Nutrition and healthy eating

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• December 1, 2012 9:32 a.m.

  my daughter is 10 months and she is losing weight but eats regularly.she has not yet started crawling.should i be worried?

  - Boitumelo

• October 30, 2012 10:13 p.m.

  I ate red meat and fish throughout my pregnancy. I also drank more orange juice than I swear Florida could provide, which is, doctors believe, how I failed my diabetes test by 1 point. I was ecstatic when they told me meat was a free-bee in my new pregnancy diet, and that fish was more than allowed, as long as I steered clear of swordfish, ate tuna sparingly, and stayed away from anything fished out of the Great Lakes. Salmon...mmmmmm...Threw it into salads frequently. Chicken did nothing for me, I'd eat it and be starving 30 minutes later. Fish and beef kept me going through my day. I now have a very active 7 month old who has been babbling since he was 3 months old, which is when he learned to roll over from front to back, and he's been crawling for a couple of weeks now, and scooting for a month before that. His sight is excellent as well. My prenatals had DHA in them also. Does this prove the article? I don't know, but there's definitely more comments supporting the theory.

  - Caitlin

• August 6, 2012 7:06 p.m.

  I ate fish a lot during my first pregnancy, as we had lived in Alaska and it was one of our main sources of protein as I imagine it is for most people who live in such places. I hadn't researched or heard anything at the time about mercury dangers and my daughter proved to be quite brilliant having a very large vocabulary of over 200 words at the age of 12 months. She continues to excel in academics and everything she does. I wonder however, if this is indeed the outcome of eating fish during pregnancy? If that were true wouldn't all or most natives of Alaska and other cultures where fish is the main source of protein be of above average intelligence? None the less, I am currently pregnant again and in my second trimester and have and will continue to ensure I consume fish (from a safe source) at least twice a week.

  - MammaT

• April 14, 2012 7:36 a.m.

  My mother usually cooks fish for me.She told me that when she was young, our family was very hard because of the effect of war in Vietnam.We have to live in self-provided regime so there are not enough fishes for whole family.She has not been eating fish instead of sweet potato,rice, seasame and salt.But she still grows strongly and now became a sucessful business.Clearly, eating fish is very good for brain but I think it is not the most important thing make children smarter .It depends on the ways to educate children. Parents can not hope that their children eat fishes to receive a PhD degree in the future if their children are always lazy and do not have attempt in work.

  - Ngan

• October 2, 2010 11:41 p.m.

  I'd like to comment on a couple of details in previous posts... Actually, the human body can manufacture DHA, but some nutritionists believe that we cannot create enough of it to reach optimal levels. Also, hemp does not contain DHA. It contains another Omega 3 fatty acid, ALA, which the human body makes on it's own in quantities that are generally regarded as sufficient. I'm currently pregnant with my second child. I take a DHA supplement that is derived from algae. While it's possible that DHA might not be of benefit, it certainly can't hurt! Anything that may help my baby (without any real drawbacks) is something I'll definitely try. My two year old also takes a small algae-based DHA supplement, each day. That way, we're getting a potentially beneficial nutrient while avoiding mercury and the ethically-questionable issue of commercial fish farms and trawling.

  - Vicki

• September 7, 2010 3:48 p.m.

  During my 2nd trimester I began to crave sardines. I wanted them all the time and it became a concern for me. I thought that I was lacking something that I truly needed. I looked into "fish oil" pills and found that the oil came from sardines so I started taking one per day. I continued taking them because my sardine craving had vanished. I now have a 6 month old and she is alert, very healthy and happy. I have continued to take the daily supplement because I am breast feeding. I do not know how/if the fish oil improved her I.Q., but it solved my intense cravings and it does not seemed to have hurt her.

  - Kristin

• June 29, 2010 10:42 p.m.

  Carl, you should clarify the difference between commercial fishing and recreational. The fish stocks you mention are not significantly impacted by recreational fishing.

  - Jason

• February 12, 2010 2:04 a.m.

  Fish can be successfully replaced by hemp, which is far more nutricious, as it contains high levels of protein(especially the essential aminoacids for the human body) and a very wide range of minerals(iron, calcium, selenium, magnesia, zinc) and vitamins, together with its omega fatty acids(which in hemp are, by the way, in the right proportion needed by the human body).

  - Iuliana

• December 20, 2009 6:40 p.m.

  I ate a 10 oz portion of fish (mainly salmon) while pregnant with my son once a week. Starting from 4 months of age on to he was a year he had Enfamil DHA formula. He spoke his first sentence at 15 months and is excelling at private school at age 5. Could be a coincidence...

  - Alison

• September 30, 2009 9:17 a.m.

  One thing that continues to amaze me about all the omega 3 hype is that nobody ever thinks about the impact all this has on our oceans. Many fish like Tuna, Swordfish etc are on the point of extinction not to mention all the other marine life needlessly killed by the greed of the fishing industry worldwide. We as a species have got to stop eating fish and soon.

  - Carl

• September 3, 2009 4:19 p.m.

  I used a healthy combination of BOTH during my pregnancy. I ate about 12 oz of chunk light tuna every week and took a DHA supplement (Enfamil) every day. After my daughter was born, I continued the routine while I breastfed her for 6 months. She just turned 2, and most people do mistake her for being 3 or sometimes even 4 years old. She speaks in full sentences and has been since she was about 18 months. She first began to speak at 7 months. She also knows all of her colors, letters, numbers, etc. I don't know if the DHA had anything to do with her advanced development, but I know it certainly didn't hurt. I am now pregnant with our second child and plan on the exact same routine for this one as well. The main thing I wanted to point out, is if you are concerned about going over 12 oz, but want to make sure you are getting enough DHA, adding the supplement on top of eating the fish was a great way to accomplish this without having to worry about comsuming a dangerous amount of mercury.

  - Sarah

• August 5, 2009 8:28 a.m.

  my mother was a vegetarian (no fish of any sort, red or white meat at all) before she got pregnant with me, during the pregnancy and when she was breastfeeding. i have been a vegetarian my whole life. i score very well on IQ tests, in about the top 3% of the population and am now studying architecture, so my visual abilities are healthy too. now, i question whether a good IQ test score necessarily equates to intelligence, but the issue of IQ/intelligence is complex and merely adding omega 3 to your diet whilst pregnant won't exactly ensure your child a nobel prize later in life. there are many factors at work here and IQ alone is not enough to ensure success in life, far from it. however, the fact that you care enough to ask that question is a very good sign for your child's development because it means that they have a parent who is committed to their wellbeing and is actively seeking to give them the best start in life.

  - anna

• June 18, 2009 5:41 a.m.

  To Kevin: Free range eggs, beef, and chicken are all good sources of omega-3s as well. Those animals get them from grass...perhaps we should just eat grass?

  - Evan

• August 14, 2008 8:48 p.m.

  i love fish.

  - shoma

• April 23, 2008 8:30 a.m.

  Excellent article. As a retired public health nutritionist, I was often asked by pregnant women, if fish is good for them or harmful. We need to continue to promote mother's milk as the best source of nutrition for the infant and promote optimal preconceptual health of women. Everyone seems to want to have the smartest baby/child/student. We need to look closely at the research, as new products are developed and marketed to consumers.

  - Marlene W. Culpepper MS RD

• April 16, 2008 10:00 a.m.

  If you can't eat Salmon or Tuna three times a week, Omega3 capsules, like Efacor, are good alternatives.

  - David

• April 11, 2008 2:38 p.m.

  If you are concerned about the mercury levels in some fish, there are many supplements of omega 3's to choose from. I have been taking Omega Mom's from the beginning of my pregnancy, hopefully this will make up where my diet has been lacking in fish.

  - Michelle

• April 11, 2008 2:31 p.m.

  I am an RD with the National Fisheries Institute, and absorbed by the science surrounding fish and fetal brain and eye development daily. While the media have created an atmosphere of confusion on this issue, advice for pregnant women is actually quite clear. There are just four fish to avoid to minimize exposure to mercury – fish that most Americans already don’t eat: shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish. Otherwise, a variety of 12 ounces a week – including up to 6 ounces of albacore tuna – is recommended. And as your article mentions, a growing body of science suggests that 12 weekly ounces of fish and shellfish should be a minimum. While supplements are an option for women who cannot for some reason eat enough fish, science shows eating fish as whole food is safe. In fact, as is the case with all foods, opting for isolated nutrients in pill form means missing out on the whole package. Not only is fish the richest food source of DHA and EPA omega-3s, it is low in total fat, high in protein, and rich in nutrients including vitamins B, D, zinc, iodine and selenium. Beyond fetal brain and eye development, this superstar nutrient profile contributes to other important health benefits including weight maintenance and reduced risk of heart disease.

  - Jennifer Wilmes, MS, RD

• April 11, 2008 11:00 a.m.

  These women failed to acknowledge a couple of key points of both the fish study and the use of algal oil in formula. The fish study was done from 1999 to 2002, which is before DHA & AA were even added to infant formula in the US. It wasn't GRAS by the FDA until 2001. Formula manufacturers didn't really implement it across the board until after the fish study was done. It will be a while before long-term studies will be able to be completed on the long-term benefits of algal oil in infants and toddlers nutrition. The studies did show a benefit of eating fish during pregnancy but also showed the harm in eating high mercury fish. I believe, as many manufacturers do, that the benefit of eating fish comes from the consumption of the DHA in the fish. That's why consumption of DHA from algal oil is a safe alternative from fish and pregnant women would get the same benefits as eating fish. After all, the fish get their DHA from algae so why can't we. Fish don't manufacturer DHA on their own just like we don't, they digest DHA-laden algae. Consuming DHA algal oil supplements eliminates the middleman. My son was fed DHA-enhanced formula (and now DHA-enhanced milk, juice, and yogurt) and people constantly comment on how smart he is (and I'm amazed at how sharp his vision is). DHA is the way to go, not only for infants and toddlers but adults as well. It's great for the brain, eyes, and heart - and if you drink Blueberry Pomegranate Juice, it's delicious too

  - Kevin