Fish Oil Fast Fact #156: The Truth About the “Omega 3 Boost”

As more and more people are becoming aware of the value of a healthy daily dose of omega 3 fatty acids, food companies are catching on to a brand new type of promotion. Suddenly, very type of food under the sun is available with an “omega 3 boost” or in an “omega 3 enhanced” form. While buying these foods can make you feel healthy and responsible, are they really any better for you than their “un-boosted” counterparts? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no.

Omega 3 is present in many types of food, but generally in fairly low amounts. Any food can be an “omega 3 rich” food if it contains any omega 3 at all because conventional American diets are so low in this vital nutrient. Even if a manufacturer has actually supplemented a food with some form of omega 3, that is no guarantee that your body will be able to process those important fatty acids. Since your body cannot make this nutrient on its own, but has to have it, it is important to eat forms of omega 3 that are ready for use. These forms of the fatty acid are found mostly in fatty fish like tuna, mackerel and salmon. It is still up for debate whether the popular sources krill and flax actually contain much useable omega 3. So before you shell out big bucks for a false omega 3 boost, consider simply supplementing your daily diet with omega 3 salmon fish oil capsules and leaving the boost on the shelf.

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