Health
Fish oil health benefits may include:
- brain function
- eye health
- improved asthma symptoms
- mental health
- improved symptoms of certain psychiatric disorders
- normal growth and development
- depression symptom treatment
- reduced hyperactivity, inattention, and other negative behaviors in children
- bone health
- heart health
- increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
- reduced risk of certain cancers
- prevented plaque cause arteries to harden
- protection against disease
- lowered blood pressure
- reduced fat in the liver and symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- reduced inflammation
- skin health
- reduce waist circumference
- weight loss
Fish oil side effects may include:
- increased risk of acid reflux (fish oil supplements)
- bleeding gums and nosebleeds
- diarrhea
- high blood sugar
- insomnia
- hemorrhagic stroke
- toxic industrial compound PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) contamination
Additionally, fish oil is…
- Alkaline 8.0 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Common Food Allergen: FISH
Environment
Water footprint: unknown
Carbon footprint: low, 0.0 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of fish oil from body or liver, a car driving equivalent of 0 miles or 0 kilometers
Destruction: high, marine ecosystems, discarded fishing nets pollute oceans, fishing damages coral, sponges and poses severe threat to marine habitats
Fish oil is…
- Unsustainable
Animals
Kills: fish, usually trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, salmon, anchovies, blue whiting, capelin, menhaden, Norway Pout, send eel and sprat
Harms: fish, usually trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, salmon, anchovies, blue whiting, capelin, menhaden, Norway Pout, send eel and sprat, farmed fish spend their entire lives (up to two years) confined in tightly packed spaces, most farmed fish are predators and eat smaller fish, billions of wild fish must be caught in order to feed them, it can take several pounds of ocean fish to produce just one pound of farmed fish
Indirectly kills or harms: sea-life, such as dolphins, sea turtles, protected fish, whales, seabirds etc. known as “bycatch”, unwanted marine life that unintentionally get caught, hooked and entangled in fishing nets
Fish oil is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
Laborers
Health and safety: hazardous, fishing workers are at risk of accident, injury, and death, reports show 20% of workers and almost 50% of trafficked victims have been injured on the job, injuries include cuts, broken bone, lost fingers, hands and limbs, head injuries, electrocutions, workers get caught in machinery, get thrown overboard, deaths are reported, boat decks are slippery and in constant motion, there can be hazardous machinery present
Living conditions: poor, fishing boats often lack toilets, intensive labor, rapid exhaustion, workers are held at sea and work against their will, they load catch onto bigger, commercial fishing boats in exchange for food and supplies, seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected, boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years, keeping slave workers unseen, trapped at sea, continuing forced labor and abuse, fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal, fishing practices, human rights abuse, fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia, and Fiji seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, seafood consumed in the United States is mostly from foreign sources
Wages: low, recruiters promise well paying jobs to poor, unskilled and vulnerable laborers, recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”, and little to no compensation for their work is given for long periods and maybe even years and are paid below the minimum wage
Fish oil has…
- Laborer issues and human rights concerns
Where does most fish oil come from?
Peru is the world’s leading producer of fish oil. Leading fish oil producers also include USA, Chile, China, Japan, Norway, Vietnam, Denmark, Iceland, India, Morocco and Ecuador.
The world’s top fish oil exporting country is Denmark, followed by USA, Norway, Peru, Iceland, Chile, Japan, Germany, Spain and Mexico.
Is fish oil nutritious?
Fish oil is high in omega-3s, fats, vitamin A and D.
fish oil is alkaline.
Is fish oil alkaline or acidic?
Fish oil is alkaline.
What is the pH level of fish oil?
Fish oil has an 8.0 pH level once digested.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
fish oil is gluten free.
Is fish oil gluten free? Yes, fish oil is gluten free. Fish oil does not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
fish oil is a common food allergen: fish.
Is fish oil a common food allergen?
Yes, fish oil contains a common food allergen: fish. Many people experience allergic reactions to fish oil
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
fish oil is unsustainable.
Overall, is fish oil eco friendly? Is fish oil sustainable?
Fish oil production is relatively unsustainable.
Whether farmed or wild caught, the seafood industry is environmentally destructive due to its direct impact on decreasing marine populations, polluting waters and habitat destruction.
Wild-caught fish and seafood is destructive due to overfishing (when populations die at a greater rate than they are able to replenish). Degraded ecosystems occur as a result and creates an imbalance that impacts important food chains. Consequently, vulnerable aquatic species like sea turtles and coral suffer. Scientists predict oceans will be fishless by 2048. Such a major loss in biodiversity would be catastrophic, as oceans regulate temperature and contribute to half of our oxygen on Earth.
There’s also an alarming amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. In fact, abandoned and lost fishing gear makes up more than 85% of all plastic pollution on sea mounts, ocean ridges and the sea floor. Nets, traps and hooks continue to kill marine life. According to Greenpeace, “Abandoned fishing nets kill and injure more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles each year”.
Fish farming, or aquafarming, is not a sustainable alternative. Not only do farmed fish need to be fed fish to eat (perpetuating a never-ending cycle of fishing) but waters become contaminated with antibiotics (to prevent disease that inevitably occurs with overcrowded fish confinements), pesticides, parasites and fish feces. The toxic water then spreads to waterways and oceans, polluting ecosystems and eventually killing off wild fish populations.
All of the aforementioned fishing practices occur in order to meet global demand. The obvious solution for protecting our Earth’s oceans and waterways, marine habitats, ecosystems and wildlife is for consumers to significantly reduce or eliminate their seafood demand entirely.
fish oil is not vegan.
Is fish oil vegan?
No, fish oil is not vegan. Fish oil is derived from the tissues of oily fish, the product of various types of fish, therefore making it an animal-derived food. Fish must be killed in order to produce fish oil.
There’s also an alarming amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. Abandoned and lost fishing gear make up more than 85% of all plastic pollution. Nets, traps and hooks continue to kill marine life. According to Greenpeace, “Abandoned fishing nets kill and injure more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles each year”.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non-Vegan Foods List
fish oil has labor issues and human rights concerns.
Is fish oil a product that has known labor issues?
Yes. There are reports of serious worker mistreatment regarding the seafood industry. Fish oil is a product that has labor concerns.
There are high numbers of trafficked people promised work but then held at sea against their will. Boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years on end, keeping slave workers unseen and trapped at sea, continuing the forced labor. Recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”. There is little to no compensation for their work which is given for long periods -maybe even years. Seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected.
Fishing workers everywhere are at risk of accident, injury, and death. Injuries include cuts, broken bones, lost fingers, hands and limbs, head injuries and electrocutions. Workers get caught in machinery, get thrown overboard and deaths are reported. Boats are in constant motion, decks are slippery and there can be hazardous machinery present.
Fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal fishing practices and human rights abuse. Fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, especially in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia and Fiji. Seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
- Seafood consumed in the United States is mostly from foreign sources. Only 3% of fish and shellfish is caught or farmed in American territory!
- Many developed countries depend on imported seafood.
We improve lives around the world if we boycott problematic foods that are difficult for human rights authorities to regulate.
Sources:
World Wide Fund for Nature: Overfishing
Cision: global fish oil market to 2024
Animal equality: 4 WAYS THE FISHING INDUSTRY IS DESTROYING THE PLANET
Healthline nutrition: fish oil
Human rights watch: Hidden Chains Rights Abuses and Forced Labor in Thailand’s Fishing Industry
International Labour Office: Caught at sea
Fish oil, cod liver – FoodData Central
