Flax seeds, chia seeds and Omega-3 tricks for kids

Alan Greene, MD & Founder of DrGreene, shares advice for parents on on the health benefits of Omega-3 for kids and the best ways to feed them to your kids
Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds And Omega-3 Benefits For Kids
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Flax seeds, chia seeds and Omega-3 tricks for kids

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So let's talk about flax seeds and chia seeds and Omega 3s. So flax seeds have been a hot way for many years to give Omega 3s. And they're great. The problem with them though is that you have to grind them to get the Omega 3s out because you can't digest the hull completely. So if you just eat the seeds, that doesn't work that well. I used to have a little coffee grinder that was dedicated to flax seeds to do that. The other problem is it doesn't last long. Once they are ground, the Omega 3s start to go away pretty quickly. So you have to use it freshly and quickly. Flax seed oil gets around that some, but you miss the other cool things that are in the flax seeds by doing it that way. So now my favorite is chia seeds. Like the chia pets that used to be novelty gift items, the seeds are something that have been used in Latin America for a long time as a food. And the nice thing about them is you can sprinkle them on anything. You can sprinkle them into a drink, you can sprinkle them on cereal. We have them on cereal frequently at home. You can have them on something every day. You can stir them into yogurt. They make an interesting drink too. Chia drinks are a little slippery, but cool. My kids love them. It's a simple, easy way to get a lot more Omega 3s into the diet.

Alan Greene, MD & Founder of DrGreene, shares advice for parents on on the health benefits of Omega-3 for kids and the best ways to feed them to your kids

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Alan Greene, MD

Founder, DrGreene.com

Dr. Alan Greene founded his website, DrGreene.com, in 1995, cited by the AMA as "the pioneer physician web site." In 2010 he founded the WhiteOut Now movement to change how babies are fed from their very first bite of solid food, and in 2012 he founded TICC TOCC – Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping To Optimal Cord Clamping. He is an author of several books including Feeding Baby Green and appears frequently in the media including such venues as the The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, the Dr. Oz Show, and is a regular columnist for Parenting magazine. He is a practicing pediatrician and the father of four.

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