Earlier in the year I was invited along to learn more about Equazen, an Omega 3 supplement brand, – at the launch of the brand in the UK.
We all know that we should be eating, ideally, a couple of portions of fish a week to get Omega 3 into our diets, one of which should be oily fish. I for one aim for at least that, although I was put off for a while from eating any fish due to the “heavy metal” claims.
Well, I’m glad to say I’ve done some reading up on the subject and thankfully fish contains lots of a mineral called selenium, which is just the mineral your body needs to protect itself from what?
You’ve guessed it: heavy metals!
But if you’ve not got a taste for fish and all its goodness, you might wish to look to supplementing your diet with an omega-3 product.
Equazen is naturally-sourced, with a high level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), one of the most important essential fatty acids, along with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and gamma linoleic acid (GLA).
What’s more, Equazen shows the breakdown of these EFAs within the formulas using the unique EQUABALANCE ratio. We need different levels of these EFAs dependent upon what stage of life we are at.
You may be asking what is the difference between all these EFAs – EPA, DHA, GLA?! Well, let me give you a little nutritional lesson!
EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, is a functional fatty acid, and has been shown to play a central role in communication between cells in the brain, which makes it an important part of nutrition from early childhood and throughout life.
DHA, docosahexanoic acid, is a structural fatty acid, important for a baby’s healthy development and through very early childhood. Equazen’s products for expectant mothers and babies are therefore formulated with a high DHA content.
GLA, or gamma linoleic acid, is an omega-6 essential fatty acid and is thought to reduce inflammation in the body and protect the DNA, as well as help with numerous conditions including allergies, eczema, psoriasis and high blood pressure.
Omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are rapidly used up and become part of the nervous tissue of the retina and brain during the brain’s growth spurt, which takes place during the last trimester of pregnancy through birth to two years of age.
There is a concern that because we are not getting enough long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in our diet that there may not be a sufficient supply of them, both through the mother’s diet before birth and during breastfeeding, and the child’s diet once weaned. This may be impairing vision and cognitive function.
I’ve dished out my Equazen Mumomega, Baby and Mind50+ to an expectant Mummy, a Yummy Mummy and my Mummy (and Daddy!), but one product I’ve put to the test so far is the Children’s Chews. Suitable for ages three to adult, these chewy sweets have a delicious strawberry flavour, are free from additives such as aspartame, saccharine, and hydrogenated oils. There’s also no fishy after-taste or burps to be had, which means in my books even the fussiest of kids won’t smell something fishy!
