Omegas and Good Fats For Postnatal Moms and Good Manufacturing Tips

 

 Just like unrefined salt, naturally occurring fats has gotten a bad rap. The war on fat, fought for decades, now shows that we as a society have gotten heavier at the scale despite cutting fat out of our diets. Study after study debunks the myth that fat makes us gain weight² but even even more telling, naturally-occurring fat is very much a needed part of our system of health.

Our brain, is one organ that benefits from healthy fats. The brain is made up of 75% water and 65% fat making it the fattest part of your body. A newborn baby’s brain will triple in size the first year of life³, making the consumption of good fats necessary for optimal brain function. Specifically, Omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon, kiwi, walnuts can support learning, memory and fight against depression. ¹ Getting a healthy amount of Omega 3s in your diet, is important for breastfeeding postpartum mothers, not only to support her nursling’s brain growth, but as an act of prevention of depression.

Getting your nutrition through food, I truly believe is THE best way to get your nutrients and omegas. There is no better nutrient delivery system, than nature, who provides all the co-factors, vitamins, minerals etc. for synergistic effect which creates the needed biological action. If you have a hard time digesting your food, a holistic, high quality probiotic can assist with this.

"Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain," said Fernando Gmez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain. "Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental function. This raises the exciting possibility that changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage and counteracting the effects of aging." ¹

Consider that Spirulina, a nutrient dense, single-celled anomaly, holds essential omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA & DHA. This blue-green algae is the source that fish, krill and other animals obtain their omega 3's. ⁴ Ideally, getting your omegas by adding a clean source of organic Spirulina to your daily diet would be the primary way to go. Other options include supplementing your dietary routine with a high quality supplement.

Quality is the key to getting the most of a supplement. Quality includes the processing and manufacturing processes. The product – the fish – should cleaned (toxins removed) and the integrity of the oil is whole, intact and delivers the omegas as closely to eating that fish right off your plate. The one thing about high quality supplementing is that you can get a concentrated dose of nutrients that would take pounds of food to get the same amount. That said, the fish oil industry can be tricky. Poor manufacturing practices along with mislabeled products run rampant across store shelves and navigating to find a high quality product can be difficult.

Nordic Naturals sustain-ably sources sardines and anchovies off the coast of Peru and process their fish within hours of being caught, to ensure freshness. Their concentrated oils are produced by molecular distillation in a vacuum. This removes the toxins and other impurities from the oil. They use Flash distillation for their non-concentrated oils, which accomplishes the same thing as molecular distillation, but uses steam instead of a vacuum.⁵

It is important to note two things – all fish oils MUST be processed to remove toxins. Secondly, heat is always used in this process. In this process, heat doesn’t cause oxidative damage to the fish oil (oxygen promotes rancidity), rather heat affects the rate of oxidation. Without the presence of oxygen or free radicals, there is no oxidation to speed up. Nordic Naturals flushes their raw material with nitrogen, which protects against oxygen and free radicals. ⁵  

Consider carefully any claims about “cold-pressed” fish. Ask for a third party certificate of analysis.

I’ve long enjoyed the quality of Nordic Naturals and was thrilled to see their latest product for postpartum moms. As a nursing, postpartum mom myself, I take my nutrient intake very seriously.  Nordic Natural’s Postnatal Omega-3 holds 1120 mg. of Omega- 3s which includes DHA (585 mg.), EPA (456 mg.) and other Omegas (78 mg.) Their fish oil has a clean taste and actually does not taste like fish. The Postpartum Omega comes in Lemon flavor. One thing to note…fishy burps, or oils that taste “fishy” may be a sign of rancidity. You can request a certificate of analysis from the Nordic Naturals at www.nordicnaturals.com and review their fishing practices at www.planetnordic.com/


Singular supplements should be taken with whole foods. Its been suggested that fish oils should be taken with foods with naturally occurring fat intake, such as avocado. Check out my fun avocado recipes…pancakes and chocolate pudding!
 
Disclaimer & Disclosure Policy
I was sent the Nordic Naturals Postnatal Omega-3 for to review. All information presented here is given in an informational format and is based on my personal experience. Products & information mentioned here has not been evaluated by the FDA and should not be used to treat, diagnose or cure. Please see your respective holistic nutritionist/healthcare provider.


Sources:
1 - http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/scientists-learn-how-food-affects-52668
2 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16391215
3 - http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/22/fascinating-facts-you-never-knew-about-the-human-brain.aspx
4 - http://www.naturalnews.com/034194_spirulina_superfood.html#ixzz3ziBzsxKa
5 - https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/FAQs_portal/FAQs_Group_5/637

Suggested Research & Reading
http://draxe.com/omega-3-foods/
http://www.naturalnews.com/034194_spirulina_superfood.html