Fishstick-free Omega-3 for Your Preschooler

Mary Poppins' advice to serve medicine with a spoonful of sugar may have worked for 19th century English children, but as a modern American parent you probably think your child already gets enough sugar - and then some. You're likely also aware that studies show the majority of American children do not get needed vitamins and nutrients - like Omega-3 - from diet alone.

So how do you ensure your children get the balanced nutrition necessary for good health and growth? By serving up ultra-purified supplements with a healthful diet and a healthy dose of fun, experts say.

"Good nutrition actually starts before birth, but toddlerhood brings new challenges for parents trying to ensure kids get proper nutrition," says Roy Bingham, co-founder of PharmaOmega, a company that manufactures all-natural Omega-3 supplements. "You know your child needs Omega-3 and many other nutrients, but good luck trying to get most kids to eat any Omega-3 rich fish (fish sticks don't count). For many kids, supplements are the only way they will get this key nutrient. Yet preschoolers may not be keen on the idea of swallowing a pill."

Bingham offers a few tips for enticing toddlers and preschoolers to agree to take supplements from his experience with his two young boys:

* Make it a game. Toddlers and preschoolers don't usually respond well to pressure tactics, but most love a game. If you can present the supplement in a fun way, he or she will be more willing to take it.

* Make it a challenge. This technique is especially effective for little boys or for siblings. Most preschoolers grasp the idea of a competition and love to win.

* Some products, like PharmaOmega Child, can actually be popped open and mixed into food the child likes, such as yogurt.

* Look for chewable options. PharmaOmega Child softgels can actually be chewed.

While many supplements aimed at preschoolers include important vitamins and nutrients, few offer Omega-3 DHA and EPA. Found only in fish oil, these two nutrients are vital to the development of healthy eyes, brains, bodies and immune systems. Generally Americans - both adults and children - can't get sufficient, health-sustaining amounts of Omega-3 from their diets alone.

"For young children, a supplement like PharmaOmega Child is really the healthiest, most efficient way to deliver the Omega-3 they need," Bingham says. "While fish sticks, considered a toddler-friendly food, deliver 33 mgs of EPA and 56 mgs of DHA, they also serve up 770 mgs of saturated fat and 9 mgs of cholesterol. By contrast, just two tiny capsules of PharmaOmega Child provide 325 mgs of total Omega-3, without the saturated fat and cholesterol."

When taken with a multivitamin, PharmaOmega Child can help parents ensure their young children get the nutrients they need to build a foundation for lifelong health.

Log on to www.pharmaomega.com to request a free sample of PharmaOmega Child, or to save 40 percent on a six-month supply, while supplies last.

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