Saturday 9 November 2013

Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend

I don't know about you, but I find the whole business about Omegas 3,6, 9's quite confusing. Which are better? What ratio? Just as I was looking for a good omega supplement, and was getting confused by all the ratios, I was contacted by Udo's Choice asking if I would be interested in trying out their Ultimate Oil Blend. I often see this brand in many health shops' fridges, so I jumped at the offer because I was very interested in trying a high-quality oil. 
The oil is a pure supplement, it comes in a dark, amber glass bottle. Udo's Choice gives quite strict directions about how the oil should be kept: it should be stored in the fridge and the oil should be consumed within 8 weeks of opening to ensure you are getting the benefits of the freshness of the oils. Perhaps needless to say, all the oils included in the blend are cold-pressed and certified organic. Now to the actual blend. Here is what is included:

Flax Seed Oil*, Evening Primrose Oil*, Sunflower Seed Oil*, Soy Lecithin, Sesame Seed Oil*, Rice Bran and Rice Germ Oils, Coconut Oil*, Oat Bran and Oat Germ Oils*, Mixed Tocopherols (*Certified Organic)

Omegas
Udo's Choice suggests that consumers currently realize that our diet can be deficient of Omega 3s, which we obtain through foods like fish, nuts and various vegetable oils. They also report that people are presented with an idea that we obtain enough Omega 6s, which are present in some nuts, oils like sunflower oil and some seeds. We also supposingly obtain it from spreads, peanut butter etc. However, what Udo's Choice suggests we don't realize is that most of the Omega 6 oils that we consume are  often damaged in some way: in other words they are not in their best natural format to carry much health benefits. Therefore we might actually not be receiving a good enough amount of good, unrefined, unprocessed Omega 6s, and this should be incorporated in the Omega supplement. Therefore, the choice of oils included in the Ultimate Oil blend includes a 2:1:1 ratio of Omega 3: Omega 6: Omega 9. With this blend you are getting the super-healthy Omega 3 Essential Fatty acids, but not forgetting about the also essential Omega 6 and 9 which are extracted in a clean, unrefined way. 

Consumption
Due to the delicate structure of some of the oils present in the blend, Udo's Choice recommends the oil is never heated as the structures of the oils can be damaged. At first I thought it may be tricky to incorporate this oil in my food, but in reality it turned out to be very easy. 
The oil is of a dark, rich yellowy-orange colour and has quite a distinctive taste, I would say it is pleasantly nutty. For example, I find that it is too strong for my taste to use only this oil as a salad dressing, but instead I put about a table spoon of this oil and just add some olive oil to 'dilute' the taste a little. So it has been very easy just adding it to salads. 
You can add it to dips, salads, pasta when its cooked. One of my favourite things to do with the oil was to mash up some avocado, a desert spoon or two of Udo's Choice oil blend, some sea salt, black pepper and spread this lovely mix on a rye bread toast. Delicious! With bland tastes like avocado it actually adds a nice richness to the taste. The 500 ml bottle lasted me about 6-7 weeks even though I was adding it to my food on a daily basis. 

Overall I think Udo's Choice is a great way to get your Omegas in the freshest and balanced form. This oil is also perfect for vegetarians and is gluten-free. When taking this oil, in combination with a balanced diet, I was feeling very good and had very good skin over the summer months. I then became very busy and let things slip a little bit, and it definitely was reflected in how I felt/my skin. It is a commitment to remember to incorporate this oil in your food especially if you have a busy lifestyle, but if you get it in your routine you get a great ratio of essential omegas in the freshest, unrefined way! Is anyone taking Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil blend?