Omega 3 and veggie child

[Abwab]

Hi
My DS is 20 months and is a vegetarian, (both my DH and I are too) until he is old enough to decide for himself.

As he doesn't eat fish I'm worried about his Omega 3 intake and wondered if anyone could offer some suggestions. Are flax seeds a good alternative to oily fish? can ds have them at his age and do I just sprinkle them in food???

Is there anything else I can give him to boost his omega 3 intake.

Thanks

There is a supplement called 'Udo's Oil' which you can get from good health food shops which is a vegetarian Omega 3 source. You can add it to smoothies, yogurt etc. I wouldn't give whole flax seeds till he is older. Quite hard to digest and possibly a bit easy to choke on. There is also Omega 3 in quinoa (my solution to every nutrition question :))

Some milks have omega 3 added.

brilliant,thanks FrannyandZooey, i'll try out the 'Udo's Oil'. Good comment about the whole seeds, I think you can get Flax seed oil (linssed is the same thing i think)so that could be another option.

pegasus - i've looked into the milk thing last week and i think its just a big glug of fish oil and not suitable for veggies, thanks all the same tho.

also addedto some vegie marg

Abwab, organic milk contains omega 3 naturally - not in huge amounts but it definitely contains it without the addition of glugs of fish oil.

thanks WigWamBam, perhaps my research should have gone beyond a quick scan of milk cartons (the one off the advert) while dashing round Tesco!

two of my 4 children choose to be veggie ( I am) . Barilla make a pasta with omega three added and it is in eggs - I currently buy organic ones that have 350mg in 2eggs - higher than most I think and call themselves Omega3 eggs. We have tried flax oil (and for myself) but it is sitting in the cupboard and didn't really go down well - the dose was pretty hefty and the children baulked at it a bit- it wasn't a pleasant experience - like drinking a taablespoon of oil!

Columbus eggs! They are free range; the hens that lay them are fed on a diet with linseed in it, I think, so the eggs containe Omega 3.

Columbus eggs! They are free range; the hens that lay them are fed on a diet with linseed in it, I think, so the eggs containe Omega 3.

first, flax seeds are linseeds. if you are going to use them, then grind them to a powder in a hand blender. or you can buy ready crushed linseeds. make sure you drink plenty of water at the same time.

Udos oil is mostly flax oi, but is quite over priced. Optima 369, for example, is similar, is organic, but much cheaper. (also from health shops)

when we eat flax/linseeds the body converts them to fish oil (this is massively over-simplyfing, but essentially true).

when I go into work tomorrow (we own a small health shop) i'll get you a list of all the nuts and seeds that are rich in omega3, if you like

time for bed
but will chat more tomorrow!

I did see a program on tv that said ( but said it was unexplained) that vegetarians had the same levels of omega 3's as meat/fish eaters so i would not worry!

(i'm not in bed yet, so...)

lots of vegetarians eat more nuts/seeds etc than the average meat eater.
i suppose a veggie who ate lots of seeds/nuts would/might have higher omega3 levels than a meat-eater who ate no fish?

I think it depends a lot on your normal diet.

you have carnivores who eat meat and spuds 7 nights a week, and those with a good mixed diet.

you have veggies who live on pizza/lindamccartney etc and those with a ood mixed diet.

Gloworm, that is very kind of you. thanks alot.

any of the omega3 flax oils are quite easy to disguise in yogurt (or soya yogurt etc)

I agree with you Gloworm, we as a family do have a varied diet and my ds loves beans, lentils etc so i don't worry about that side of things. Just want o make sure i am doing what i can for his brain!

I eat a fair amount of nuts and seeds but haven't given them to ds unless ground down (as you mentioned earlier) and mixed in woth other food but options are abit limited.

also, just wondered

would you give him fish oil? or would you prefer not to until he was old enough to decide for himself?

the reason i ask is that most fish oils come in child-friendly versions, but flax seed oils dont

(i'm vegggie, dh isnt but eats mostly veggie, toddlers are a bit of both and get fish oil, BTW)

how about blitzing a mix of nuts and seed and adding a spoonful to yogurt or (other cold food)

and i really am going to bed now vhat tomorrow!

Chat, not Vhat

mmmm if i can find other sources i'd rather leave to fish oil until he decides whether to be veggie or not, but if push came to shove I would put his needs before my own ideals if you know what i mean. My brain is grinding to a halt now so off to bed too.

Abwab, I promised you this list ages ago, I have been on holiday and then very busy in the shop, so havent had a chance.

here goes:

OMEGA3
these seeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts to EPA(the stuff found in fish oil). this conversion is reliant on an enzyme which may be inefficient in some people. some people can do this conversion very efficiently and so will get as much good out of these sources as fish oil. some people cannot do this conversion and fish oil would be better for them.
flax/linseeds
hemp seed oil
pumpkin seed
canola oil
soybean oil
walnut oil
columbus eggs

OMEGA6
rich in linoleic acid, which the body converts to GLA(the stuff found in evening primrose oil)
sunflower
safflower
sesame
corn oil

OMEGA9
rich in oleic acid. not usually as problem as the body can make omega9 if it has enough omega 3 and 6.
olive oil
almonds
avocados
peanuts

thats all I've been able to find for now, I'm sure htere are other things that could be added to the list

Gloworm, thank you very much for that info - how useful, that you run a health food shop! I was about to buy some Udo's Oil but will try Optima 369 instead.

Apronstrings, if you're around, where do you buy organic eggs with Omega 3 added, please? I've been waiting for organic ones to come on the market. TIA