Let’s face it! Lots of us have trouble swallowing pills and capsules. Breaking open fish oil pills or capsules, however, is not the easiest way to deal with the problem.
There is no fundamental reason not to break open a capsule of a high quality supplement into a clean spoon or even into a glass of V-8 juice or some other salty, flavorful vegetable juice. As long as the oil is consumed right away, it will not oxidize and the essential fatty acids it contains will not spoil. You can just throw the capsule away, although some brands like Nordic Naturals add flavoring to the capsule itself to make it tasty enough to chew. But don’t! You don’t really want to squirt fish oil in your mouth unless you have tasted it before and grown accustomed to it.
There are reasons, however, not to break open a capsule of any product that is labeled as containing “marine liquids.” Another term for marine liquids might be fish juice. Just as a fish would go bad if you put it in a bottle and left it on your shelf for six months or more, marine liquids ferment inside the capsule. They don’t really smell rotten. They smell fishy. They are the component of low-quality products that give you fishy burps and indigestion. Never open a fish oil capsule if the label lists marine liquids as an ingredient.
There are two easy ways to deal with the problems of swallowing omega-3 supplement pills.
One is to buy chewables. Usually offered in fruit flavors, such as cherry, lemon, orange, and lime, these omega-3 gummy bears are meant to be chewed and swallowed. The best brands don’t taste fishy and both children and adults usually enjoy them.
The other way to get your fish oil dose without having to break open a pill or capsule is to buy liquid fish oil in bottles.
Back in the days when the only available type of this oil was rancid, nasty cod liver oil, getting your daily omega-3s, vitamin A, and vitamin D from fish oil seemed more like punishment than nourishment. The awful flavor of the oil was due to the fact that fishing vessels lacked storage and basic sanitation.
Fortunately, today this problem no longer exists. Fish are caught in cold waters and immediately put on ice. Supplement makers do not tolerate bacterial contamination in the catch and they test their products for any signs of spoilage or bacterial contamination.
It is still possible to buy fermented cod liver oil, and, believe it or not, it is actually the most nutritious form of fish oil on the planet. Just a teaspoon (5 ml) a day is enough for your daily requirements of vitamins A and D.
There are other types of these oils not made from livers which are also available in fruit flavors. In Norway, they are even a popular breakfast drink.
Make no mistake about it! It’s OK to break open capsules of high-quality fish oils. But it’s a lot easier to use chewable DHA capsules or fruit-flavored oil.
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