I was raised a vegetarian which means for as long as I can remember, fish and meat have both been off the menu. However, I must admit that sometimes I find being a vegetarian very limiting when it comes to getting what your body needs. That’s not to say it is impossible, but you’ve definitely got to work harder for it. For example, I found myself anaemic throughout both my pregnancies and I had to work extra hard to ensure that my meals were iron rich thanks to ingredients like pulses and leafy greens. That was no easy feat when suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum and detesting being anywhere near the kitchen! It’s also meant that, although I am a veggie for a whole host of different reasons now, it hasn’t stopped me drinking supermarket wines or eating Jelly Babies!

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I personally find vitamins and supplements to be instrumental to my health and wellbeing.

Yes, there are a lot of people who spout out the classic, “If you just had a well balanced, healthy diet, you wouldn’t need to take them!” Quite frankly, those people can bugger off! It is ultimately my choice what I choose to put in my body and in relevance to this blog post, it’s clear that Omega-3 is something my body is seriously lacking in. I could eat bags of nuts every day…only I don’t like nuts {and what happens if you’re allergic?}, I could use more flaxseed oil, soybean oil, and canola oil or I could choose to read the label on every product I buy to ensure it’s been fortified with Omega-3. Or, as a wine drinking, Jelly Baby eating fully grown woman, I could just suck it up and start taking fish oil supplements.

So that is what I did.

It’s not hard to get your hands on good quality supplements. Often you’ll find that there are supplements and other cosmeceuticals on sale in your local health stores. Alternatively, you can look online to save yourself some money and check out things like this Beverly Hills MD deal.

I was sent some Wild Alaskan Fish Oil from Wiley’s Finest and thought it would be the perfect way to kick off the new year.

My goals for 2019 include looking after myself more; treating my body to some extra supplements which have tonnes of health benefits sounds like as good a place to start as any. I was sent out their Peak EPA formula, which contains 4x more Omega-3 than regular strength fish oil – perfect for my deprived body! The supplements come in the form of soft gel capsules which are easy to swallow with a glass of water, despite them being on the larger side. Thanks to Wiley’s Finest’s formula though, you only need to take one a day to ensure you get your daily dose of Omega-3 fatty acids. And although I may joke about eating sweets that could contain gelatin or wine that could contain fishy bits, please do not assume that I don’t plan my diet (and household meals) around sustainable sources of produce as often as I can. The same ethos applies to supplements and you can bet your right arm I would not have agreed to trying out these Omega-3 fish oil supplements if they weren’t sustainably sourced and produced!

It turns out Omega-3 fatty acids are way more important that I realised.

We’ve all heard that Omega-3 fatty acids are important additions to our diets but I never thought to think about why. It turns out they’re way more important than you might realise. There are many types of fatty acids that belong to the Omega 3 family, but EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) are the three types that are most beneficial to us. EPA and DHA are found almost exclusively in fish and seafood. Therefore, the best ways to get these chains of acid are by eating oily fish such as sardines and mackerel, or by taking fish oil supplements. ALA is the other main type of Omega-3 and sources of ALA include vegetable oils, flaxseed and nuts. The problem is that your body has to convert the ALA to EPA and DHA in order to make good use of it. Fish, on the other hand, take ALA from their food and turn it into EPA and DHA in their bodies way better than humans can, which means fish oil supplements are a great way of ensuring our bodies get what they need. Here are just a few of the amazing health benefits Omega-3 has.

Firstly, and most amazingly, it’s been scientifically proven that Omega-3 can help fight depression and anxiety. As someone who struggles with their mental health, I find the research behind this fascinating and it is in itself a reason enough for me to continue taking Omega-3 supplements.
Another interesting health benefit to getting enough fatty acids is improved eye health. No wonder I need to wear glasses now, I wonder if that would have been delayed if I had started taking Omega-3 a lot longer ago.
Omega-3s are crucial for promoting brain health and development throughout pregnancy and early life. Science backs this up and suggests that Omega-3s support higher intelligence, better communication and social skills, fewer behavioural problems, decreased risk of developmental delay and decreased risk of ADHD, autism and cerebral palsy.
They can reduce risk of heart disease by helping to control many of the risk factors that are associated with this. Other studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can even decrease the risk of some types of cancer, including colon, prostate and breast cancer. They can help reduce asthma in children, ensure you have a healthy liver and improve bone and joint health.
Omega-3s can even help with menstrual pain and promote better sleep.
Finally, the one that most people will have heard about: Omega-3 is good for your skin!

Omega-3 fatty acids and skin care.

A little while ago, Victoria Beckham posted up a story on her Instagram citing that Omega-3 fish oil supplements were the secret to her good skin. This doesn’t surprise me at all, as after doing a bit of digging, I discovered that Omega-3 acids can actually manage the oil production and hydration of your skin; preventing something called the ‘hyperkeratinization of hair follicles’, which are the little red bumps often seen on upper arms (I have had these for as long as I can remember!); reduce premature aging of your skin and reducing the risk of acne. Omega-3s can also protect your skin from sun damage by blocking the release of substances that destroy the collagen in your skin after you’ve been out in the sun.

So what has a month of taking Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oil done for me?

Well I cannot tell you whether it’s blocked risk factors for heart disease or made my liver super healthy, but I can tell you about the effect it has had on my hair and skin.

I typically have combination skin. My cheeks are very dry and sensitive and my T-Zone comes up ridiculously oily. Although taking fish oil hasn’t stopped me from having oily skin, it does appear to be less extreme these days, which is a good sign. My skin is also a lot clearer than usual; I normally get three or four nasty spots, especially on the lead up to my period, however I’ve only had one little guy to deal with so far all month. Taking Peak EPA supplements has even helped me with my postpartum hair loss. Before I started taking them, so much hair would come out in the shower it was alarming and embarrassing. Now I’m back to normal more or less and my hair is so shiny when the sun hits it.

My thoughts on taking Omega-3 fish oils.

I was unsure what to expect from taking fish oils. I wanted the results to be worthwhile because I felt undecided about how happy I’d be taking fish oil supplements as a vegetarian. Many will argue now that I am no longer a vegetarian? But that’s not really up for anyone else to debate except for me! What I do know is that there is definitely a compelling argument for taking Omega-3 supplements daily and it’s so easy with the Wiley’s Finest Peak EPA formula as you only need to take one softcell capsule. Its clear to me now that I wasn’t getting anywhere near enough Omega-3s in my body and in just a month, my body has started to thank me for this (quite literal) brain food. I will most likely continue taking fish oil supplements – after all, looking above at the health benefits, it seems crazy to deprive yourself of something so small that could make such a huge difference to your overall health and wellbeing!

Do you take any vitamins and supplements to aid your lifestyle?

*Wiley’s Finest kindly gifted me a bottle of their Peak EPA capsules. All words are my own.