I was curious how many of you guys take fish oil or flax oil with all of your meals, not just P+F.
I followed John Berardi’s protocol after a fat fast diet I went through for three tough hellish weeks. And once I started his protocol I did use 3g (3 gel caps) with P+C meals.
I basically take fish oil with every meal OTHER than immediately post-workout.
There is no reason, physiologically, to spread your fish caps out over the course of the day. Taking them all at once is fine, and is a hell of a lot easier than carrying a bottle around everywhere you go.
Joel you likely get better absorbtion & blood levels by spreading out the capsules taking them all at once would not be smart.
Hey, JW, I’d agree with you if you were talking about water-soluble vitamins/supplements. With those, The body takes what it needs and excretes the rest, which is why you want to take them in smaller amounts, divided doses. The same is not true with fat-soluble vitamins, however. The body stores everything you take in, and toxic levels can be achieved.
With your EFAs, however, it’s not really about getting optimal blood levels. The good fats you take in are incorporated into the cell membranes, used to make hormones, they’re used in the brain and in the myelin sheath of nerve cells. As it relates to EFAs, Joel is right. You can take them once a day. They don’t need to be split up like your water-soluble vitamins and supplements.
You may have a point if you are taking 50 a day, but there wont be absorption issues even w/ 20 caps at once.
Periods and commas are helpful when posting.
Joel’s right…studies have shown that fish oil has a long 1/2 life in the blood stream and the real benefit of fish oil occurs after it is incorporated into the cells of the body and taking a single large dose should allow for more fish oil to be used for cell structure and less apt to be simply burned for energy…which would be an expensive energy boost…one large dose is best.
Wanted to add…the best time to take the one large dose, IMHO, is with the last meal of the day near bed time…so that the fish oil will less apt to be burned for energy while you are sleeping and will be available in large amounts for your body to use for recovery and hormone production while you sleep.
Sad as it sounds, I think that EFA’s should be “loaded” if they haven’t really been used before. But, you’d load them using insulin. For this reason - if you’re just starting out - I’d recommend decent sized doses just before a P+C meal. Once they’re loaded, the benefits can start. After that, I waffle between thinking that regular dosing or continued loaded would be better - it depends on whether you want to burn fat calories or continue getting the metabolic benefits of EFA’s. Basically, I’m agreeing with Heb.
Also, you wont have to deal w/ fish burps all day with one large dose before bed…you’ll be asleep.
I swear that I learn something in this forum, every time I come here. I just recently learned about fish oils, and they make dieting (and mood, thinking, life) easier and better. Now I can simplify my life a little, too. Thanks!
Yep I also take all of them once at night, I take about 10g of fat total or 10gel caps. Not a lot but it works fine so far.
How many do you guys take a day??
Boxer Al, I take my fish oil in liquid form. It’s cheaper (by a lot!) that way. I take 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of Ultra Omega 3 from Health from the Sun (www.iherb.com), which gives me 6 and a fraction grams. Costs me $13 a month at that dosage.
Okay, I’ll throw this out for consideration:
Granted that Joel’s point about absorption is valid. No problem. However, what about another consideration, namely, that taking a few fish oil caps along with your meal will help to slow digestion a bit?
If you’re doing a P&F meal, obviously this won’t be a problem. But what about P&C meals, or any meal where the insulin-uptake curve is a little faster than you’d like? In this case, will taking fish oil caps along with the meal help to blunt the insulin spike/response, or not?
I’ve been thinking that it will, which is why I’ve been taking mine throughout the day. But maybe I’m wrong…?
A few with P+C meals occasionally. I tend to take 8 to 12 caps with my P+F meals.
What I mean is better absorbtion Joel. The fact is, the more times you consume anything in one day the better absorbed & assimilated it will be. JB also reccomends spacing out the oils “several times per day.” I also space em out because they are 90% of my dietary fat intake.
A few grams w/ a P+C meal isn’t going to do much as far as slowing absorption of nutrients is concerned; fiber would be more beneficial from that standpoint.
And I think the main point is, as Heb indicated, that if you spread the intake out over the day it is likely that the fish oil will be used for energy due to the long 1/2 life within in the blood. You want the oil to be absorbed. Taking a single dose before bed is probably the best time for a few reasons:
1. the oil is less likely to be used as energy and absorption will be greater.
2. dont have to worry about fish burps
3. convenience
This is what I have been doing for quite some time now; I just pop about 20 caps (6 grams of EPA/DHA) with a cassein shake before bed.
You obviously didn’t read through this thread…I don’t understand some people…
Allow me to RESTATE what has already been stated like 3 times in this thread. If you space your intake out throughout the day, the oil is LESS likely to be absorbed (that is the opposite of what you are saying). Because of the long 1/2 life in the blood, the fat is readily available energy and is likely to be used as such. In other words, the fat never gets absorbed; it gets burned as energy. Ok.
And, you probably didn't read this either, so I shall RESTATE it. The best time to take your fish oil is right before bed in one large dose...if you want the reasoning, re-read the thread.
Yep, I like your route a ton better than mine. Will order some for sure as soon as I run out of this gel caps. Cheap, convenient, easy, and very good supplement. Thanks Tampa-terry