When it is mentioned to take extra omega3, salmon fish oil is probably the first thought that comes to mind as a way to boost it. The reason for this is because most of us are now aware that oily fish such as salmon contain omega 3 and therefore taking salmon fish oil supplements is a way of boosting our intake, but is it the best way?

Well of course it is one way of boosting your intake, after all salmon fish oil does contain EPA and DHA which are the omega3 fatty acids the body needs, but really if you want to boost your omega3 intake properly then I would probably look at another form of fish to do the job, and I will explain why.

First of all as you may well imagine, salmon is now a very highly fished fish, and what this means is that because it is caught in such vast quantities the sea area where it is caught obviously has a lot of boats etc… this in turn leads to the fish being highly contaminated and also possibly high in pollutants such as mercury and lead. If the fish is going to be molecularly distilled (the technical name for purified) then all is well, but as a consumer you probably wont know if it has been purified or not which leaves you having to take a gamble as to whether you are consuming a polluted tablet or not.

Another downside to taking salmon fish oil is that it is not as high in DHA as some other species of fish. In case you are unaware I will explain to you the importance of DHA. DHA is as mentioned before one of the essential fats and it is important to have a high level of DHA in your supplement because this basically what is giving you the real health benefits as it is a) the component which fights inflammation and it is inflammation that causes things like arthritis, heart disease and strokes  and b) about a quarter of your brain is actually made up from these DHA fats so having a supplement high in it is really going to be nourishing your brain for you which means things like improved memory, better concentration and for those that suffer from it potentially less problems with things such as depression and mood swings.

What you may also find as well is due to the fact that most people when they think omega 3 think salmon, then certain manufacturers take advantage of this and make the product expensive so you think you are paying a premium price because you are buying a premium product, when really there are better products at a more competitive price.

So, what are the alternatives?

Well, before I go into them let me just say I am not totally writing salmon fish oil off, it is still a source of omega3, and as a food personally I think it is very tasty, all I am saying that there are better sources of fish out there that are less contaminated and higher in DHA and as we have already discussed this is what you need. So what are these fish?

Well the best two that I have come across for making a really good quality omega3 supplement are hoki and tuna. Now tuna I am sure you have heard of, but not many people have heard of hoki, and this is good because this fish is caught in areas that have hardly any pollution in them just off the coast of New Zealand.