This just in: A study has validated that a diet high in Omega-3 oils helps short-term memory. I’m not surprised. Anyone who has high-energy, brainy kids and has tried fish oil will attest to its amazing powers. Short-term memory isn’t one of the things that parents tend to be interested in, but my non-scientific survey shows that parents see a variety of good effects from fish oil:
- Decrease in mid-morning meltdowns
- Increase in self-control
- Decrease in mood swings
I know adults who say that taking fish oil helps them feel on a more even keel. I personally haven’t been able to track any effects in myself, but in my kids the change was pretty much immediate. Although they are very different characters, we noticed that they controlled their moods and were able to focus much better after introducing Omega-3’s.
Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while will know that I’m not a big fan of following nutritional fads. For a while, nearly everyone I met told me I needed to try cutting wheat out of my daughter’s diet even though there was no indication that she had a problem with wheat. I’ve gotten advice to take mega-doses of everything from copper to vitamin E. In general, I take the point of view that the best nutrition is gotten from a healthy diet rather than a factory-made pill.
The great thing about Omega-3 supplements, however, is that unlike most vitamin supplements, they are simply oil from the food that we don’t eat enough of: stinky, oily fish. Now, it is the case that my kids actually like fish and we eat it more than most American families. But it’s great that we can get one of the benefits of fish without thinking about it too much. Every day, my kids take their fish pill, and life is just that little bit easier.
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