During the summer I switch from taking cod liver oil to fish oil because Cod Liver is high in Vitamin D which is hard to get during the winter here up north.

However, the brand I like, Spectrum, only sells fish oil in 1000 mg capsules. I can't and don't want to consume enough of them to get the fish oil I want.

So Krill oil has the benefits of fish oil (krill is a kind of crustacean found in the Antarctic seas.) But I see a number of brands recommended on websites -- Mercola hawks the brand he gets a commission on (which is in capsules -- which is weird because he recommends against taking capsules) and Sahelian hawks his.

Does anyone have a brand they like? That is not in capsules but oil?

BTW, I eat fish for a meal typically 3 - 5 times per week, about 5 oz each time depending on the fat content (salmon, Chilean sea bass, shrimp and a bunch of very low fat fish for weight days.) So I am really looking at a tablespoon per day

I too have been looking for a good krill oil supplement but can't find anything. Some of the stuff I've read on krill oil sound great...

Currently krill oil is only sold in capsules. This is less of an issue than with fish oil supposedly because krill oil is better utilized (because of phosolipids). So you don't have to take several big capsules like is needed with fish oil capsules. 1-2 small capsules of NKO krill oil will do it.

NKO processed krill oil is the one to go for. It's a lot more concentrated than KriaXantin processed (which Dr. Sahleian sells). Just look at the amount of EFAs and you can see the NKO is far superior. And it contains all natural astaxanthin instead of being mostly artificially added as in the KriaXantin. There is another krill oil process coming up soon from an Israel company that might be good, but it ain't out yet. So get NKO.

All "NKO" krill oil is manufactured by the same company, Neptune technologies. So it's safe to shop by price. Brand doesn't matter as long as it says NKO by neptune technologies & resources. Assuming you trust the distributor (that they store it correctly, and have fresh stock), and they don't use a watered down version (such as twinlab).

I've had success with Mercola's brand. Some joint pain which had been bothering me a couple years went away entirely. Mood also seems a little more stable. Yeah, I don't really like that he tries to make his brand look exclusive, when all NKO is manufactured by the same company. But I tried buying NKO from another distributor and it was spoiled. Almost to the expiration date already and was more smelly (although all krill oil is smelly) and gave a bad after taste. No such problems with the NKO krill oil from mercola. He has a fast turn around (fresh) because of the constant (albeit annoying) marketing and he knows how to store the stuff.

NKO krill oil should not be refrigerated. This is because the plastic bottle will allow moisture to absorb into the gelcaps and hasten their spoiling. Infact they may even begin leaking. You can work around this for long term storage by transferring the capsules to an air tight glass bottle (such as a small mason jar). But the capsules are best taken at room temperature for fastest absorption. There is the natural antioxidant astaxanthin within which will help keep the krill oil fresh outside the refrigerator. Still, I wish they would put the stuff in a glass bottle to begin with. I transfer mine into a small glass bottle and keep it outside the refrigerator (since I only buy 1 bottle at a time, no need for long term storage).

The distributor I tried buying NKO from besides Mercola was iherb.com. The first batch I got from them of Nature's Way NKO was spoiled (as detailed earlier), but they did offer me a refund upon return. This was my first time having a bad experience with iherb, so I gave them another try. Got Jarrow Formulas NKO. Seems to be better. Probably because it's not nearly expired like the Natures Way was. Only been a week though taking it, so not sure how good it is. Really, if I had to make a recommendation right now I'd say go with Mercola's. His was the freshest (farthest from expiration date) and only slightly more $$ than from the cheapest distributor.

If your really set on getting a liquid EFA supplement, I would consider getting salmon oil from http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/shop2.cfm?category=19 (at bottom of page). Unlike other fish oils, its left in it's natural phosolipid form (undistilled) which absorbs better. Also contains natural astaxanthin, cartenoids, etc... They use only the smaller line caught wild salmon to insure there are no pollutants. I've never tried the stuff, but if I were to try fish oil this looks the best. I buy salmon and sardines from them which are excellent.

There are other good brands of fish oil out there, but what's the big deal about capsules?

I take 8g of fish oil a day -- two 1g capsules taken 4 times a day.

I know from previous posts of yours that you take quite a few supplements, so why exactly would that be inconvenient? Moreover, it allows you to avoid the fish taste that most people seem to dislike.

While I certainly see nothing wrong with the liquid form of fish oil, I just see capsules as being far more convenient than measuring out small amounts of liquid multiple times a day. Either way, I certainly wouldn't switch brands just to avoid one or the other.

There are other good brands of fish oil out there, but what's the big deal about capsules?

I take 8g of fish oil a day -- two 1g capsules taken 4 times a day.

I know from previous posts of yours that you take quite a few supplements, so why exactly would that be inconvenient? Moreover, it allows you to avoid the fish taste that most people seem to dislike.

While I certainly see nothing wrong with the liquid form of fish oil, I just see capsules as being far more convenient than measuring out small amounts of liquid multiple times a day. Either way, I certainly wouldn't switch brands just to avoid one or the other.'

As you noted -- I take a lot of supps, vitamins, minerals, etc. I already consume more than I want of the glycerin caps. I don't want to add 8 (or in my case 15) more a day. I would rather just take a straight spoonful.

I am beginning to think I will settle for Carlson's fish oil for the fish oil and add 2 caps a day of the Krill to my vitamin supps pack. During the winter, I use cod liver oil for the vitamin D. I eat fish 3-5 times a week, but I feel it is not enough.

Sounds like a good way to cover your bases Justitia. Taking both fish oil and krill oil. I recall Dr. Mike doing this same thing. A lot of good information on his site about krill oil. May be checked out at http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/index.php?s=krill+oil&submit=Search

Found the place selling NKO the cheapest. As I detailed earlier, brand doesn't matter since all NKO is produced by the same company. Only storage conditions and how fresh matters. NOW Neptune Krill Oil for only $17.69 (larger 60 softgel size too). At http://www.vitaglo.com/1625.html . Free shipping on orders over $50. Have made many orders from them (of other products) with great satisfaction. So I'm fairly confident in recommending. Free shipping is a little slower, but fast enough for me (otherwise you can pay a little for faster shipping).

I'm ordering from them right now as I type. NOW just started selling NKO I believe so it ain't going to be old stock like is possible with some other companies which started selling NKO a couple years ago when it's popularity was zilch, and their old stock (nearly expired) is now finally being sold. At this price I can afford to buy some for my relatives.

I've been using the NOW NKO krill oil. Seems like good stuff. Very fresh (meeting or exceeding Mercola's for $7 cheaper) and they even include a "freshness packet" which seems to be helpful (less odor).

A correction on a previous caveat I made. Twinlab brand NKO is not to be be necessarily avoided. They have a few different product lines consisting of krill oil plus other ingredients (except joint formula) targeted at specific health issues. Namely, for cardio (heart), joints, or PMS.

Of them I would only consider using the Cardio formula as the others are watered down (less krill oil). Twinlab typically packs their products in a glass bottle, which would be an advantage over the plastic that other vendors use (as detailed in first post). Seems like a viable option, but I haven't tried their "Twinlab Krill Essentials Cardio Krill Oil".

What a coincidence that you posted to this thread today, Emulitz.... I was trying to decide about what brand of Krill to get for my PGC and I was going to post here for recommendations. I completely forgot that I started this thread when I was looking for some for myself. I bought myself Mercola's Krill because it was on a really good sale.

I was checking out Swanson's site. They are selling NKO Krill for 2/3 the price. But after re-reading this thread, I think I will go for Mercola's. Hawker though he is, I do think he is trustworthy. I read his articles and his claims very carefully and check it against other published medical journals -- and though he uses a lot of hype language -- he has never said anything false or exaggerated. The one time I found him making a statement that was an overstatement (regarding Krill ironically) he retracted it very shortly. I think he had just not thought through everything and you could see in his video that by the end of it, he wasn't so sure of his such strong assertion. :lol: He took it back later (having to do with changing his mind about cod liver oil.)

I have bought a few Swanson products and have been extremely happy with them. But I think I will stick with Mercola on this one.

BTW re: NOW brand. I don't trust it any more. I had purchased a bottle of 7-keto-DHEA which is a patented item from NOW and there was definitely something wrong with it -- like it was a real DHEA or something akin to Steroids. I tested it not only on myself but also my PGC who, being make, should not have had the reaction I did -- but he did.
Thanks very much for your update. :nod:

Justitia, that's great my update helped you re-find this thread on krill oil recommendations. Yeah, I agree about Mercola. With all things considered, a good place to buy from. You're very welcome.



P.S.

This is only my speculation, but I suspect problems with NOW's 7-keto-DHEA are because the 100mg dosage is too high for most people (even males). I recall you saying that you changed to a brand with a lower dose (25mg) that worked much better (without side effects akin to synthetic steroid use).

So not necessarily an indication that NOW's products in general are of poor quality (could be just dosage issue). Very helpful for you to bring up for those deciding on 7-keto-DHEA products. Whatever the case, it sounds like people ought to consider avoiding 100mg NOW 7-keto-DHEA.