Fish oil is one of my favorite topics for discussion. If I had to leave my children with only two things in this world, they would be water and fish oil. The former for obvious reasons and the fish oil because of its incredibly powerful and beneficial properties – physically, as well as intellectually.Many years ago when I first administered fish oil to our son (he was 4 years old at the time), his teacher asked me twice within a few short weeks what exactly I had given him that made him calm and more focused. The change in our son’s behavior was nothing short of remarkable and I was immediately sold on fish oil.
Many readers might remember their mother and father complaining about their own parents spoon-feeding them cod liver oil every morning. Sadly, the wisdom in giving fish oil to children was subsequently lost. Today however, the practice of feeding fish oil to children is making a comeback and gaining significant ground because of the tremendous amount of research demonstrating how effective fish oil can be on so many fronts – intellectually, emotionally and physically.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are the key components in fish oil.These fatty acids are great for the human body including the development and functioning of the brain. The benefits from Omega-3 intake range from improved attention span to a stronger immune, autonomic nervous and cardiovascular system. Omega-3 fats help protect against cancer, helps reduce inflammation associated with asthma, arthritis and bowel diseases, and recent studies even show these fats decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as help with the treatment of depression.
There are three types of Omega-3 fatty acids, two of which are found in fish, DHA and EPA (the third, ALA, can be found in flax seeds, walnuts, wheat germ, spinach, pumpkin seeds, pecans, pine nuts and canola oil). In our home, we eat fish at least once a week but I find the best method to ensure my children receive the appropriate amount of DHA and EPA is by giving them two tablespoons of lemon-flavoured fish oil every day (they take juice as a chaser).Fish oil is becoming so popular that it’s now available in most grocery stores and certainly in natural food stores across most cities.
The fish oil I give my children consists of oil from small fish including sardines, mackerel and anchovies. I prefer this oil instead of cod because the smaller fish have a shorter lifespan and the length of time that toxins, such as mercury, remain in the fish is lessened. The DHA and EPA can also be found in fatty fish such as salmon, halibut, haddock, rainbow trout, and tuna.
At first glance, parents might think it difficult to entice their children to take the oil but I found if my children watched me take the oil first, they were more likely to take it without a fuss (“Can’t be that bad, mom’s drinking it!”).I also began the whole process by giving them only a ¼ of a teaspoon and gradually increasing the quantity over a number of months – applying “the just noticeable difference” marketing concept to my strategy. Finally, I fondly refer to fish oil as “YUCK oil” because that’s what it is. It doesn’t really taste good and the texture is kind of funny and unless you take something to drink afterwards, it leaves an after taste.But all of the negatives are far outweighed by the positives a thousand-fold.
I don’t get any arguments from my children because they’re well aware of how great the oil is for them and because they have a reasonable sense of healthy living.I can only hope that I have the luxury of saying the same thing once they become teenagers. I’ll keep you posted.
