Please tell me more about omega 3....

[neverputasockinatoaster]

I have seen it mentioned a lot on here as I lurk and have been googling and seen that omega 6 is high in milk which DS drinks like water!

I was wondering what people think, can anyone point me in the direction of information in simple lay persons terms?

Also a good source for a 6 yo with some sensory issues and definite taste issues? (I can't get calpol down him as it is 'too thick'!) He will eat some Haribo sweets though so is there anything in that texture?

He's not got a diagnosis but when/if he gets one I suspect it will be HFA or Asbergers possibily with a bit of PDA thrown in for good measure!

Thanks

By the way, healthspan ones are rubbery, but when you bite into them, a load of oil squirts out, that is kind of orangey. VILE. apsolutley hideous. I tried one once. 'orrible. Funnily enough, my two love them !!

My DS has the eye q capsules, large, rubbery, are supposed to be swallowed whole so you don't have to taste the unflavoured (disgustingly fishy) oil. My DS chews them quite happily.

In winter I don't bother to keep costs down as DS has always loved tinned sardine & spinach sandwiches and is a very good eater unless ill. In summer fish sarnies in his packed lunch aren't the nicest by midday in your average school so he does have eye Q. I've discovered over the years that the supplements only make a diff if you are alread a bit low, so it does depend on your diet. When I was working I could afford more portions per week of fresh oily fish, which DS is always guaranteed to eat. I do however feel strongly that some people metabolise DHA & EPA more efficiently than others so individuals need more or less supplementation according to their personal requirements.

I find he likes the eyeQ smoothies best however at the moment I'm forcing the citrus oil down him due to budgetry restraints. My family has no sympathy for his complaints as my Dad used to force us all (my parents fostered too) to consume a tablespoon of cod liver oil every morning before school. My old school Dad didn't trust capsules "as you can't tell what's in them", this helps cos there are lots of family stories at gatherings re our "cod liver oil suffering" that make my son laugh. I still take cheapo cod liver oil in winter as it deffo reduces my excema (meant I could smile in the snow lol!)

I know an adult very early onset schizonphrenic who swears by them too as she says they make a noticeable difference to the severity of her dyslexia and have helped her reduce her antiphyscotic (sp?) daily dose. Do note though the dose was only reduced under proper clinical supervision! So please don't go making any changes to medication without clinical approval. She feels strongly she just doesn't absorb the good fatty acids as well as most people, so needs the "boost" the supplements provide. Noone meeting her would ever guess she has such a potentially dehabilitating condition so I value her opinion.

Reducing the amount of omega 6's in the diet to improve the ratio of omega 3's helps too, but I've found achieving this is a lot easier said than done with our modern diet. Also look at selenium, zinc and magnesium levels in the diet. These all have a noticeable effect on behavior and mild anemia affects concentration and makes kids tired and ratty long before the average GP will notice.

I am wondering about kelp supplements at the moment as I wonder if they would contain trace elements that would better help DS absorb the eyeQ. Anyone tried this?

Agree with bochead - depends on diet,. One of the reasons we give DS fish oil is that he would rather die than eat fish and it's taken me 3 years to get him to eat an egg!!

Thanks for all the info. I have got some Haliborange ones as they were all I could find in a rapid shopping trip yesterday. My DS has so far refused to even entertain the thought of eating one let alone 2! I am going to try them later to see how fishy they taste!

Moosemama I would be grateful if you could point me in the direction of the veggy ones? I see Boots do a veggy version.

My DS's diet is not the best....... meat is not his favourite unless a sausage! He has hypoglyceamia (or however you spell it!) so we have to be a bit careful with diet....... better he eats what he likes and remains in control than we insist he eats and he refuses and we then have 2 meltdowns... 1 at the insistence in eating and 1 later because his blood sugar has dropped thorugh the floor!

I found homemade pancakes a brilliant way of getting SOME egg into my lad : ) when he was younger. Just be careful you fill them with healthy fruit & nuts etc instead of lashing of syrup. Cheap hot brekkie in winter.

Also oats and bananas a great for keeping stable sugar levels. I often take homemade oat muffins or flapjacks to work for a snack when I'm under stress (I tend to get hypoglacemic then). If he'll eat them it may help?