raw (femented?) fish oil

[invisible]

for the people who take fish oil what brand do you use and where do you get it from and is it raw i.e. cold pressed or fermented?

I saw this in a local pharmacy http://www.swisse.com.au/Swisse/PRODUCTS/Fish_Oil/default.aspx#/PRODUCTS/Fish_Oil/Product_Range-O/SWISSE_ULTIBOOST_WILD_SALMON_OIL/Benefits-E/

It looks to be perfect, but I'm skeptical since as I said I saw it in a local pharmacy where everything else is garbage lol

[Pimativo]

Great product, but pricy.

http://www.building-health.com/blue-ice™-royal-blend-gel-81-oz-240-ml-p-66.html

[PaleoPhil]

Green Pastures sometimes has sales on overstocks of Blue Ice CLO. I was paying $19.90/8oz bottle for liquid Arctic Mint, but now it's back up to $44. Right now the sale is on Salty Cod @ $29/8oz, if you can stomach that flavor (haven't tried it myself): http://www.greenpasture.org/retail/?t=products

Does anyone know how long one can store unopened bottles of Blue Ice? I'm thinking that maybe I should stock up on whichever ones I find I can stomach when they go on sale. The liquid in one opened bottle I had eventually started to get thick and lumpy, but the contents of the current bottle are still crystal clear and liquidy over the same time frame. Strange how much difference there can be between bottles.

I noticed I'm able to handle the Blue Ice better over time--it's burning the back of my throat less and less.

[MoonStalkeR]

I recently started using Blue Ice fermented oil too. I got in capsules so I just chew the oil out to avoid swallowing them. It tastes bitter.

It seems a little solidified inside the capsules, can anyone relate to this?

[PaleoPhil]

Bitter doesn't seem like quite the right word for how it tasted to me the first time I tried it, though that comes close. It was more like powerful and maybe a little medicinal and very burning. It was like drinking vodka straight. Now it seems pretty mild. My first bottle of Blue Ice CLO did solidify into a thick gel, yes.

[MoonStalkeR]

Alright I just had a feeling it might have been rancid.

[TylerDurden]

Only buy the raw, fermented, unscented, cod liver oil from Blue Ice. At leats it's the only one I know which is genuinely raw.

[PaleoPhil]

At this point the Blue Ice liquid seems boringly bland to me. It's amazing how in just several months I could experience such a change in taste sensation with it.

[Michael]

At this point the Blue Ice liquid seems boringly bland to me. It's amazing how in just several months I could experience such a change in taste sensation with it.

Hi PaleoPhil,

Long time no speak!     I've disappeared into 'babyworld' these last 6 months or so and have missed being around the forum but I'm going to make a concerted effort to get back on here.

Being a natural substance, do you think the change in taste sensation you've noticed with Blue Ice CLO could be due to fluctuations in the actual product?  I've been using it for a number of years now and have experienced a variety of different tastes and textures.  Interestingly, my latest batch does not give the burning sensation frequently experienced by myself and most others either.  I wonder if they've altered their production methods?  It's a most welcome change no matter what!   

Michael

[PaleoPhil]

Quite possible, as my current bottle hasn't congealed like my first two bottles did.

[MoonStalkeR]

It was foolish of me to order the capsuled ones. Even though I don't swallow, putting them in my mouth alone causes problems and the residue that goes down with the oil I swallow is still destructive.

[Michael]

Quite possible, as my current bottle hasn't congealed like my first two bottles did.

That's interesting.  Do you still experience that back-of-the-throat burning sensation a little or has it completely receded?  I haven't noticed it at all on my last couple of bulk orders.  I've also just starting giving it to my, now, 14 month old son - just 1-2ml.  He loves it and actually asks for it now!  

[PaleoPhil]

Interesting. It's amazing how much young children like ancestral-type foods. They're taste buds haven't been ruined yet.

MoonStalker, perhaps you could try biting into the gels, sucking out the oil and then spitting out the gelatin capsule, if you don't mind the taste? I do that sometimes.

[MoonStalkeR]

That's what I usually do with gel capsules and the like. These capsules are more fragile and have a powerful scent, so that isn't enough. Next time I'll to buy the non-capsule bottles.

[Michael]

Interesting. It's amazing how much young children like ancestral-type foods. They're taste buds haven't been ruined yet.

Yes, I think you're spot on with that observation.  The key is avoiding the manipulation and destruction of taste.  I was certainly positively surprised by his love of the CLO.  I'll have to start that thread soon regarding the raising of my son which could, hopefully, act as a useful record for others if continued over a period of time including developmental photos etc

It was foolish of me to order the capsuled ones. Even though I don't swallow, putting them in my mouth alone causes problems and the residue that goes down with the oil I swallow is still destructive.

Is there any way you could obtain a cheap needle syringe, MoonStalkeR, to plunge into the gel capsule and extract the pure, untainted liquid?  I would expect these are cheap enough to buy or you may even be able to access a free one from a hospital or drug treatment centre?

[MoonStalkeR]

I will definitely try that, though I would expect the liquid itself to be tainted by the capsule's material. In the meantime I will use the Carlson's bottle I still have.

[Michael]

Cool.  Good luck with that and keep us posted with your results.  You're probably right that the oil may have become a little tainted by the capsule but it's a huge improvement on chewing or, worse, consuming the capsules!   

[tdister]

Just picked up a bottle of the Blue Ice fermented CLO today. It smells like it would make an excellent catfish bait. Burned going down, so it must be working.

I've heard of some people getting a fishy smell from this stuff. Anyone here noticed that?

[Michael]

Glad to hear you've made the purchase tdister.  I used to get the burning but don't seem to anymore.  I have suspected they're using a different production method as the oil seems better all round.

If there were no fishy smell to it I'd be a little concerned to be honest!    I must say, however, that it's only slight and it's by far the tastiest cod liver oil I've ever tried.

[tdister]

Glad to hear you've made the purchase tdister.  I used to get the burning but don't seem to anymore.  I have suspected they're using a different production method as the oil seems better all round.

If there were no fishy smell to it I'd be a little concerned to be honest!    I must say, however, that it's only slight and it's by far the tastiest cod liver oil I've ever tried.

I've noticed a reduction in the burning sensation already. It's barely there now.

Oh, by fishy smell I meant coming from you, I read of a lady who was giving her son half doses because he started smelling like it on full doses.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to take it for full benefits/absorption. Take it on it's own or with other food? I wish I could stand having it in my mouth so I could "chew" the fat to aid digestion. I've been taking it in the morning and chasing it with eggs.

[Michael]

tdister, Great to hear the burning has almost ceased.  That's very interesting!

Oh, sorry I misunderstood.  I have no idea if I smell of fish from taking it but, certainly, my partner who took it throughout her pregnancy and continuing for the 14 months since giving birth never seems to smell of fish.  I suppose digestive problems such as reflux, indigestion etc could cause one to give off a certain fishy odor.

Regarding the best way of taking it, I would recommend taking doses with meals and, preferably, meals containing lots of good other fats.  Weston Price, of course, found that the benefits of CLO were only fully appreciated when it was taken along with raw butter (or other foods high in Vit A).  I think your protocol of chasing it with eggs is a good one also.  I wouldn't be overly concerned about 'chewing' the fat.  There's nothing to be gained from this IMO.

[PaleoPhil]

... Weston Price, of course, found that the benefits of CLO were only fully appreciated when it was taken along with raw butter (or other foods high in Vit A).

CLO is already very high in vitamin A. What raw butter has that CLO doesn't is vitamin K2.

I think your protocol of chasing it with eggs is a good one also.

Egg yolks do also contain vitamin K2.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about 'chewing' the fat.  There's nothing to be gained from this IMO.

Someone here posted that chewing fat is beneficial--I think it was one of the Instinctos--but I can't find their post now. I hope whoever it was will respond. most non-processed animal body fats require at least some chewing anyway and I find that suet becomes more enjoyable to eat and less likely to cause gas or go through me when I chew it a lot.

Plus, chewing fat is so common among traditional peoples, including even Englishmen not too long ago, that there is a common phrase in English: "chewing the fat". Inuits are well known for "chewing the fat".

[tdister]

CLO is already very high in vitamin A. What raw butter has that CLO doesn't is vitamin K2.
Egg yolks do also contain vitamin K2.
Someone here posted that chewing fat is beneficial--I think it was one of the Instinctos--but I can't find their post now. I hope whoever it was will respond. most non-processed animal body fats require at least some chewing anyway and I find that suet becomes more enjoyable to eat and less likely to cause gas or go through me when I chew it a lot.

Plus, chewing fat is so common among traditional peoples, including even Englishmen not too long ago, that there is a common phrase in English: "chewing the fat". Inuits are well known for "chewing the fat".

I understand that fermented CLO does have K2.

I've heard to chew fat thoroughly before I ever heard of paleo eating. There are enzymes for sugars and fats in your saliva, as I understand it.

[PaleoPhil]

I understand that fermented CLO does have K2.
...

Ah yes, I forgot, but I don't think the amount has been carefully measured, but if it has please let me know. However, I think K2 is why the WAPF recommends taking butter oil along with CLO (I don't myself, though, because I eat other K2 foods like liver and free range egg yolks and because I don't handle dairy products well).

[Michael]

CLO is already very high in vitamin A. What raw butter has that CLO doesn't is vitamin K2.

Yes, thanks for correcting me on that Phil for the benefit of other readers.  I did realise my Vit A gaff after I'd posted! 

Someone here posted that chewing fat is beneficial--I think it was one of the Instinctos--but I can't find their post now. I hope whoever it was will respond. most non-processed animal body fats require at least some chewing anyway and I find that suet becomes more enjoyable to eat and less likely to cause gas or go through me when I chew it a lot.

Plus, chewing fat is so common among traditional peoples, including even Englishmen not too long ago, that there is a common phrase in English: "chewing the fat". Inuits are well known for "chewing the fat".

I stand, potentially, corrected.  But, it was just - as I said - my opinion based on my own current knowledge.  I'm certainly aware of the well-known phrase "chewing the fat".  Empirical evidence such as the Inuits chewing fat holds value too, IMO, but do you guys know of any studies on the subject?  Clearly, breaking the fat into physically smaller pieces is always going to help digestion by providing more surface area for digestive juices to break down hydrogen bonds etc but I wasn't aware of any lipase enzyme being secreted in saliva or of any other scientifically known benefits of chewing fat.  If the physical element is the only factor then, of course, it becomes irrelevant with regard to taking liquid oil.

Anybody care to enlighten me?