Let’s be honest! Many of us have trouble swallowing pills and capsules. However, breaking fish oil pills or capsules is not the easiest way to deal with the problem.
There’s no fundamental reason not to open a high-quality supplement capsule into a clean spoon or even a glass of V-8 juice or some other savory, salty vegetable juice. As long as the oil is consumed immediately, it will not oxidize and the essential fatty acids it contains will not go bad. You can throw away the capsule, although some brands like Nordic Naturals add flavor to the capsule to make it tasty enough to chew. But don’t do it! You really don’t want to put fish oil in your mouth unless you’ve tried it before and gotten used to it.
However, there are reasons not to open a capsule of any product that is labeled as containing “marine fluids.” Another term for marine liquids could be fish juice. Just as a fish would go bad if you put it in a bottle and leave it on the shelf for six months or more, marine liquids ferment inside the capsule. They don’t really smell rotten. They smell like fish. They are the component of low-quality products that cause belching and indigestion. Never open a fish oil capsule if the label lists marine liquids as an ingredient.
There are two easy ways to deal with problems with swallowing omega-3 supplements.
One is to buy chewables. Typically offered in fruit flavors including cherry, lemon, orange, and lime, these omega-3 gummy bears are meant to be chewed and swallowed. The best brands do not taste fishy and are often enjoyed by children and adults alike.
The other way to get your dose of fish oil without having to open a pill or capsule is to buy liquid fish oil in bottles.
Back in the days when the only available type of this oil was nasty, rancid cod liver oil, getting your daily omega-3s, vitamin A, and vitamin D from fish oil seemed more like punishment than food. The horrible taste of the oil was due to the fact that the fishing boats lacked storage and basic sanitation.
Fortunately, today this problem no longer exists. The fish are caught in cold water and immediately put on ice. Supplement manufacturers do not tolerate bacterial contamination in the catch and test their products for signs of spoilage or bacterial contamination.
It is still possible to buy fermented cod liver oil and, believe it or not, it is actually the most nutritious form of fish oil on the planet. Just one teaspoon (5 ml) a day is enough for your daily needs of vitamins A and D.
There are other types of these oils that are not made from liver and are also available in fruit flavors. In Norway, they are even a popular breakfast drink.
Make no mistake about it! It is okay to open high-quality fish oil capsules. But it’s much easier to use DHA chewable capsules or fruit-flavored oil.
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