There are plenty of fish oil capsules out there; unfortunately, some of them can do more harm than good.

According to the recent study, a handful amount of such supplements had a huge level of PCBs, from 12 nanograms per recommended dose to 850 nanograms!

What are those PCBs?
Carcinogens.

You think that’s bad? Unfortunately, all foods we eat contain PCBs.

See the chart below.

Here are some tips to avoid potentially bad supplements:

- Avoid supplements that contain no information about the fish itself.

Better brands will always tell you fish species and their location. The best fish oil is made from anchovies, sardines and mackerel. Tiny fishes have a short lifespan; therefore, they don’t soak in toxins for a long time.

- Avoid cod liver and shark liver oil as they contain more mercury.

- For the best results, buy Lovaza or pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
It is purified and more expensive.

- Buy 3rd party tested supplements. For example: International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) rating is a good measure. 5 stars is the absolute maximum.

1 Star for Oxidation Level Less Than 75% of CRN Standard
1 Star for PCB Levels Less Than 50% of CRN Standard
1 Star for Dioxin Levels Less Than 50% of WHO Standard
1 Star for Passing All CRN/WHO Testing Categories
1 Star for Greater Than 60% Omega-3 Concentration

Alternatively, check Consumer Reports and ConsumerLab.com tests.

- Check the amount of Omega-3 per pill.
600-1000 and above is a way to go.

* Pictures source.

I wouldn’t blindly trust this chart, but it’s better than nothing.

So here you have it. Hopefully, it will help you to avoid at least some of the brands.

Stay healthy.

Are you one of those people who tend to skip breakfast? Have you ever lost your productivity in the middle of the day, felt tired in the morning or just couldn’t concentrate? Well, here is your solution: eat breakfast.

Breakfast is an essential element of your daily life. Not only it supplies your body with proteins and carbohydrates (that are converted into the energy), but also have other benefits.

Just think about your body as a complex machine that constantly requires re-fueling. However, we are not talking about bad fuel, such as sugar or fat rich foods (donuts, pastry, etc.), no, those products are useless.

Why? Well, first of all, your body requires proteins and complex carbohydrates to sustain your energy, not this junk. Secondly, eating sugar rich breakfast every day can and will provoke several hearth diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, type 2 diabetes and more. Who would do that to their body? I know, crazy people.

What should you eat?
Fruits, berries, vegetables, a handful of nuts, whole grains, oats (see muesli) and protein rich foods: eggs, protein shake, low fat meat, etc.

Don’t feel like eating?
Divide your breakfast into two smaller portions. Be sure to consume one before you leave.

What if you want to lose weight?
Well, research has shown that people who eat breakfast tend to consume fewer calories per day than those who skip it. Furthermore, those who eat breakfast don’t feel an urge to have a snack in the late evening.

So, stop abusing your body and re-fuel that one hell of a machine.

More than 50% of us “suffer” from some sort of allergy. Are you one of those people? Well, worry no more. Turns out, it is for your own benefit. Now, I am not talking about potentially dangerous allergies, such as: bee sting allergy, etc.

Over the past 50 years, scientists made more than 600 experiments to test the connection between allergy and cancer.

What about the results?

To make it short: as an allergic person breathes in dusts/pollen that might contain carcinogen substances, (due to polluted air, used chemicals, etc.) IgE antibodies notice dust/pollen particles, creates an allergy reaction and moves them to mucus. Therefore, as you sneeze, (or your eyes become teary, etc.) your organism cleans itself up and pushes them out of your body.

It appears that scientists are now debating, whether allergy is a disorder or evolved body function that protects itself from cancerous particles.

Shall you stop taking your medicine? It’s up for you to decide. I did, not because of this research, of course. I’d rather “suffer” a bit than put some additional chemical into my body.

If you are still buying tea bags and don’t really enjoy the flavor of it, maybe it’s time for you to change? It appears that some people dislike the taste of tea, yet, they have never actuality tasted the real thing aka loose leaf tea.

So what exactly is in a tea bag?

Well, tea dusts, obviously, that are usually collected from the bottom of container.

Loose leafs contain essential oils that provides a delightful taste of tea. When leafs are broken up, those oils tend to evaporate over time leaving you with a tasteless thing that some people call “tea”. Furthermore, dusts dry out quickly while sitting in the marketplace for many months.

In case you are interested, check the different types of tea grades. Needless to say, tea bags are in the very bottom.

Are there any advantages of tea bags?
Yes, they are cheaper and contain more caffeine (if you think it is a good thing) per gram, but that’s pretty much it.

What about myself?
Well, my favorite is silver needle (Bai Hao Yinzhen) grade tea that is considered to be the highest quality among white teas.

The highest of the Bai Hao Yinzhen should be fleshy, bright colored and covered with tiny white hairs. The shape should be very uniform, with no stems or leaves. The very best Yinzhen are picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining and only using undamaged and unopened buds. Fujian Province, China.

So, dump those tasteless tea bags and get a real thing. Better taste, smell and improved health benefits. Now, you can’t go wrong with that, can you?

Here is an easy to follow tip for you: drink water in the morning. The very first minute you wake up, before anything else, just drink a glass of water.

How is this beneficial?

While you sleep (6-9 hours), your body does not receive a single drop of water. As a result, it becomes slightly dehydrated. Therefore, by drinking a glass of water, you replenish your reserves. Some say that it also removes toxins, helps bowel movement, etc. Don’t really care about that. It just makes sense to do that. Water also helps your system to wake up faster, so, if you feel sleepy in the morning, just take a glass of water and you will soon realize, that such activity really helps. Hey, you may even notice some other improvements.

I mean, it can’t really be bad for you, right (unless you have some weird condition)? So, why not help your body to recover faster?

I don’t advise you on drinking cold water though, it might be a shock to your system. Room temperature water is probably your best choice. If you have an ulcer though, consider drinking warm water as it reduces stomach acid (and you want to reduce it, so everything heals faster).

Of course, you can always use tap water, which might contain some unfiltered stuff, such as: traces of medicine. However, I suggest you get one of those on tap water purifiers.

Be warned though. Don’t just buy the cheapest one, analyze the product instead. For example: I have found that Philips WP3961 filter also removes good minerals (or they just forgot to mention that it preserves them), while WP3911 does not.

So, do some research before. I use WP3812 model from Phillips (with minerals preserving filter) and couldn’t be happier. Water is delicious.

1, 2, 3, Go!