Hot topic: DHA

New moms and moms-to-be, there's great news! Foods with DHA are here and even more are coming. DHA is the omega-3 fatty acid that's crucially important for a developing baby. The most important time for baby to get it is in the womb - 2nd and 3rd trimesters - and in the first few years of life. The reason it's so important is that it promotes visual and brain development for the growing baby. Studies show higher IQs and vision scores in babies that get more DHA - it's the reason so many formulas are now fortified with DHA. The typical U.S. diet is pretty low in DHA since it comes from fish and most Americans just don't eat that much of it. So moms need to either take supplements when expecting and nursing or to eat foods rich in DHA.
As we already talked about in the past several postings, we attended a nutrition conference where we got a sneak preview of the latest up-and-coming foods to hit the marketplace. Well, DHA was everywhere. This is great news for those who don't like to eat fish or limit intake for other reasons (mercury can be a concern, however a new study did show that the benefits from eating fish in terms of baby's development far outweight any risks from excessive mercury, so you're better off eating it than not eating it).
Here are just some of the foods you should see or be seeing soon in your grocery store with DHA added: Horizon organic milk fortified plus DHA; Yoplait kids yogurt; Silk plus omega 3 DHA; Bellybar nutrition bars, shakes and chews; Oh Mama! nutrition bars. They're all made with a DHA called life'sDHA that comes from algae, so it's vegetarian. YoBaby Plus whole milk yogurt with cereal also has a version with DHA. That one is from purified fish oil.
I wish they had all these choices when I was pregnant and nursing. I did take DHA supplements (Expecta) and eat fish as often as I could but so many more choices would've helped. I am glad my toddler and preschooler can benefit from the new yogurts and milks.
Bottomline: If you're pregnant or nursing eat foods rich in DHA: fish, supplements or fortified foods. You need about 300 mg per day. For toddlers on up, make sure they eat or drink foods with DHA as well. There is currently no recommendation for the amount of DHA a child should have (some say 17 mg/100 calories, which is the amount in formula) but about 200-300 mg per day would be the ballpark.