Omega 3

Izzy.

Ted Hutchinson has mentioned omega 3 oils on the cholesterol thread. Is it possible to get enough of these in the diet alone? Or is it necessary to buy supliments? If supliments are necessary, does anybody know the cheapest place to buy them. I want to help a seven year old child to improve their concentration but I have no idea how much is required. Sorry for all the questions.

melancholly

i try to take cod liver oil capsules every day.... if you eat lots of oily fish then you may be ok, but a lot of people don't get the recommended amount!
the jars of capsules can be expensive, but you're more likely to get a 7 year old to take a capsule than a spoon of the oil itself. i get huge jars from costco which supply me with a years-worth for the same price as 3 months worth in the supermarket.

aliasojo

I swear by these: http://www.equazen.com/default.aspx?pid=23.

However they are pricey. I only ever buy when they are 3 for 2 AND I can use a Boots discount online code to bring down the cost.

Ted finds Zipvit http://www.zipvit.co.uk/ to be very good, but unfortunately this didn't suit my daughter ( * to the point of making her physically sick).

If you read this thread: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=98629 you should get some helpful info.


Edit: * Should clarify that I think this has more to do with my daughter rather than the ZipVit. Even as a tiny baby in hospital she was unable to keep down the usual things the Docs treated babies with. I was told she has 'an unusual' digestive system, lol.

It may well suit your child quite well.

Izzy.

Aliasojo, what age is your daughter? Have you found that omega 3 has helped? Thankyou.

krishna

That kind of depends on your own state of health and whether you are currently significantly deficient. e.g. any condition that creates inflammation will increase demand for omega 3s.

Ideally you want to get as much as possible from your diet. If necessary, supplement in the short term.

Sources of omega 3:
pumpkin seeds
linseed (aka flaxseed) oil
oily cold water fish e.g. tuna, salmon, mackerel (not as much in farmed fish)
sea weed
rapeseed oil
dark green leafy vegetables e.g. purple sprouting broccoli and purslane
some wild game

hempseed oil also, but that also contains omega 6s. Having said that people are often deficient in both those essential fatty acids in which case hempseed oil can be quite good since it has a balance of both.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are heat sensitive. So cooking will destroy them. Also storing for a long time (especially in the oil form as opposed to in food) will increase rancidity which will have a negative effect on you.

NB cod liver oil is a problem because it also contains large quantities of fat soluble vitamins which may not be what you need, and there is an issue about pollutants, which will usually concentrate in the liver of any animal, so eating liver or liver products will increase your intake of those pollutants.

Animal sources of omega 3s are dependent on what the animals have been fed on. In the wild, their natural diet and environment means they tend to be high in 3s, but when reared by humans they often have more 6s.

Plant sources of EFAs can be unstable so the longer they are stored the less you will get. Best to store for as short a time as possible in a fridge or freezer and cook as little as possible.

If you follow an overall healthy diet with lots of fresh veg and avoid fried/burnt foods you will go a long way to getting your required intake. If you are deficient to start with you may benefit from short term supplementation and will certainly notice the difference more quickly.

Jo_R_2

Walnuts are a great source of omega 3, if you buy them, chop them up and sprinkle them on food then that's a great way to get omega 3 into a child. It's what I do with my 2 year old, I make fruit loaf and press them into the top after cooking, or make apple crumble and sprinkle them onto the topping, or put them in oat and raisin cookies.

Another thing to bear in mind is that omega 3 is the fatty acid which is lacking in most people - omega 6 is pretty easy to get in yr diet. Another problem is getting the right balance of omega 3 to omega 6 - if you are having too much omega 6 then the balance isn't right and it affects the omega 3 in yr diet. I think this is a pretty modern thing though, but good to be aware of.

aliasojo

My daughter is 6 and is lovingly known as an 'airhead' sometimes, although never out loud to anyone other than my OH. (And now you lot )

Omega capsules have made a HUGE difference to her concentration. I posted on the other thread (that I linked to above, but here's my post in particular:http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=1822164&postcount=176 ) about the effect on her.

It's glaringly obvious to family AND her teacher that she is a different child when she takes fish oils. Her concentration and therefore her level of progress in class is much higher since taking these.

Bear in mind that you do have to be taking them for a while before the effects may be seen, it's not an overnight thing.

fabwitch_2

I give my sons Omega 3 syrup and have noticed a big difference in their reaing , writing and concentration. I highly recommend it for children

Izzy.

Thankyou fabwitch. What brand do you give them?

Sharra

I want to give my 11 yr old son an omega 3 supplement - I kinda gulped at the £21.99 for eyeq but found it very difficult to work out whether it was worth the extra money or whether I should just buy a flaxseed supplement ( we are veggie but in this case if I thought fish oils would be better, my son is happy to compromise his principles.)
With the eyeq - is it a case of paying for what you get? or are you paying for the brand name?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sharra

black-saturn

I've been giving both my daughters Omega 3 oil for about the last 3 years. Their teachers couldnt believe the improvement in their concentration and their school work. I give the older one Omega 3 capsules from Poundland (2 a day) and I give the younger one Omega 3 oil from Haliborange (3 for 2 in Boots at the moment). Until recently they were both on the oil but the older one can swallow capsules now. I also buy them from ebay now and again as you can get some cheap deals.

Apart from that I know you can buy eggs, bread and milk with Omega 3 oil in it.