Fish Oil Supplements - The No-Burping Guide

Fishy taste, upset stomach, belching, etc. Some people can react pretty badly to fish oil. And no wonder - it's a concentrated oil, it can be hard on the stomach.

If you are in this situation, don't give up yet, my gentle readers. There are ways to get all that fishy goodness down without any discomfort.


The first rule of thumb - always keep fish oil in the fridge. It's fish, it spoils easy. If the capsules smell "fishy", toss them, they are more likely to give you stomach burns than reduce inflammation.

Secondly - take the fish oil either immediately before eating or with the food, not on an empty stomach.

And the last, and probably the most important point - shop around. Not all supplements are created equal. Amazon.com is a good place to browse and read reviews of people who actually tried the products you are looking for. A little bit of research will save you a lot of grief later on.

However, if no fish oil supplements you've tried work well for you, here are some alternatives.

Some fish oil supplements on the market are highly filtered, purified and distilled. Those usually come in smaller-sized caps and are easier on the stomach. DHA by wellnessresources.com is a very good example on such products. They do cost premium but might be worth it if regular fish oil is a no go.

Flax oil and walnut oil generally are good substitutes to fish oils for your omega-3’s intake. Worth giving it a try but, not everyone can digest those well. See Fish Oil vs Flax Oil? The Great Debate by Dr. Nicole of kitchentablemedicine.com for more info.

Dr. Nicole also swears by Carlson lemon flavored cod liver for her Omega 3 Fatty acids, so that's something else to check out. It should go down easier than a straight-up fish oil and would cause less irritation to the stomach lining.

Dr. Larry McCleary in his book The Brain Trust Program highly recommends krill oil instead of fish oil. Krill oil is much more absorvable and doesn't spoil. It's also easier on the stomach. Krill oil is more expensive, however. Source Naturals NKO - Neptune Krill Oil is a good product to try out.

Anna, from Anna's Spot has found a recipe for so called EFA (Essential Fatty Acids) shot. It goes something like this:

• 2 teaspoons of fish oil
• 1 wedge of lemon - squeeze in the juice
• 2 ounces of Kefir-flavor of your choice

Check out her article Kefir, lemon and fish oil-O MY! for more details.

And the last bit of advise for those of us with sensitive stomachs - if you still experience discomforts when taking your dietary oils, consider adding some aloe vera to your daily supplements. Aloe gently calms the heartburns and protects the stomach lining.