors related to purity. Dr. Sears fish oil is the only oil for which every batch is run through all the tests. His is the best stuff out there.
That said, be sure to take the caplets. I don't recommend the liquid fish oil, because it tastes terrible. The caplets are fine and leave little or no aftertaste.
You can buy these high-quality fish oil caplets at Dr. Sears' website, which is www.drsears.com.
You can also call the company to ask questions and place an order at (800) 404-8171.
This product costs two to four times as much as the one mentioned above. Dr. Sears fish oil costs about $50 for 120 caplets. Just so you know ahead of time.
How Much Fish Oil to Take?
Some people just take one caplet a day. While this is good, I recommend that anyone who has any type of chronic condition such as a heart problem, arthritis or inflammation take at least four caplets per day. Dr. Sears recommends even higher doses.
I take four caplets per day and have noticed an improvement in my thinking, less inflammation in my joints and improved eyesight at this dose. With a lower dose, I don't notice the effects.
But let me repeat, please do not take other brands of fish oil. They're just not concentrated enough. And if you do take brands other than the two I recommend, don't say I didn't warn you...
Here's a quick quiz to see how much you learned from reading last week's newsletter:
1. Which is not a Key to Caveman Eating?
a. Eat Caveman Foods. Don't eat Non-Caveman Foods.
b. Eat a fruit by itself.
c. Always eat protein with carbs.
d. Stop eating when you feel full. 2. Which meal below makes a good Caveman Breakfast?
a. yogurt with whole grain toast
b. egg whites cooked with olive oil with whole grain toast
c. yogurt with oranges
d. egg whites cooked with olive oil with oranges
Think you've got the "Keys to the Cave"? Then check out next week's newsletter for the answers!
Answers to last week's quiz:
1. At a take-out chicken restaurant, a Caveman Meal would be:
d. grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables
2. To make Caveman Soda:
c. add unsweetened sparkling water to a splash of juice ____________________________________________________
Eating fish is good for you too. For a Caveman Meal, have a piece of fish the size of your palm with lots of vegetables and a piece of fresh fruit.
-- Tracy
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 Tracy Jones is a nutritional educator, a public speaker, and the author of two books.
Tracy holds a Master's Degree in Biology from the University of California at Davis and a Credential in Adult Education from the University of California at Berkeley Extension. She is a rigorously-trained scientist and an expert in Zone Diet-based nutrition, fast food and convenience food health values, and food macronutrient values. Tracy was introduced to the Zone Diet in 2000 by her mother and became a quick convert to the diet after it helped her lose thirty pounds and heal from health problems. Because the meals in Tracy's books are balanced based on Zone Diet principles, people who eat them are able to enjoy their favorite treats while staying slim and healthy.
Tracy regularly follows her own diets, dining at fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King and eating meals from The Dessert Diet. Her favorite desserts are ice cream and chocolate. Tracy enjoys helping people enjoy the best life has to offer, including great health, delicious food, and happiness.
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Please email feedback and questions to: tracy@cavemaneating.com. To learn more about my books, please visit: www.CavemanEating.com. |
