How to Deal With an Allergy to Fish Oils

Millions of people have allergies...and an allergy to fish oil can be one of them.

Having an allergy means your body reacts to a specific protein by releasing histamines and other chemicals. This immune system response can cause mild rashes to deadly anaphylactic shock where your airways in your lungs constrict.

Food allergies are some of the most common allergies. Peanuts, milk, eggs, and even fish, are included in the list of no-no foods for many people with this condition.

If you're allergic to fish, you may have allergies to fish oil...but this will depend if there are proteins present in the fish oil.

Fish oils, such as Nordic Naturals fish oils, claim their fresh oils are free of proteins due to their special processing techniques. Of course, it's still wise to consult with your Doctor before beginning using these supplements.

Although side effects from fish oils are rare, an allergy to fish oil is not something to ignore.

So what do you do if you want the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, but you can't eat fish or take fish oil supplements?

While fish oils are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, you can still get these healthy fats from other food sources.

Walnuts, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are three excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids. One teaspoon of flaxseed oil supplies about 2000 mg. of the omega 3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid. One-quarter cup of flaxseeds contains about 7 grams of omega 3 fatty acids while one-quarter cup of walnuts contains about 2.3 grams.

Looking for other food sources of omega 3's?

Here's a link to the Whole Foods.org website. You'll find a chart at the bottom of the page showing the omega 3 content of foods.

Having allergies to fish oil shouldn't prevent you from enjoying the health benefits from omega 3 fatty acids. Mother Nature has always found a way to provide us with the essential ingredients we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.