Barlean’s: Opt or Drop
Let’s talk about a fish oil that, if it actually tastes good, is it a win-win? Or is it a red flag?
Introducing the Product
What is it? Barley’s Seriously Delicious Omega-3. It’s a liquid fish oil that provides 1,500 milligrams of EPA and DHA per serving. A serving is a tablespoon.
Ingredients and Sweeteners
No sugar added, but it is sweetened with xylitol, and it includes gums and emulsifiers to make it smooth and palatable.
Taste Test and Texture
It’s definitely on, like, the thick side; you’ve really got to squeeze to get it out. It definitely tastes pretty good.
Palatability for Kids
So, a lot of parents struggle with those huge fish oil pills. Kids who gag or refuse those big capsules, and then parents sometimes try to pinprick it and squeeze it out, or you have other liquid, and they do not taste good. So, there’s, like, a consistency issue in those liquids. Liquid omega-3s really solve a great problem that parents have, but it’s got to taste good. There are multiple flavors. You would probably be able to find a flavor that your kid likes, which increases the odds that they’re going to take it. Maybe not every day, but most days, if it tastes great.
The Biggest Concern With This Product
Here’s what I don’t love about the product, and it’s the biggest issue for me, and it’s an important one.
You get a total of 1,500 milligrams of the omega-3, but you don’t have an understanding of how much is from EPA and how much is from DHA. Now, that actually makes a difference.
EPA is going to target general inflammation throughout your entire body.
DHA is much more specific and targets more neuroinflammation.
So, you really want to understand the ratios, and there are different products that have more EPA than DHA, and then other products that have more DHA than EPA, just because you really might want to have that very granular focus. It’s very important for certain kids at certain times.
Why Precision Matters for Autism Parents
For autism parents, especially, strategy matters. So, if you don’t know the ratio, you can’t be too intentional about what you’re targeting.
Final Verdict: Opt or Drop?
Is this an opt or a bop? It is definitely an opt, but with context, right? So, this is not the most strategic option. It is not ideal if you’re specifically targeting neuroinflammation, because I have no idea, based upon the label, what inflammation this is targeting.
This is much better than taking nothing, for sure. it’s also great for pill fatigue.
And this is really helpful for kids who don’t swallow capsules yet. It’s really important.
if fish oil and anti-inflammatories are important for your child, which for the most case it usually is, this is definitely a good option to have if you can’t get any of those other specific options in them.
So, bottom line, this is not the best omega-3 product on the market. However, it is far from terrible, and consistency beats perfection. So, this for sure is an opt.
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