...because fish or anything remotely fishy nauseates me.

I tried fish oil, but ended up with fish burps.

Even the algae suppliments left me with a fishy taste.

Is there anything else I can do??? Thank you!

are you saying you have tried dr sears' fish oil? i bought some fish oil at costco and i had a small issue with "burps," but my bigger issue was with headaches. i spent the money for the dr sears' fish oil and the headaches and burps are no more. i literally take a tsp of the liquid straight - no mixing in anything. i don't find it too bad. my guess is that the pills are fine.

iow, i can't answer your question until i know what kind of fish oil you have taken.

ps - my life long allergy problem has been basically eliminated since i started taking the fish oil (and doing the zone, of course). i'm waiting for a full year to make sure i get similar results throughout the year before proclaiming my life long allergy problem to have ended, but so far so good.

I agree with Jeffrey, Gina:

Dr. Sears' fish oil is so highly refined and purified that it does make a huge difference when compared to the regular pharmacy fish oils. It also helps too when taken before a meal because the food helps keep the fish oil down. Where you taking them after a meal or on an empty stomach?

Thanks for the replies. No, I haven't tried Dr. Sears' fish oil, but I might.

I'm still trying to get over the mental thing, though. I really wish there was a substitute that wasn't fish.

Gina try taking Zone labs fish oil (FO) with Sea Helath Plus (also a Zone Labs product). Dr Sears recommends this. It helps to emulsify the FO for better absorption, and could also help prevent it from repeating on you .

I take Flax seeds. Does anyone know if it's just as good as taking fish oil? Flax seeds provide the fiber, omega 3s, and ALA. Can you use both?

For those who are allergic to fish, or just can't tolerate fish oil, Barry Sears says that ground flax seed is an acceptable alternative. However, his opinion is that taking fish oil is a better way of getting the omega-3.

From what I know about Flax seeds vs fish oils it takes longer for flax seeds to turn into DHA and EPA in the body than fish oil. :)

Tricia, that is true. That is why fish oil is recommended over flax seeds. But, in cases where fish oil just can't be tolerated, I have read that Sears recommends flax seeds as an acceptable alternative.

Just a little FYI for everyone re: fish allergies. I've read written by Dr Sears, in DrSears.com, that explains how people with allergies to fish can usually take fish oil without any problem, because it's the protein in fish that causes the allergic reactions, not the oil.

And, I have also read Sears books which state that flax seeds are also appropriate for those who are allergic to seafood. It may be true that the protein of the fish is what causes the allergic reaction, but if it were me, I certainly would not want to take that chance!

It is flax seed not flax seed oil that one should use? I know that this was a hot topic a while back. I was going to start supplementing with it as I'm unable to tolerate fish oil (Sears brand).

If you are using flax for the ALA, you'll get more from the oil. If you are using flax for the lignans then use the seeds. One brand of oil I know of also contains the lignans, but most do not. Flax is a poor substitute for fish oil because the conversion of ALA to EPA in the human body is poor and the conversion to DHA, even worse. You might want to pursue your difficulty with FO with someone at Zone Labs before you give up on it altogether.

Cheril, the flax seed will give you the benefit of the fiber in the flax, too.

I can't remember where I read this, but I think Sue mentioned in the older thread that she frowned against using flax seed oil. Apparently, Sears feels that the amount of this oil should be limited. I am not aware of any limits set on ground flax seed, though.

It seems to me that Sears was a bit more vocal about the use of flax seed in his earlier days, than he is lately. His more recent books do not really specify any clear "danger" of using flax seed. And, I would have expected him to go into this more in the OmegaRx Zone, but he didn't. In an "Ask Dr. Sears" post, he recommended the addition of ground flax seed to a meal--you can do a search and read more about it on www.drsears.com.

Sue had opened up a thread and actually copied the topic over to a new thread quite recently, but for some reason, she decided to delete it. Perhaps she can post that again, for this discussion!

Hi Sue,
I believe that I have given up on FO, at least for the near future. I did call Zone Labs and had a nice talk with one of them (not cust svc). I took his advise and started with the mini-Omega caps combined with your input on the Sea Health. By Day 3 I had a serious headache, I get them often so I was not thinking of FO. By day 4 I felt like I had the flu...headache, aches, fatigue, etc. I thought that I was sick. I didn't take the FO the next day, felt better that afternoon and perfectly fine the following day. This is similar to the past troubles. I eat plenty of fish so it's not some crazy reaction to fish. I think I may be better off with some flax.

Cran,
I may pick up a small thing of flax and do some more reading to figure that out.

Anyone know if the flax seed tastes good or bad?

Cheril,
I have added it to oatmeal in the past, before cooking, and you really can't even tell that it is there. Also, our dietician at work adds flax to all kinds of things, and you really can't tell the difference.

I LOVE ground flax seed and sprinkle a little on everything! Its a subtle nutty taste. I've mixed it with spices and used it to "bread" oven-baked chicken. You can also mix 1/4 c of ground flax with an egg white and 1/2 apple, grated or minced. Spoon it into a skillet over med. heat and cook it like a pancake. (Its going to look like a blob, but as it warms up, it spreads out) I've just started the zone and have no idea how to count flax meal, other than its definitely an oil. You don't notice it when its cold, but if you cook with it, you don't need to spray or add oil to skillet or baking sheet. Also, make sure you keep it in the frig after you open it. If you use a lot and you keep your house cool, you may not notice, but it can turn rancid sitting just like other oils.

Now, flax seed oil ... that's another taste all together! I was told I'd get used to it, but never could. :(

Good luck!
nan

I bought some flax seeds today. So it's best to grind them up, food processor?? I may add to my breakfast.

They also had a flax oil capsule that has lignans but they were giant horse pills so I left them at the store.

Thanks for the info:-)

Make sure you buy and the package says "ground" flax seeds not the ones you have to grind. You would have to chew up the seeds really well to get the full benefit if you just bought the seeds.

Some flax tips:

If eating flax for the fiber benefits, consume the seed, either whole or ground; if for the fats, it's recommended to get the oil instead of the seed, because much of the fat will never be released as the seed goes through the digestive system, even if eating ground flax seed.

Ground seed oxidizes quickly. It's advised not to purchase it gound, and to grind only the amount you plan to eat, just prior to eating it. Many people use the small hand held electric coffee/spice grinders to grind flax seed.

Regarding health benefits, golden flax is said to be preferable to the more common darker brown colored seed.

Flax is a poor means by which to attempt to get EPA. Flax doesn't contain EPA. Rather the ALA in flax must ne converted into EPA by the body, a very inefficient process resulting in very little EPA. The conversion to DHA is even less efficient.

Freshly ground flax seed mixed with water becomes thick and sort of slimy, and is used as an egg substitute in some vegan recipes (e.g.baked goods and French toast).

Sue & Tricia,
Thank you. I bought the flax seeds, oops. They were out of golden so I purchased the brown. I thought golden sounded better...before I read this thread update. I guess I'll use it for the fiber.

Since I can't tolerate the FO, I may try the flax oil. It sounds like it may be a waste of money based on the body's inefficiency at conversion. Perhaps money on organic vegies is money better spent...

Cheril,
Don't despair, just think--you will be getting double the benefit by using ground flax seeds: even if it is a less efficient way of getting your omega-3's, at least you are able to get some (which is better than none at all). And, you are also getting the benefit of the fiber.

Cran,
I don't own a spice grinder...so we'll see. They were inexpensive so it's not a big deal...$1.79/pound and I only have around 1/3C. Maybe I'll add them un-ground to my breakfast or give them a whirl in the food processor to see what happens.

I have not bought Dr. Sears fish oil yet due to the high cost, but have bought some from Wal-mart that seem to work for me. I too can't stand fish...but I found a brand that has the softgels digest in the lower intestine. This has been great for me, because I had tried another brand and did burp up fish taste. My freedom from pain is worth it for me to taste fish but my husband found this brand for me at Wal mart. The Brand is Spring Valley Enteric Coated Fish Oil 1200mg. I can not attest to anything about it other then it works with my pain and my fishy after taste. I have none now.

Shannon

Note that for safety reasons (re: contaminants, from ocean pollution, that are found in fish), Dr Sears recommends not to take more than 1 gram daily unless the fish oil is ultra-refined with an EPA/DHA ratio of 2:1 in a 60% concentration, and has obtained the IFOS five star rating.

i looked at the spring valley, curious how much epa/dha was actually in it, and i note that their one-per-day version (410/274 mg) looks to be much the same as a generic ive been using from kroger... i just posted a longish comparison in the health section, if youre interested.

sue - is that 1 gram of epa? epa+dha? "fish oil" as in the whole capsule regardless of epa/dha content?

:) adrien

adrien,

I can't find the original aritcle here, so I'm not sure. Whichever scenario he was referring to (an amount of oil containing 1 gram combined EPA and DHA, or 1 gram of the oil istelf) it wouldn't allow you to get even the minimum recommended dose of 2.5 grams daily.

Hi all, question, I am taking a fish oil from the Vitamin Shoppe, their brand. It has a coating of methacrylic acid copolymer dispersion, triacetin. Could this coating be a concern to my health?

Hi,

I don't know about the coating, but the fish oil itself would be of concern for you health because it does not meet the highest standards for safety in regard to pollutants.

____________________________________________

sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.   ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!

View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/

View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0

Hi Sue, I read the coating is a preservative. There's so many fish oil supp's out there, I want a good one, but it's so overwhelming and I like the convenience of buying it around my area. Do you think Dr. Sears brand is worth it? Which Dr Sears would you recommend and does it give you fish burbs or that after taste grossness? I am 39 y/o and I am active (walking, exercising on weekends, and zoning).

Spring Valley is only at 30% concentration of Fish Oils.
 ( jaydpiii at yahoo dot com ).