Boots Omega 3 Chewable Capsules for Kids (Boots Smart Omega 3 Fish Oil Chewable Capsules)

Member Name: foreveramber

Product:	Boots Smart Omega 3 Fish Oil Chewable Capsules
Date:	14/10/08 (698 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good levels of omega 3

Disadvantages: An unchewable outer shell

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of media coverage regarding the benefits of omega 3 fish oils. Various studies have proved that supplementing our diet with these essential fatty oils can have a beneficial effect on our brains and hearts.

Of particular interest to me is its effect on children where studies have claimed fish oils not only improve their concentration levels it also appears to make them 'brainier'. Well, What have I got to lose?

Of course, offering your child a spoonful of fish oil is going to present predictable results and I'm not talking Einstein here. Thankfully, those nice people at Boots have come up with all sorts of tempting methods to entice fish oils down your little darling's throats. One of them is their Smart Omega 3 Fish Oil Chewable Capsules.

I've been using the Smart Omega 3 strawberry or orange flavoured fish oil that you serve up on a spoon. However I bought these, thinking they'd be quick and easy to take out of the bottle and deposit in the kids hands as we leave the house on the way to school.

The chews are suitable for children from the age of 3 years and are packaged in a small, recyclable plastic bottle with a screw on lid. It's not child proof and states on the lid that it's 'Easy Open', so if your kids take a liking to them, make sure they're kept out of reach. They are packaged in bottles containing either 60 capsules or a 240 'value pack'.

They're flavoured orange, which sounds like a tasty way to obtain fish oils. As well as the EPA and DHA fish oils, they also include Vitamins A, C, D and E. The suggested daily intake is 2 capsules per day.

As their name suggests, you chew these rather than swallow them whole. They're covered with a brown, 'chewable' shell which is made from glycerol, gelatine and beeswax among other things. The liquid fish oil inside is pale orange coloured and flavoured. The ingredients are listed at the bottom of the review.
The first morning I presented these to my kids, they were quite curious, as kids are. I told them these were their new vitamins for the next month and they were a yummy orange flavour. I told them just to eat them like a sweet. Somewhat dubiously, they all popped them into their mouths and I forgot about them.

It was only after a few days that I noticed these little brown capsules, discretely placed on the corner of a table or next to the rubbish bin (they never quite manage to put rubbish inside the rubbish bin). At first I assumed they hadn't eaten them, but when I picked them up, realised they were empty. They'd basically sucked out all the insides and left the shell.

When questioning them about this, I explained that they could actually eat the shells. However, no amount of persuasive talk from me would entice them into eating the outside. So, I decided to try them out for myself, just to see what all the fuss was about. Indeed, as soon as I bit on the shell, the orange oil inside oozed out. This tasted very nice indeed. However, I was left with a hard, plastic shell that even after several chews, steadfastly remained a hard, plastic shell. I too, spit it out and deposited it in the bin.

I really don't understand why Boots haven't developed something a bit easier to chew than this. So, for this reason, I won't be buying these chews again. If I do buy the Boots omega 3 oils, I'll return to the syrup as the kids far prefer that.

One thing to watch out for, if you currently give your children other vitamin supplements, make sure you don't give them on the same days as these fish oil supplements due to the fact that they contain added vitamins. Otherwise, you may end up double dosing your children on vitamins which is probably not a good idea.

These do contain the sweetener, aspartame, which some people may be averse to. Also, they're not suitable for vegetarians, but you probably wouldn't be buying fish oils if you're a veggie anyway. Vegetarians can obtain omega 6 from plant based sources such as linseed.

~~~How much Omega 3 Do We Need?~~~

According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Committee on Toxicity, we should aim to consume at least 450mg of omega 3 per day or 3,000mg per week. This equates to about 2 portions of oily fish a week.

~~~ Availability and Price ~~~

You can find these in branches of Boots, priced between £6.29 and 11.99.

If your kids don't like eating fish, this is a tasty way of obtaining your omega 3's. A bottle of 60 should last for one month based on 2 capsules per day. Boots often include these as part of a three for two deal.

~~~Nutritional Information~~~

Per 2 capsules:
Fish Oil 400g containing: EPA 28mg, DHA 200mg, Vitamin A 800ug, Vitamin C 60mg, Vitamin D 5ug and Vitamin E 3mg.

~~~Ingredients~~~

Fish Oil Concentrate (Fish Oil, Antioxidant (Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Sweeteners (Mannitol, Xylitol, Aspartame*), Glycerol, Gelatin, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Ascorbic Acid, Flavouring, Beeswax, Emulsifier (Lecithin), Cellulose, DL ALpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitaminamin A Preparation (Retinyl Palmitate, Sunflower Oil, DL Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Colour (Iron Oxides), Vitaminamin D Preparation (Fractionated Coconut Oil, Cholecalciferol, DL Alpha Tocopherol). *Contains a source of Phenylalanine.

Summary: Tasty way of getting kids to eat omega 3