Doing the t-dawg 2.0 and need to supplement my diet with some good EFA’s. Fish oil has DHA’s and EPA’s which are supposed to be good for your cardiovascular system and heart yet flax oil says it is the richest source of omega-3’s. Which is better the flax or the fish?
I am getting fats from chicken, beef, and tuna in oil. Also get the occasional salmon steak.
Thanks in advance.
The benefits of flaxseed oil are often
confused with those of fish oil. Many people don’t realize that the omega-3 fatty acids found in flax are not the same as those found in fish.
Fish oil contains two omega-3 fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Flaxseed oil, is rich in alpha-linolenic acid, which needs to be converted into DHA and EPA in the body. (This process is highly dependent upon available enzymes in the body.)
Our bodies convert alpha-linolenic acid into EPA a little more efficiently than they do into DHA. “Around” 11 grams of alpha-linolenic acid are needed to produce about one gram of DHA and EPA. However, things such as trans fats and stimulants like caffeine can interfere with this process.
Looks like I need to cut out the middle man and go straight for the fish oil. Thanks for the info.
NIce answer JZ
Why not include both in your diet? They both have many benefits and should be a staple in all diets.
lots of benefits in both types of oils. some really great info you should consider comes from articles and responses from John Berardi in t-mag:
however, don’t feel that you should jump straight to fish oil considering the conversion of LNA to DHA and EPA from flaxseed oil. what you may also consider is supplementing with udo’s choice, something i highly recommend. however, see what works best for you diet and training goals and you’ll get a better idea of how much of each supp you may want to take.
good luck.
Can anyone tell me how much fish oil is in a capsule?
I just want to compare caps to a tblspn.
- and I presume all faish oil caps are the same size …
I know JB uses about 6 with a meal as a fat source…
You need to look at the EPA/DHA info and go by that. I think the better brands are more concentrated.
Thanks for your straight up answers. Much appreciated!
Sorry - I just mean that if one tab is 1000mg do i just count that as 9 cals of fat (1 gram * 9)???
The fishy caps I have are 25 Kcal for 2 caps
I very much agree with HHH. But which one you use is a personal choice but your main options are this:
- Use Many tablespoons of flax oil to acheive your personal EPA/DHA needs;
- Use fewer fish caps to acheive same number;
3.Use a number of each.
Obviously flax oil alone doesn’t make sense. Fish caps alone make more sense, but for most choose to use both. Find out which method you like the best and go with that. Good Luck.
I very much agree with HHH. But which one you use is a personal choice but your main options are this:
- Use Many tablespoons of flax oil to acheive your personal EPA/DHA needs;
- Use fewer fish caps to acheive same number;
3.Use a number of each.
Obviously flax oil alone doesn’t make sense. Fish caps alone make more sense, but for most choose to use both. Find out which method you like the best and go with that. Good Luck.
I went out looking for some Fish Oil supplements and found them to be pretty pricey when getting some of the bottled oils. I ended up getting some caps which weren’t too bad.
My current mix for any of my P+F meals is 1 tablespoon of flax oil and 2 caps of fish oil. Is this is good combo? I wasn’t really worried to much about being exact with the numbers as I was getting the benefits of both oils relative to a cutting diet.
Thanks for any info.
“I wasn’t really worried to much about being exact with the numbers as I was getting the benefits of both oils relative to a cutting diet.”
That’s more than fine and that is exactley what JB was talking about in his recent article.
Fish oils are pretty pricey and fortunately I have some connections where I basically get it for free. I consume daily 2 protein shakes which contain 1 tbsp of flax seed oil and also consume 3-4 fish oils caps/meal depending on how many P+F meals I eat that day.
Thanks whetu!
For you broke-ass mofo’s:
In a Consumer Reports review of 10 popular fish oil pills…
Costco’s Kirkland brand, at only $6.99 for a bottle of 300 caps, scored the cleanest of all tested!
Thanks for the info Joey. The bottles of liquid fish oil I was looking at that seemed to be of very high quality was like $35 for what looked to be like a quart. That was a little hefty on the price so I picked up some caps that have worked out pretty good so far. I might have to bug one of my friends that goes to Costco to snag a couple of bottles for me next time.
Damn that seems pretty reasonable. Time to get a membership. Going to be hard to pass up those damn cheesecakes in the coolers though!
lucid, glad I could be of some help!
Lucid and muslhed1171, you guyz need to join Costco; the great thing about them is that they have a “no questions asked” return policy. So, if you run into a batch that repeats on you, (fish burps*#@) you can return or exchange them for a burp-free batch - no questions asked. (This happens once in a great while.) Besides, Costco has a “large” variety of food-stuffs for the “broke-ass” bodybuilder on-the-go!
Just wanted to add to this thread because of some new info I learned today. It might not be new to some, but… There is a difference between fish oil for cod liver oil. The cod liver is no good. Secondly, what ever happened to the Dale Alexander Super EPA? It was the cheapest way to get fish oil. Around $10 for a bottle, not caps. Soooo much cheaper than caps!