Friday 29 October 2010

Minami Nutrition Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements

It is an almost undisputed fact that Omega-3, otherwise known as fish oil, offers a whole host of health benefits to both children and adults. According to The Fish Oil Blog, it is a cure for pretty much all evils, including amongst other things ADHD, high blood pressure, dental health problems, even breast cancer and depression. It is also said to help improve concentration, mood and heart health. It is therefore a really good supplement to give your children. Minami Nutrition, who make the products we were sent to try, offer a premium range of Omega-3 supplements with the highest concentration of Omega-3 on the market.

However, the problem with fish oil is that it is - well - very fishy ! The last time I tried an omega-3 supplement on the kids, it literally made them gag. I want them to be healthy but I won't force them to eat something that makes them physically sick ! I really wanted to like this product but I have to admit, I was dubious.

The first product that we were sent to try was MorEPA Mini-Junior, designed for children and teenagers. It comes as softgel capsules which can be taken as they are, preferably at mealtimes, or opened and mixed with foods like yoghurt, salad dressing, fruit juice or milkshake.You should take one capsule twice a day.

The box says that "a strawberry flavouring provides a pleasant taste" and it has "no fishy after-taste, with added fruit flavours". I pulled the foil-sealed blister pack out and had a tentative sniff and it does smell really lovely and strawberry-scented without the slightest whiff of fishiness. The girls were quite enthusiastic about trying them out, having tested some delicious vitamin and omega-3 gummy "sweets" in the past. They happily popped one in their mouth with big smiles, bit into the capsules and simultaneously went "eeuurrgghhhh it tastes of fish" before running to the bin to spit them out. Oh dear ! I intercepted the tissue-wrapped spat-out capsules before they made their way into the bin and sniffed and there was a definite smell of fish, so I think the promise of no fishy after-taste is sadly exaggerated. I opened a capsule and mixed the contents in with some orange juice but the girls didn't want to taste it again ! I had a sniff and a very tentative taste and I could certainly detect fish too.

I had a look around online and the only reviews that I could find for this product were all highly positive, underlining the fact that there is no fishy taste or "fishy burps". So where did we go wrong ?! I can only think that you're supposed to swallow them without biting them but the packaging is unclear about this. I asked the girls if they'd like to try swallowing them straight down but they point blank refused to try again !

The other product we were sent was for 15-month-old Pierre and is called MorDHA. I was slightly concerned that the website lists this product in the "for children 3 years plus" category but the box does say it is "for babies and toddlers in the early years". This product also claims to have no fishy after-taste but, following our experience with the children's version, I decided to play it safe and added it to a fish pie that Pierre was eating (despite the fruity flavour !). He wolfed it down and didn't seem to notice any dfference !

The moral of the story seems to be, if you eat these supplements thinking fish, they're quite acceptable, but if you're expecting a fruity taste, don't bite them or you'll be disappointed ! It's a real shame because I was really hoping that the girls would enjoy taking this supplement as much as the fruity vitamins but unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

star rating : 3/5 (luckily they got the thumbs up from Pierre !)

RRP : MorEPA £18.95 for 60 capsules, MorDHA Mini IQ £11.95 for 30 capsules


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