Omega-3

[Needinghelp]

Thanks so much Iggy!

I saw it on the tin of fish, its Sardines. Yes if i ate the whole tin it would be almost 3000mg EPA & DHA Combined, i double checked.

I dont have fish oil pills yet. Not sure if ill be able to tolerate them

[Iggy131313]

Im tolerating them really well, but if thats true about the sardines then thats really good and you should try to have half a tin or a full tin every day (ugh)

[Sheila]

Michele -- I'm not sure how Omega-3 works on cholesterol exactly, but I know it's extremely well-established that Omega-3 is good for heart health and arteries.

It's also well-established that Omega-3 is good for depression.

This thread will continue to exist here, so you can read it at your leisure.

I don't think we know what EPA / DHA ratio is optimal. It's common for it to be 2:1 EPA:DHA in pills. We know the brain and eyes use DHA for a lot of things, but I think the brain uses EPA for other things. Plus, the body converts some EPA to DHA.

We also don't know what the upper limits are for tolerating Omega-3, but they're high, because we are all so out of whack on our Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio.

From writing to Michael Lewis, MD, I know he knows people who have been on 9000 to 18,000 for over a year with no problems, and my chiropractor knows people who have been on 9000 or more for years with no problems.

One possible indicator you're taking too much would be diarrhea, but, frankly, you can't really use that guideline if you already have diarrhea in w/d. Another indicator might be getting minor infections.

[Sheila]

NH -- Read posts # 147 and 148 in this thread to get more of a sense of the Omega-6 issue.

Basically, you want to cut down on grain-fed beef, chicken, milk, cheese, eggs. And try to find grass-fed and free-range.

You also want to switch to lower Omega-6 oils like canola, olive, hemp, flax.

Stay away from peanuts for the time being -- they're very high Omega-6. So are all nuts, except walnuts.

I would not have fish more than twice a week because of the mercury levels in fish. Although, the tiniest fish are the safest. All fish oil pills have had the mercury removed, so you don't have to worry about that. And you will need more Omega-3 than you can get from two servings of fish a week. But do have your two servings.

Both EPA and DHA are valuable. Don't worry about that.

You might consider getting liquid fish oil and then you can start as low as you want. You could also get a low-dose pill and try it. Then, later, you can switch to higher-dose pills to save money.

Feel free to ask other questions. Thanks for the good help, Caroline!