I’m just old enough to remember the dark brown bottle looming on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Every morning we would quickly rush in to finish our bowl of cereal hoping to get out the door before mom had time to pull out the teaspoon. Invariably we would not escape. With closed eyes and a pinched nose we would swallow the oily solution. Cod liver oil became a popular supplement in the 1950’s as a daily source of vitamins A and D. The terrible taste made it a difficult sell to children who needed it most. When Health Canada decided to supplement milk with vitamins A and D many families stopped the practice of cod liver oil. As children, we were certainly thankful. A refreshing cold glass of milk with cookies was much more acceptable than swallowing fish liver oil. Unfortunately when we turned in our medicine spoon for a glass of milk we began missing out on a daily dose of essential oils. Cod liver oil is a good source of omega 3 essential oils. Omega 3 fats are a type of essential oil that is particularly important for children. Studies have shown it supports the development of the brain, eyes and nerves. Omega 3 fats are found mainly in vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and fish. Unfortunately many of these foods are not at the top of the “favorites” list for kids. Luckily researchers have found some simple ways to “hide” omega 3 fats in our everyday foods. Most people have heard of “omega eggs” where the chickens have been fed a diet including flax seed, another good source of omega 3 fat. Thanks to the researchers at the University of Guelph we can now drink a glass of milk and receive some essential fats. A new product called “Dairy Oh!” contains an important type of omega 3 fat called DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is a naturally occurring omega 3 fat that is normally found in fish. Researchers discovered a way to put fish oils into the feed of the cows thus passing down the healthy oil to us via their milk. The “Dairy Oh” milk tastes the same and thus your kids need not know the difference. Another sneaky way to boost the omega content in your children’s diet is to include ground flax seed in baking. Flax seed also delivers a healthy dose of fibre to their diet. You can usually substitute up to one quarter cup of the flour in a recipe for ground flaxseed. You can find ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil in the health food section of most main stream grocery stores. Ground flax seed or flax seed oil can be added to smoothies, yogourt, soups, sauces, salad dressings or even meatloaf and chili. The trick with flax is that you cannot cook it at high temperatures. The omega fats are destroyed if you heat them above 350 degrees Celsius. Flaxseed has a mild nutty flavour and certainly tastes better than cod liver oil. You can even use the old fashioned method of a “teaspoon a day” with breakfast. But then again, why not take advantage of the high tech omega foods on the market. Breakfast could be French toast made with flax seed bread, Omega eggs and Dairy Oh! Milk. What will they think of next…