Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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We are newbies to Paleo and if I follow Robb's suggestion of 1 gram per 10 lbs of body weight then that is a lot of grams of fish oil just for me and my husband combined. I did check out Mr. Sears fish oil and I was a bit overwhelmed at the cost of fish oil for one month and I am sure that is based on normal weight for one months supply so it would be even more for us!

We are both obese and we are looking at taking about 58 grams a day combined. I have no idea how many capsules that would be right now. Has someone on limited income figured out the best way to achieve this to get a better balance in the beginning with fish oil without spending a fortune?

I guess you can get the oil by the bottle. How many grams are in one teaspoon of fish oil or perhaps it varies by brand? The thought of actually swallowing fish oil and multiple teaspoons or tablespoons is a bit daunting so not sure which way to track this liquid vs caplets vs cost vs gagging.

We are not training for anything and are trying to lose weight and remedy various health problems. We eat fish at least twice a week. But I do have Fibromyalgia and inflammation and if high doses of fish oil in the beginning will tap down the pain and inflammation this is very important to get this right.

flag	asked Oct 7 2010 at 21:33 Hydrangea 85●2●8

Kamal · Accepted Answer · 2010-10-07 21:50:53Z UTC

Many on here will recommend this:

Take a more moderate dose of fish oil, somewhere around 5 grams/day, from something like Carlson's fish oil
Drastically lower vegetable oil and poultry intake

In this way, you will increase your omega 3 intake while lowering omega 6 intake.

I believe Robb suggests the huge fish oil (omega 3) dose in order to quickly correct imbalances in the body. That logic is questionable, as I have seen data that changing omega 6 intake can dramatically change tissue concentrations within one month. In other words, there may not be a need to megadose your fish oil. Also, Carlson's fish oil tastes good, and I'm 99% sure you will not gag.

From what I've researched, rapid high doses of fish oil is unlikely to reverse fibromyalgia. Having gone to a pain clinic for many months for my own stuff, I would love that to be the case! But unfortunately nerves get quite used to this type of pain, and it becomes more of a journey than an attack. There's a book called something like "Reversing Chronic Pain" that talks about this, with sources.

Note that high dose fish oil is not great for everyone. For those who bleed slowly like myself, my hematologist recommended as low a dose as is helpful, then titrating up. And if you have too many total PUFAs, that could be bad if pro-oxidants are still hanging around and attacking said PUFAs. I wish you the best of luck, and do report back on how your regimen worked or didn't work.

Jay · Answer 2 · 2010-10-08 00:14:33Z UTC

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You are all taking too much fish oil by a lot. The key is reducing omega 6 intake, not increasing omega 3 intake. There is no scientific support for supplementing with more than a gram or two per day. In fact, there is evidence that more is bad.

answered Oct 8 2010 at 0:14

Jay
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Agreed. This is the biggest thing that I disagree with in Robb Wolf's approach. I understand its only supposed to be for a short while to compensate for a prior n6/n3 imbalance, but it doesn't seem well supported. High dose n3 is an anticoagulent, which is why eskimos got frequesnt nose bleeds that would last for more than an hour. That said, I take about 5-6g daily plus some cod liver oil when I eat in restaurants (and I'm about 250#). Pretty cheap fish oil can be bought from Costco or online at Iherb. – Dave S. Oct 8 2010 at 16:38

Laren · Answer 3 · 2010-10-07 22:01:44Z UTC

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I was taking 12 grams per day. It had me lightheaded and bleeding like a stuck pig. Now I'm down to 8 grams per day. Much better. 20 grams per day would be way too much for me.

answered Oct 7 2010 at 22:01

Laren
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Good to know since if I follow Robb's advise it would be 27 grams for me! Perhaps 31 for my husband. Sounds like a lot to me and at these prices it would really be expensive. – Hydrangea Oct 7 2010 at 22:37

Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp · Answer 4 · 2010-10-07 22:28:58Z UTC

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In liquid form, 1/2 teaspoon of high quality fish oil = 1.6g (1600 mg). Nordic Naturals 4oz bottle of Ultimate Omega costs $42. Carlson's is similary priced. You'd have to swallow a lot of pills to get this much Omega-3 in one dose.

edited Oct 7 2010 at 22:28

answered Oct 7 2010 at 22:16

Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp
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	Cheryl- I think you meant 1.6 grams? – Kamal♦ Oct 7 2010 at 22:24
	yes I did. thanks for the quick catch. brain fog due to no lunch yet today! – Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp Oct 7 2010 at 22:28
	Thanks for break down the teaspoon equivalent in fish oil. So if I were to do 27g that would be like maybe 3/4t or so. Since there are 6 t per ounce x 4 ounces so that is about 24 t in a bottle for 42.00 that would get me about half way through the month. Then my husband would need at least that much too actually more. So that would translate into 4 bottles a month give or take @ 42.00 each + 168.00 a month? Too expensive! – Hydrangea Oct 7 2010 at 22:47
	I posted just seconds after you correction so the numbers really make it way expensive if I followed Robbs guidelines. Even if I bought it down to 5g that would be like 3 t a day so it too would only last me part of a month. Too expensive. – Hydrangea Oct 7 2010 at 23:11
	Deanne- a teaspoon of fish oil has 4 grams of total fish oil. This is a pretty standard dose to take per day, and comes out to something cheap, like 50 cents a day. – Kamal♦ Oct 8 2010 at 3:07

Eva · Answer 5 · 2010-10-08 05:04:24Z UTC

Remember that omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fat. THerefore, it is prone to rancidity and oxidation, just like other PUFAs. Be sure to keep that stuff in the fridge to help preserve it! And I think there is probably a point at which it does more harm than good. I don't think the research has quite sorted out how much is optimal, but certainly I have heard a number of reports from people who seem reliable that they had problems when taking high dosages. I personally have decided I will not take high dosages and will instead try to eat more fresh sea fish and cut down on other PUFA and omega 6 intake.

Deb · Answer 6 · 2010-10-07 23:52:07Z UTC

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We use Members Mark from Sam's Club which is what Dr. William Davis recommends to his patients. I have to keep them frozen or I burp fish oil for hours. The Heart Scan Blog

answered Oct 7 2010 at 23:52

Deb
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jem · Answer 7 · 2010-10-08 03:50:10Z UTC

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natures answer is reasonably priced and high quality. i think it came from swansons but you can google for the best price.

answered Oct 8 2010 at 3:50

jem
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Cesqua · Answer 8 · 2012-11-29 20:24:15Z UTC

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I use the lemon flavored and add it to berry smoothies. If you keep your berries frozen, you won't have nasty burps later.

answered Nov 29 at 20:24

Cesqua
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This is a follow up question to one already raised about fish oil from last March.

8 Answers