Moms Wear Your Tees Blog: omega-3s

I was recently offered the opportunity to try NutraSea Kids so I checked it out and found that it is a pharmaceutical quality fish oil high in omegas which I know are supposed to be great for the brain.

NutraSea Kids includes vitamin D and is rich in important EPA and DHA omega-3 essential fatty acids along with GLA omega-6 fatty acid which, when combined with EPA, can play a crucial role in early childhood development. Research has shown omega-3 and -6 to be beneficial for concentration and behavior, improved mood and ADHD in children, all benefits that contribute to a smooth transition back to school.*

Health Benefits (taken from Ascenta's webpage):
• Cardiovascular health
• Healthy bones & teeth
• Brain function
• Brain & eye development in children & adolescents

When we got our bottle I told the kids they could have a teaspoon after dinner. They were very curious. It comes in a very berry flavor so I thought they might like it. The flavor to be is actually just like bubble gum! My kids have never really had bubble gum so it was a little strange to them. Now I just mix it into their yogurt.
I like knowing that NutraSea Kids is pure and contaminant-free, which is something you have to watch for with fish oils- all of Ascenta’s products are third-party tested for quality, purity and label claims.

I also wanted to tell you about the Facebook sweepstakes NutraSea Kids has going until September 6th for U.S. residents: Ascenta is giving away a year’s supply of NutraSea Kids to one lucky winner! All you have to do is “Like” Ascenta on Facebook and then enter the sweepstakes on the sweepstakes tab!

NutraSea Kids is available in high-quality health food stores across the country (store locator) including Vitamin Shoppes and Whole Foods and online at VitaminShoppe.com.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
Ascenta will provide one winner with one bottle of NutraSea Kids, (a $22 value).

Giveaway Dates:
September 1- September 16, 2010 Midnight CST

How to Enter:
To enter this Giveaway, you need to do one or more of the following and post a comment below about each action you took. Each comment will count as a separate entry so your chances of winning increase but only the #1 entry is required.

1. Required: Tell me your favorite thing about NutraSea Kids
2. Follow Moms Wear Your Tees Blog in right margin w/ Google Friend Connect or subscribe to RSS feed
3. Like the Moms Wear Your Tees Blog Facebook page in right margin
4. Like the Ascenta Health page on Facebook
5. Follow MWYT on Twitter and Ascenta_Health on Twitter

Giveaway Rules:
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Winner selected through random.org- #28AnnCrabs

*Sources:
http://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Abstract/2007/04000/Effect_of_Supplementation_with_Polyunsaturated.2.aspx (concentration and behavior)
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajp;163/6/1098 (mood)
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/6/1/16 (ADHD)

Ascenta provided me with NutraSea Kids in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation for this and the opinions expressed are my own and those of my son.

I wanted to do this review and host this giveaway because I think a lot of people have never even heard of flaxseed and yet it is so good for you and so easy to add to your diet. Study after study confirms that the oil- (Omega 3) and fiber components of flaxseed have wonderful health benefits. I would recommend flax seed to anyone but it is especially good for children since 75% of brain development occurs in the 1st few years of life and Omega-3s are known to be particularly crucial constituents of the outer membrane of brain cells. Omega-3 fatty acids provide many benefits, including improving learning and memory and helping to fight against depression, mood disorders, and dementia, according to Gómez-Pinilla, a member of UCLA's Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center.

I don't want to spend too much time laboring benefits of omega-3s to your health and brain but if you want to learn more just type "omega-3s" into a search engine and you will see how much research exists. So anyhow, I have always been familiar with flax seed as my mom used it fairly often. My mom told me that golden flax seed is best and I checked it out and she is right in that it has the highest omega-3 levels.

I started purchasing it and using it on my own when I became pregnant with my first child. Being a mother suddenly made me more conscious of my food choices! The best way to use flax seed is freshly ground. I use a coffee grinder and I put the ground organic whole golden flaxseed on top of a bowl of oatmeal with a little brown sugar and milk. We all love it that way! I also grind it and throw a couple tablespoons into our pancake batter, cookie batter, and almost anything I bake. It really has a mild taste and can be tossed into anything. Sometimes if I am feeling particularly lazy, I just throw it into recipes whole.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
Tropical Traditions is going to provide one lucky reader with a one pound bag of Organic Whole Golden Flaxseed.

Giveaway Dates: May 24- June 7, 2010

How to Enter:
To enter this Giveaway, you need to do one or more of the following and post a comment below about each action you took (each comment will count as a separate entry so your chances of winning increase.)Only the #1 entry is required.

1. Required: Visit Tropical Traditions and leave a comment with another product you would like to try
2. Follow Moms Wear Your Tees Blog in right margin w/ Google Friend Connect
3. Subscribe to Moms Wear Your Tees with the RSS button in the right margin
4. Like the Moms Wear Your Tees Blog Facebook page in right margin
5. Follow MWYT on Twitter and Troptraditions on Twitter
6. Tweet or Retweet about this Giveaway:
Enter to win Organic Golden Flaxseed Tropical Traditions Giveaway http://www.momswearyourtees.blogspot.com @MWYT @troptraditions #giveaway
7. Place my blog button on your blog or website and leave web address I can visit (+2)
8. Blog about this giveaway and include a link, leave web address I can visit (+2)

Giveaway Rules:
Open to residents of USA and Canada, age 18+ to enter. GIVEAWAY CLOSED NOW! Congratulations matt4melis!

Tropical Traditions did provide me with the organic golden whole flaxseed in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.