fish oil for all schoolchildren?

[camis8]

Has anyone else seen the Daily Mail today? my two are on eye q and I have to say it has been brilliant. much better moods and concentration to the point that the teacher asked what had I done
am sure it will be a while but if the government gave eye q to all school kids I reckon it would be brilliant

i agree, I'm giving my dd1 'fishy oil' (thats what she calls it)

I wouldn't be at all keen tbh. If I want my children to have fish oils (or not) then it should be my decision, not the government.

I'm all for trying to realise a chidl's potential and resolving poor behaviour, adn ds takes Efalex capsules, but there are some children who cannot tolerate and do not appear to benefit from it. It is a bit nanny state to make it a blanket policy but of course they could have Omega rich milk on offer as part of the free milk scheme, higher levels in school dinners etc anyway. Chances are many chdilren wodul baulk at it in straight tablet/liquid form. What would happen in school holidays as the argument is that many parents can't afford it or are ignorant so the children would then relapse ?

But is it really the job of schools or even government to resolve fundamental problems in parental knowledge and initiative as regards nutrition and behaviour. tbh if there hadn't already been a positive article in the Daily Mail re eyeQ they would be slating the suggestion as an infringement of human rights!

agree with coppertop

makes good money for the supplement companies

I think its all bolleaux anyway about fish oils

I agree with coppertop. I'm vegetarian so would not be keen on the Government trying to force my children to eat fish. They're doing fine without supplements btw (unless you count that delicious Polish rustic bread with linseed that looks as if it's been made in bean tins...)

actually I agree with coppertop, the fact that I have chosen to give my child fish oil is my choice but you're right the government does not have the right to tell me what to do re. my child

Wouldn't it be enough to have fish twice a week for school meals?

Why doesn't the government dole out multivitamins or sunscreen in the summer then? They are at least as useful, I'd have thought.

I agree with others that it's my decision - DS1 is intolerant to fish oils and things added to them, but I give them to DS2.

there was sommat recently whcih said it was all a pile of bollocks.

so we now entrust our schools to medicate our children to learn.

why don't they just fcking sleep there and have done.

parents power is being devolved not that slowly either into the state education system. at what point are people going to say " hold on - when can i be the parent here?"

I agree with the sunscreen; its really expensive, hard enough for u to find the mopney for, and we're better off than many.

Mine take flax oil- same EFA more or less apparently as fish oils, but veggie. We take then for different reasons, but thy were recommended as an alternative.

Don't think they should be forced on everyone though.

Sam btw finds eye q makes him really hyperactive- he was on this when he attacked me a few months ago. So there's no way they'd be gining it to him, and lots of kids are fish allergic too.

Now, making it available free or reduced to everyone who wants it is another thing altogether and I would suppot that- it always seems its the kids who would benefit most (low income famillies on poor diets- and disabled /ADHD kids more likely to be in these famillies as hard for second parent to work) who can't afford them.

I'm not comfortable with blanket supplementation by schools. For a start, compulsory medication is ethically questionable. Then there's the lack of evidence that supplementing everybody - children who don't have learning disabilities - would achieve anything. And the vegetarian issue.

Then there's the fact that many supplements taken at high doses could be damaging. Just because it's labelled 'supplement' and people shell out good money to health food shops doesn't make it safe. If parents are already giving their kids supplements, or feeding them oily fish twice a week, some of them could end up with high doses and be, for instance, exposed to high levels of heavy metals.

If evidence does emerge that fish oils or omega3s do benefit children without learning disabilities, it would be cheaper and probably better to put oily fish/food made with flax oils on the menu for school dinners twice a week. Given that supplements are generally less effective than getting the nutrients from the original food.

It should be up to the parents IMO - another example of the 'nanny state' and taking responsibility away from parents. Probably a load of crap anyway.

Where can you buy flax oil? Holland & Barrett or the like? DD is allergic to fish so can't give fish oil supplement, but if there is a veggie alternative that might be useful. Thanks!

My children's diet is rich enough in fish oils, they wouldnt need extra supplementation, and certainly not because some govmt bigwig says so. I would be against it and agree with sssandy and edam about improving the schools' menus to catch those who may benefit.

I'm not convinced by fish oil at all. C'est un grand con, I reckon. Mine eat mackerel and can't concentrate on anything they don't like unless I shout at them. Which is as it should be at 7, I reckon. I think it's mean trying to make children lose their naturally flibbertygibbet tendencies. Mind you, some people swear by the old oil, don't they?

We get pur flax oil from holland and barratt yes- as recommneded by BIBIC (kids brain charity)

If it was ever introduced - I reckon there would be companies supplying the schools with the cheapest/crappest supplements anyway - which would prob be full of mercury and stuff that the fish farms feed the fish iykwim.

Agree that making fish oils free or reduced would be a better option. In the meantime does anyone know any fish oil/child friendly reciepes?

yep- i thought only last year extensive studies in Sweden proved it was all a load of rubbish. Was all in the News. So what is the real resason the Government want all our kids to have these oils ? Mmmm, a bit fishy if you ask me ! (sorry )

I gave it to both of my children but there was no difference at all so I stopped giving it to them.

i 'm with Hallgerda on this unless they also provisde a plant version of omega 3. It does difinitely sound like a nanny state policy decision especially as it takes no account of teh fundamental reasons of why poor behaviour is occuring