Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Liver Function Tests Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND The Liver Basics! As an Invite health nutritionist one of the most important parts of my job is to help people understand their blood work. In general I find that when it comes to blood work liver …
From a Naturopath Point of View Part 5 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard the saying that sleep and a good healthy diet are both the base of the pyramid of health. As a Naturopath I agree with this concept 100%! But …
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~AN INTRODUCTION TO A NEW WELLNESS SERIES
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Primary foods are an essential part of our health and wellness plan that is often overlooked and even misunderstood. While the topic of self-care in important, it definitely means something different to everyone. However, these twelve topics are lifestyle area that we can all agree can always be improved.
During the course of this series, we’ll discuss twelve topics related to lifestyle and how to incorporate tools to improve our wellness goals. These topics include Joy, General Health, Social Life, Home Environment, Spirituality, Home Cooking, Career, Movement and Exercise, Creativity, Relationships, Finance and Learning. With each topic we’ll do a deep dive to explore the topic, I’ll share what it means to me and tips on how to improve it each day. We’ll also review how to pair necessary supplements and nutrients to help enhance each topic. Some of these supplements will help address stress (L-Theanine), brain heath (Phosphatidylserine), sleep (Melatonin) and even the Immune System (Black Seed).
Studies, from such well respected institutes like Harvard and Berkeley, have shown the positive effect that healthy lifestyle choices can have on our lives. Healthy lifestyle can help improve mood, extend lifespan and even help reduce the risk of illness and disease.
One of my favorite exercises to do is to do The Circle of Life, which I learned for my alma mater The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I like to recommend doing this seasonally, as it can help you to see what areas need a little more focus, as well as to see how much you’ve changed and grown. The way this exercise to done is to go category by category and mark a small circle within the column as to where you’d rate your current grasp. The more you feel a particular category could us more attention, the closer to the middle you would put the mark. The more you feel comfortable and “mastering” a category, the closer to the outer edge would be your mark. Once you’ve evaluated and marked each category, play “connect the dots” to make your personal lifestyle circle. The wavier or smaller your circle, the more attention you may need to give to those topics. The larger and more concise your circle can show how you’ve grown with your healthy lifestyle and where certain topics come more smoothly to apply each day. This is a great guide to help with personal growth, goal setting and can serve as a resource to help you narrow your wellness areas of focus and supplement additions. As you widen your circle you may even notice such changes as better sleep, lower stress and over-all happiness, as I have over the years of doing my own circle of life.
I look forward to exploring these twelve important topics with you over the next month. Happy Healing!!
www.health.harvard.edu/blog/long-lasting-healthy-changes-doable-and-worthwhile-202109142594
www.berkeleywellbeing.com/healthy-lifestyle.html
www.integrativenutrition.com/circle-of-life
VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN~ THE SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, BENEFITS AND TROUBLE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Vegan and vegetarian diets….or as many people commonly referred to them as, plant-based diets. I am often told “I eat well, I’m vegetarian” or “My diet is so good, …
From a Naturopathic Point of View Part 4 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND The importance of western and holistic medicine working together! One of the key pathways to helping people become healthy is learning how to balance both western and holistic medicine. These 2 ways …
Krill Oil vs Fish Oil
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One of the most confusing topic’s in the vitamin world is the difference between krill oil and fish oil. I get asked pretty much all the time what exactly is the difference between the 2. How does one pick which one they should use? Well these are all important questions that I’ll be reviewing in this blog. So let’s get into it, shall we?
Before I get into this topic too deeply I want to emphasize that I’ll be strictly talking about Invite’s Krill Oil and Fish Oil. For example some krill oil brands may have fish oil added which would alter some of its properties. Other brands of fish oil may contain different types of fish when compared to Invite. This is neither good nor bad but just different. So to start with just what are krill oil and fish oil? Well both krill oil and fish oil are natural sources of EPA and DHA, or omega 3 fatty acids. Krill oil is an oil derived from tiny shell fish called krill. Invite Fish Oil is derived from Anchovy! Now before you go any further if you are allergic to shell fish it’s not advisable to use krill oil since it is extracted from a shell fish.
As I said fish oil and krill oil are both omega 3s. Krill oil omega 3s are attached to a phospholipid whereas fish oil is attached to a Triacylglycerol. This change in attached molecule can affect how well the omega 3s are absorbed. (1) Studies have found that in some cases krill may be easier to absorb. (2) Another difference is that krill oil is a natural source of Astaxanthin, which studies have shown is good for the heart. (3)
Fish oil has the benefit of being more easily assessable. It has also been studied more since it is older than krill oil. This means we have more information on how it works and any potential side effects or drug interactions. Another benefit to using fish oil over krill oil is that it tends to be higher in omega 3s at a lower cost. (4)
So when to use fish and when do you use krill? And then there is perhaps another of the most frequently asked questions, can I use both fish and krill at the same time? The simple answer is you absolutely can! Using either fish or krill oil is something that can involve several questions to help decide. First off are you allergic to shell fish? Well then you shouldn’t use krill but rather should use fish oil. Are you allergic to Anchovy? Well then you should use krill rather than fish. What is your budget like? Depending on our budget you may find it more convenient to choose one over the other or it may not matter. The next question is what are you goals in taking krill oil or fish oil? In my clinical experience as a Naturopathic I have found that krill oil use is associated with reports from customers as being better at improving memory and overall brain health. That is why when it comes to memory and brain health I usually recommend krill. Now when it comes to heart health and inflammation I find that customer feedback favors fish oil as being more helpful. So basically to sum things up in my clinical experience based on customer feedback I use krill oil for memory/ brain health and fish oil for heart/ general inflammation.
Now I know I mentioned allergies however I also want to mention that due to the fact that krill oil is attached to a phospholipid whereas fish oil is attached to a Triacylglycerol this means that krill is less likely to cause “fish burps” in anyone who is sensitive. Additionally krill oil capsules are smaller than fish oil so if you have trouble swallowing pills you may want to choose krill. Lastly if you do not eat shellfish due to religious reasons you may want to choose fish oil.
Now if you’re still feeling confused feel free to email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com!
Next up will be a Naturopathic viewpoint on the importance of Western and Holistic medicine working together to meet your health goas!
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