Dreaded cod liver oil in a variety of flavours

Nov 12 2010

The stomachs of the generation of 50 year olds and above, will be churning at the thought of their parents and grandparents serving up spoonfuls of the much dreaded cod liver oil. As a practice, parents giving their children cod liver oil has all but died, and yet, as a population, we have seen more and more inflammatory conditions effect people's lives, which are due in no small part to the 'modern day diet', which many of us live. So Granny was right but do you think modern parents can get today's Xbox and Playstation generation to take cod liver oil? Not likely but HealthyandEssential have the answer, which is delicious and it is called Ideal Omega Taste.

Was Granny right about fish oil?

The stomachs of the generation of 50 year olds and above, will be churning at the thought of their parents and grandparents serving up spoonfuls of the much dreaded cod liver oil. In the eyes of every child, there was not a great deal to recommend it. It tasted horrible, it had a fishy odour, the oily consistency and texture did nothing for the palette and it repeated on you throughout the day. In a word, cod liver oil could only be described as disgusting.

As a practice, parents giving their children cod liver oil has all but died out, and yet, as a population, we seem to be getting less resistant to illness, more obese, and suffering from more and more from conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer's, MS, a whole range of different cancers and more minor complaints like asthma and eczema. So between generations, where has it all gone wrong?

Doctor Barry Sears, the author of the bestselling book 'The Anti Inflammation Zone' explains 'Standard issue to virtually every child two generations ago was a daily dose of a tablespoon of cod liver oil. Although it still ranks as one of the most disgusting foods of all time, this dosage did provide around 2.5 grams of EPA and DHA, which provide significant anti-inflammatory properties.' So does this mean Granny was right after all?

If eating more fish is good for you, then taking cod liver oil is definitely something we should all consider. An even bigger question we should be asking ourselves is, will today's Xbox and Playstation generation accept a spoonful of something they detest every morning, even if it is beneficial to their health? Granny's insistence that cod liver oil 'Will make you brainy', would probably be received with a grumpy shrug of the shoulders and will definitely leave the youth of today coolly unimpressed. Will cod liver oil make a comeback? It would seem unlikely.

Ramsay McLellan, who runs health food and health supplement business healthyandessential.com, adds to the debate by saying 'Granny was right about cod liver oil but only partially. Cod liver oil contains the essential Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA (The good stuff we all need) but it also contains large amounts of Vitamin A, which is not something you want to be taking too much of.'

What about the taste of cod liver oil? 'Well' laughs Ramsay, 'I agree it was horrible, but the unfortunate knock-on effect is that it put many people off eating fish for life. Not wanting to pass the horror of cod liver oil onto our children, and a suspicion around eating fish generally, has left the average 'modern day diet' hugely deficient in EPA and DHA. Unfortunately most people do not get enough into their diet!'

Dr Barry Sears agrees by saying 'The day that parents stopped giving their children high-dose fish oil, may have been the greatest public health disaster of the twentieth century. Our epidemic of silent inflammation is the result.'

Modern day parents won't give their kids cod liver oil and modern day kids will never take it........so what's the answer?

Happily things have moved on considerably. The launch of new Ideal Omega Taste offers parents, children and even grandparents the opportunity to get more Omega-3 into their diets without the fishy taste or the oily consistency, which makes many shudder at the thought. Ramsay says 'A spoonful of Ideal Omega Taste gives you all the Omega-3 you need but the best thing about Taste is that it is a sweet, delicious smoothie-type sauce that you give a home to in your freezer.' Taste seems too good to be true, however; with delicious flavours like Mango Peach, Tangerine Dream, Pomegranate Blueberry, Lemon Zest and Strawberry Banana; Grannies will be turning in their graves at the very thought!

'Taste is not a wonder cure' continues Ramsay, 'We as a business are all about healthy eating, healthy living and helping our customers to enjoy the best of health. We should all eat more oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, more green leafy vegetables and stop consuming so much processed convenience food. Think of Taste as a delicious Omega-3 SuperFood that improves your diet and that can contribute to you getting all the nutrients you need to get the most out of life.'

But crucially, what do modern day Mum's and kids think about Ideal Omega Taste? Kerry, Mum of 4-year old Jojo from Leeds, Yorkshire says 'Trying the new Taste range has been a lot of fun. We keep a variety of flavours in the freezer (Lemon, Tangerine and Mango Peach) and every morning Jojo chooses which one he would like. He usually asks for a 'mixture' of all 3 flavours, and taking Taste is something he prompts opposed to me giving it to him. He also likes a squeeze onto ice cream....so it is seen as a treat more than anything.'

'We are finding Taste to be as popular with adults as with kids.' Ramsay adds, 'It is a good way of satisfying sweet cravings in everyone, including pregnant women, but in a healthy way and for people, who cannot eat fish, we have developed 2 flavours which are made from flax oil not fish oil so vegetarians can take Strawberry Banana and Vegans Pomegranate Blueberry.'

So however disgusting cod liver oil is Granny was right to serve it up, but thanks to Taste, today's parents and grandparents should find a spoonful of Taste a far more pleasant and rewarding experience for all concerned.

Source: http://www.healthyandessential.co.uk/