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EFAs & Back to School Brain Power
EFAs (essential fatty acids) are crucial for healthy growing brains and mental function. Here is straight and simple info to help you understand EFAs and how to find the ones that support children’s focus and brain function.
Douglas MacKay is a licensed naturopathic doctor who serves as Nordic Naturals Research Advisor. He is Founder of Makai Naturopathic Center in Dover, NH.
61 Responses to “EFAs & Back to School Brain Power”
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Great podcast. We give our kids this supplement, and I guess we’ll see in time if they end up smarter then us
There is some mention of this I noticed on your other podcast comments!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I’ve tried the strawberry flavored chewables on my daughter, but she didn’t like them. She’s older now, so I’ll try them again.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
My daughter is on a multi-vitamin, and I thought she was getting her fatty acids through flax, but it’s good to know that DHA is mainly from animal products. Thanks!
September 4th, 2008 at 7:56 am
This was very informative, thank you Mara and Dr. MacKay. I have a 5 yr. old daughter who eats a pretty well balanced and healthy diet. But getting her to eat any kind of seafood is a joke. She eats plenty of nuts and I’ve even tried the obvious fish sticks.. no go. I was not aware that it was ok in fact recommended to give your child a supplement other than their daily multi-vitamin.
I pride myself in trying to make sure my child eats as healthy as possible without being too much of a nag/ downer so this added information is much appreciated.
Keep up the good work!
September 4th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Rebekah- I like your style. WE try to keep the kids up to date with good foods, but with school back in seesion and what seem to be constant morning battles, I feel good that they are taking supplements.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
There is a great DHA product line at whole foods. I haven’t had to buy this for awhile, so I don’t recall the brand name, but my kids loved the flavor.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Good to hear about options for fatty acids for kids.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I am glad to see this conversation taking place on the WF website
September 4th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
My daughter doesn’t tend to like vitamins but I will definately try the strawberry flavored! Great podcast definitely informative!
September 4th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Nordic Naturals are fantastic. Our kids love these, they actually call the cookies.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I believe it is so important that kids gets the vitamins and minerals that they need. Americans are seriously lacking in this aspect. If we want our kids to succeed in life, we better start working on the little things, like EFA’s.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Thank you for this podcast; it is good to get a succinct explanation of options for fatty acid supplements.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Great comments Cori. I agree full heartedly. We do both in our home.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
This was a great podcast, a little more relevent to my life than some of the past ones. Keep it up though, I’m enjoying the podcasts!
September 5th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
good info.! enjoying the pods.
September 5th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Keep providing such informative podcasts for us!
September 5th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
this is a very interesting podcast-I take EFA’s but I was unsure on children
September 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Thanks for the information,with a toddler in the house this helps with giving them the proper meals an vitamins they need,thanks
September 5th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
That was very interesting. I never knew that omega-3 fatty acids were so important for our children. thank you.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Good info, glad you pointed out the importance of EFA for kids!
September 6th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Great cast. We are big fans of Nordic Natural’s!
September 6th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Glad to hear this coverage as school is starting up. Kids get so much info at school these days, it amazes me how advanced their math and english studies are. I hope the EFA can help support their little minds.
September 6th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Glad to hear this podcast! We have been discussing the best way to support our daughter’s development. We’ll certainly try some EFA supplements.
September 6th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
We were just talking about brain development and children’s weight and need for EFA’s last night at a friends dinner. Glad to see the synergy here as well.
September 7th, 2008 at 6:14 am
School days are long and tough for our 6 year old. I am hoping that the addition of EFAs gives some support.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I give the Nordic Natural’s to my boys and feel very good about the quality of their products.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Great info, thanks Whole Foods!
September 7th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thanks for highlighting the importance of fatty acids for kids.
September 7th, 2008 at 11:35 am
EFA’s are a vital supplement for kids. We use Nordic Naturals and they actually really enjoy taking them.
September 7th, 2008 at 11:41 am
EFA’s are not thought of often enough by parents or doctors. They are a fantastic supplement for a child as well as for adults.
September 7th, 2008 at 11:50 am
The Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA is a great product. We have been buying these for years.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Good job Whole Foods. Nice to see a store speaking to health ideas for kids.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Wow! this was informative! I can’t wait till my next trip to whole foods to check out these products!!
September 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for pointing out the importance of EFA for kids.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
There as some new studies which point out the benefits of EFA’s with children who have Autism. Language skills were shown to increase dramatically with the introduction of EFA’s!
September 7th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Looking forward to trying out some of these products. Great series!
September 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Wow! I’m amazed at how easily impressed all the other listeners were. Doesn’t it raise any red flags when the podcast starts out with a statement like “They are called Essential because the body doesn’t make them…”? Folks, that is not what “essential” means. Essential means something that is extremely important. I think he just wants to sell more of his supplements to stressed out, confused parents. Shame.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Just picked up some of the Nordic Naturals DHAs for my kids. Excited to check out their reaction tonight!
September 8th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Great conversation here! I enjoy seeing all of the input and the podcast is very beneficial for a new parent like myself.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Just found out about your back to school series from a fellow blogger. Great to see you entering the social media world! The site has much more depth now, keep it up!
September 8th, 2008 at 9:43 am
This was extremely informative and has opened my eyes to the importance of these vitamins! I will definitely be making some big changes in my familys’ diet!
September 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
@Jo Yes, the word essential means that the topic at hand is extremely important – in this case, important for survival and health. However, when we talk about fatty acids needed by the body, the word “essential” is used to distinguish fats that need to come from outside sources verses fats that the body can synthesize.
When we talk about fatty acids that are needed in the body, we call those that the body cannot produce (and therefore must come from diet or outside sources) “essential.” This distinguishes them from fatty acids that the body can synthesize on its own. For example, omega 3 essential fatty acids (called “EFAs”) must be obtained from foods such as fish, flaxseed or walnuts, and can be obtained from supplements as well.
On the other hand, omega 9 fatty acids, such as those fatty acids that are prominent in olive oil, can be synthesized by the body from unsaturated fats, so omega 9 fatty acids are not called “essential.”
Still, omega 9 fats and other non-essential fatty acids, although not “essential,” are very important in the body.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Thanks for the feedback Malia- dare I say, “essential” knowledge
September 11th, 2008 at 5:40 am
I thought this podcast was really informative and it’s made me decide to get some vitamins for the kids, and myself. First I’ve got to do a bit of research on who makes the best (most lead free, truthful about what’s in them) supplements first though.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:50 am
As a mother of a child with ADHD, I am *very* interested in how Omega-3s can help in that area…and whether or not it will help with perhaps ‘curing’ it over time. Great information. Thanks.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I wish my mom gave me more EFA’s when i was a kid, maybe I should start now!!!
September 12th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
great information
September 13th, 2008 at 2:38 am
Thanks for the great information. I’ve been giving my daughter Nordic Naturals and this was a good reminder of why it’s so important.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I loved the article. Anything that can help families is interesting.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Great article. health can be easily overlooked with our busy lives.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Great podcast!
September 19th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I’m going to go check out the supplements at Whole Foods for my daughter this weekend
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Great info on this podcast. HOWEVER… just want to let you know that the spelling of the doctor’s name is MAKAI, not MacKay. I was very interested in learning more about him and his clinic, etc., and after hitting a deadend with MacKay, I was able to find him by googling other related info.
Once, again… great job on giving us extremely useful info.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@Kim You’re right, the spelling of the clinic is Makai and not MacKay - we’ve fixed this in the blog entry and included a link to the center. However, Dr. Douglas MacKay’s name is spelled correctly.
Thanks!
September 24th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Winnie… you are so right! I think I’m going cross-eyed from reading so much on-line today about the subjectmatter! I realized that as I started reading a little more thoroughly and I was just coming back to correct myself when I saw your posting!:-)
September 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
great information. I am so glad that ModMom.com blogged about this,
September 27th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Good information. Wish I’d been more aware when my son was younger.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
this is such a great show, very interesting and entertaining!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Heather C,
Thank you for your question regarding Omega 3s and children.
Essential fatty acids are especially vital for youngsters and young adults, since their bodies and brains are in crucial stages of development. As we heard, omega 3 is a kind of EFA that’s needed for the brain, heart, nervous system, tissues, skin, joints, and immune health. The brain needs a specific kind of omega 3 called DHA, potentially helpful for children with concentration and attention challenges. Studies show that these children may be deficient in omega 3s and 6s, and supplementation may be helpful. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995, vol. 62, no. 4 Suppl). There are specific natural supplements available that are targeted for improved learning, and omega 3s are usually the primary ingredient.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Very interesting. I give the kids Nordic Naturals which they love. Always kinda wondered if I really needed to, if they didn’t get everything they need from a well balanced diet (I’m very lucky, my kids eat EVERYTHING) but now I’m happy I’ve been giving it to them, and I’ll certainly continue to do so!
September 30th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Thank you for the explanation of how EFAs work and why we need them for children’s growing brain and function, and behavior and mental health.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:14 pm