Thursday, January 28, 2010

I love Cod Liver, Say What? A Review

 Nordic About a week ago I was contacted by Nordic Naturals to try their Omega 3 effervescent drink mix and do a review.  I was alittle nervous, the drink mix has cod liver oil in it and I don't know if you've ever tried cod liver oil, but its pretty nasty. I tried a capfull at the healthfood store around the corner from work on my lunch break. The marketing girl was like, its good, yup you just drink it. So I said sure and took a gulp, it was horrible! I mean really really horrible. I had to buy a whole chocolate bar and scarf it down just to take away the gross fishy taste. While the mix packet was mixing in my water, I kept finding other things to do except drink it! lol. After it was all mixed, the liquid became this orange color. I took a deep breath and took a small sip. I promise you, this stuff tasted great! It kinda reminded me of orange aid or one of those orange and milk popsicles, but fizzy. I was super pleasantly surprised when I actually wanted to drink the rest of the cup lol. You can find out more about the packets on this cutey site.  Inside the packet is 500mg of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid Omega 3) and DHA (Docosahezaenoic Acid Omega 3) plus 1200 IU of Vitamin D3 and is made from 100% arctic cod livers (everytime I read that I'm like, did I just drink that???) The packet is sweetened with the natural stevia plant that is used as a natural sweetener for teas and coffees more and more. This kind of vitamin drink is especially good for people with digestive problems as there's no digesting required since its in liquid form.

The packet contains Vitamin D3 and many of us may be VitD deficient. I know I am! With working all day inside, I rarely get to lay out or even go out into the sun (not to mention I work in a concrete jungle that lets only small amounts of sunlight through the buildings lol). Even with sunscreen, this can diminish the exposure to UVB rays that are needed for Vit D conversion. Vit D enhances calcium absorption, maintains optiminal bone health and strength and helps regulate the immune and neuromuscular systems. The EPA in the packet does all this: maintains a healthy heart and circulatory system, enchances joint flexibility and movement, promotes healthy immune function, supports optimal metabolism and body composition, promotes balanced blood sugar levels and supports the bodys natural anti-inflammatory response.  DHA supports learning and memory, promotes positive mood and well being, supports and protects the brain, eyes, and nervous and immune systems, is essential for the proper development of infants and children and is recommended by doctors for pregnant and lactating women. So thats a lot of stuff in there!! (One thing to be careful of though is mercury in the fish with pregnant/lactating women but which luckily arctic cod is very low in, but you should check with your doctor before taking a packet if you are pregnant/lactating)   

One good thing about the company that makes this cod liver oil packet, Nordic Naturals, is that all the fish they use for their fish oil products are Norwegian arctic cod, sardines and anchovies, which are NOT endangered, so you don't have to worry about impacting the fish in a bad way!

Alittle fun info (just cause I like random fun facts): Nordic Naturals was founded by Norwegian born, Noar Opheim (my husband would love that, both his grandpa's were from Norway), who recognized the lack of fish oils in the US when he first arrived 20 years ago. He said "Having been born and raised in Arctic Norway, where the fishing industry is a crucial part of both the commerce and academia, I was aware of the importance of pure omega 3 in the diet."

Did you know that if you have greater than 8% of combined EPA and DHA in your cell membrane, the risk of death from a heart attack is reduced by 90%!!??? Thats huge!!

5 comments:

  1. Um. I'm visiting from SITS. I love that you are so adventurous as to try Cod Liver Oil! I will pass on that though!

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  2. Good for you! I admit- i'd be a bit nervous to try it as well!! I am a wimp! I do need to take some though, so I will trust your review and try it~

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  3. I've given you a Beautiful Blogger Award! You can check it out on my blog. Have a great weekend!
    http://lifeoflt.blogspot.com

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  4. I can't get past the smell of cod liver oil to actually consume it. Why can't things that are good for you taste like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups??

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