Essential Fatty Acids

Many children are deficient in Omega 3 essential fatty acids.  These vital nutrients are crucial building blocks of child development and also play key roles in every aspect of health, including brain and eye function.  

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are called “essential fats” because they are a necessary part of good health but cannot be produced by our ...Read more bodies.  The most important EFAs are the Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. These nutrients powerfully support almost every part of our body and mind, from our heart to our joints to our mood.  They have been shown to help children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia.  Studies have also shown that regular doses of fish oils dramatically boosted young childrens performance at school.  Nearly three-quarters of youngsters showed improvements in numeracy, reading and writing after taking fish oil supplements for nine months.

Fish is one of the most abundant sources of EFAs in the world but most people simply don’t eat enough fish on a regular basis for optimum health. The fish that contain essential fatty acids are the oily fish such as sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel and salmon. For people who are vegetarians or vegans, omega 3 may be obtained from plant derived flaxseed (also known as linseed).

Choose a good quality fish oil which is as pure as possible.  Good fish oils take their oils from the small fish such as sardines rather than larger fish.  Also look for brands that take the fish from deep sea rather than inshore.

Many companies make fish oils especially for children.  Experiment to see which one your child prefers.