The best supplements list for pregnancy absolutely must include Cod Liver Oil! It is one of the most nutrient-dense whole food sources and incredibly beneficial during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a miraculous journey filled with excitement and anticipation. It brings the responsibility of ensuring the health and well-being of a new life, the baby’s. What you eat will become the building blocks of your baby’s body. Optimal nutrition plays a crucial role in both maintaining healthy fertility and supporting a healthy baby during pregnancy. Our modern diet doesn’t have enough healthy fats.
Studies show that omega-3 essential fatty acids found in cod liver oil are critical for supporting and nourishing a developing baby’s heart, brain, nervous system, and eyes. Incorporating Cod liver oil into your diet is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re receiving enough essential fatty acids.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the reasons why fermented cod liver oil is the ultimate powerhouse supplement for pregnancy, exploring its nutritional profile, potential health benefits, and tips on incorporating it into your prenatal routine.
What is Cod Liver Oil?
Cod liver oil is a nutrient-rich oil extracted from the livers of codfish, primarily the Atlantic cod (Gadus Morhua). It is the nutritional powerhouse of whole food supplements. It had been prized for its high concentration of essential nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and vitamin D for centuries. Many countries and cultures have been consuming it as a traditional remedy for a multitude of illnesses and infirmities.
These essential nutrients are crucial in supporting the overall health and well-being of both the mother and baby during pregnancy. This makes cod liver oil an invaluable addition to any prenatal regimen. Let’s examine in more depth why these nutrients are so crucial for a healthy pregnancy.
Where Did Fermented Cod Liver Oil Come From?
Fermented cod liver oil can be traced back centuries to northern Europeans who used cod liver oil to protect them from the cold. Cod liver oil is made from the livers of Gadus morhua and other species of cod. They found that cod liver oil relieved pains like aching joints, stiff muscles, and rheumatism.
How is Cod Liver Oil Made?
Regular cod liver oil is made by cooking cod livers which destroys the vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are added back in to compensate for this loss. The vitamin D in these types of cod liver oil is often very low. Krill and fish oil are not made from the livers of the oily fish instead, they are made from the flesh. They still contain EPA and DHA, but hardly any vitamin A and D.
How is Fermented Cod Liver Oil Made?
Fermented cod liver oil is made with traditional methods by fermenting the cod livers. They don’t use heat with this method, thus it preserves most of the micro-nutrients. This includes different forms of vitamin A and D along with omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. These nutrients are all in the correct ratios to each other and in the right amounts. This is the benefit of a whole food supplement.
Benefits of Cod Liver Oil for Pregnancy
When you are pregnant, both you and your baby will need high levels of omega-3. If your daily diet does not provide enough to meet their needs, your body will pull from your storage. A diet lacking in nutrients can adversely impact long-term health of you and your baby. This is why it is essential to have sufficient amounts of essential fatty acids.
We suggest that you try to fill your body’s omega-3 stores starting at least 3 months before becoming pregnant. This will help ensure that neither you nor your baby will be lacking in this important nutrient during this critical time.
Next, let’s go over the specific benefits cod liver oil offers for pregnant women and their developing babies. Cod liver oil improves fertility and reproductive health in preparation for a vibrant pregnancy.
1. Fertility & Trying to Conceive
Omega-3 is an incredible supplement that helps improve the overall success of fertility. For instance, it does this by increasing healthy cervical mucus production, and by increasing progesterone and estrogen hormones. Omega-3 also improves the health of the uterus, by increasing the flow of blood to the reproductive organs.
2. Helps Regulate Hormones
Omega-3 fatty acids play a big role in creating balanced hormones for women, primarily from the anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is known to cause infertility issues like uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and endometriosis. Omega-3 can also lower painful menstruation known as dysmenorrhea.
3. Egg Quality
Omega-3 can improve egg quality and improve the likelihood of conception. It is especially helpful for women over 35 to take since egg quality slowly declines with age. Omega-3 can also improve fertility by increasing both ovarian reserve, and follicle counts, and supporting regular ovulation.
4. Sperm Health
One of the fatty acids cod liver oil has is DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). It is a necessary part of the sperm’s structure. If sperm does not have DHA when developing its cell membrane, it will use cholesterol instead.
Science Daily says, “It is necessary to construct the arch that turns a round, immature sperm cell into a pointy-headed super swimmer with an extra long tail,” referring to DHA. The DHA antioxidants help protect sperm, which results in a lover sperm DNA fragmentation.
Scientific studies show an Increased concentration of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) in the diet resulted in higher semen volume and sperm motility.
5. Helps Prevent Miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriages affect about 5% of women worldwide. It is suspected that this number is much higher. Because there is evidence that suggests that omega-3 can reduce the risk of miscarriages and possibly treat it, we feel it is important to supplement it. It is thought that it is because Omega-3 inhibits inflammation, is an immune modulator, and bacterial growth. However, there still remains a lot of controversy and inconclusive evidence to support exactly how this works.
6. Supports Baby’s Health, Development, and Brain
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are crucial for fetal brain development, cognitive function, and visual acuity. By supplementing with cod liver oil during pregnancy, mothers can make sure their babies receive enough of these essential fatty acids. Which could lead to better neurodevelopmental outcomes later in life.
Early in development while in utero, at one point 25% of the baby’s is brain. Therefore, women who take cod liver oil have babies with bigger brains that function better, resulting in smarter babies. So it is important to meet those nutritional needs during pregnancy.
Another interesting thing we read was that pregnant women who supplement with cod liver oil have children who have fewer ear infections during their first year of life.
7. Support Immune System
Vitamin A and D are needed to maintain a healthy immune system for the baby and mama. Therefore a well-functioning immune system will function better at protecting against infections. Which will reduce the risk of illness for both the mama and baby.
8. Lower Risk for Gestational Diabetes & Type-1 Diabetes
We can list so many benefits to taking cod liver oil, and most of them end up being directly related to pregnancy. Like this study done on mothers who took cod liver oil during pregnancy. This study shows that taking cod liver oil during pregnancy was associated with reducing type 1 diabetes in babies.
Dr. Jack Kruse reports that levels above 50 ng/mL of vitamin D are associated with increased adiponectin levels and low leptin levels. This helps reduce overeating, obesity, and therefore diabetes.
9. Help Prevent Preeclampsia
There are a lot of inconclusive studies when it comes to omega-3 and preeclampsia. Studies show there is a correlation between low intake of omega-3 fatty acids and preeclampsia, but they haven’t figured out exactly what.
However, this study shows that supplementing omega-3 could lower preeclampsia.
10. Reduce Risk of Premature Delivery & Low Birth Weight Babies
Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids found in cod liver oil may help reduce the risk of premature birth. This is because it supports good blood flow to the uterus and reduces inflammation. By supporting longer pregnancies that end in full-term babies, which receive optimal nutrition from increased blood flow, it reduces the risk of low birth weight babies.
11. Reduce Postpartum Depression & Mother’s Brain Function
Since omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, they help support better brain function. During both pregnancy and postpartum, they have been linked to reduced depression and anxiety and support an overall better mood. Thus, by including cod liver oil in their prenatal supplement protocol, mothers can enhance their mental well-being.
This makes sense because there are many studies that link cod liver oil to lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and improving ADHD.
12. Maintains Strong Bones, Joins, and Teeth
Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption. Which makes it crucial for developing healthy bones, joints, and teeth for both mama and baby. By supplementing with cod liver oil, pregnant women can make sure they are getting their daily dose of vitamin D. This is especially important for women with VDR genes, limited sun exposure, or if they live in northern latitudes.
Vitamin D helps prevent and treat osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and rickets for instance.
Vitamin D can help reduce & heal cavities. Ramiel Nagel says “Dr. Price’s study on remineralizing teeth was reported in the New Zealand Dental Journal. A group of sixty-six native girls, the thirty-three with the best teeth, were used as a control group. The remaining thirty-three were given the additional fat-soluble vitamins A and D in the form of two teaspoons of cod liver oil per day. The diet of both the control group and the test group was otherwise the same. In six month’s time, the group taking the cod liver oil was 41.75 percent more resistant to tooth cavities than the previously more immune control group not taking cod liver oil,” in his book Cure Tooth Decay.
13. Other Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil
- Helps Prevent Heart Disease by helping lower high triglycerides, lower high blood pressure, and balance cholesterol levels.
- Lowers Risk of Cancer including breast cancer
- Fights ulcers
- Slows the aging process
- Possibly improve eye health by normalizing pressure and improving night vision.
- Speeds muscles and wound recovery
- Normalizes Serotonin
- Reduces effects of stress
- Reduces pain in rheumatoid arthritis
- When children take cod liver oil it may prevent multiple sclerosis later in life.
- Reduce depression
- Lowers risks of upper respiratory tract infection
- Lowers risk of earache in children
Vitamins and Nutrients Found in Cod Liver Oil
Cod liver oil has an impressive amount of vitamins and nutrients, so it’s no wonder it has been called a sacred food through many generations and cultures.
Cod liver oil helps enhance the absorption of other key nutrients, such as calcium and iron. These are critical nutrients for pregnancy and the baby’s development. This is from the combination of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Ensuring that mama and baby get these essential nutrients will promote optimal health in both of them.
Cod liver oil has these nutrients and vitamins in whole-food form. These nutrients work synergistically together to support overall health and well-being during pregnancy. Here is a list of these key nutrients found in their natural vitamin form in cod liver oil.
- 1 tsp of CLO has as much vitamin ? as 5 ½ quarts of milk, 1lb of butter, or 9 eggs.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an important antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation in the body. Cod liver oil is an excellent source of whole vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the growth and development of a baby. It is especially important in the early stages of pregnancy for cell differentiation to prevent birth defects during embryonic development.
It is necessary for proper development of the retina in the eye and good immune function in the developing baby. Vitamin A supports healthy skin, immune function, and skin. It promotes cellular health, aids in reversing night vision, and helps fight cancer. It is beneficial for reproductive health by supporting gene transcription, testicular and ovarian function, and more.
Carotene is the vitamin A precursor found in vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. Only 3% of carotene gets converted to the active form of vitamin A, retinol in normal adults. 45% of adults are not able to convert carotene to retinol at all. This is because of things like the VDR gene mutation. Goat milk is one of the only other natural whole food sources of true active vitamin A, retinol.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another essential nutrient found in cod liver oil. It plays a crucial role in calcium absorption, bone health, and immune function. Vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a vitamin in the body.
It can be made by your skin from sunlight. The best way to get enough vitamin D is to spend time outdoors without sunscreen on. People who live in northern latitudes can’t always get sunshine, like during winter months, thus it is crucial they get it as a supplement like cod liver oil.
Studies show getting enough vitamin D during pregnancy reduces the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, premature birth, and low birth weights. This makes cod liver oil a wonderful supplement all pregnant women should be taking.
It also supports healthy bones and teeth in both mother and baby. It is necessary for proper bone formation, through the concentration of calcium and phosphate in the blood. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with rickets in children, cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, mental illness, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and autism.
Vitamin A, D, and omega-3 work synergistically together. This is how God made it in nature and how we should be taking it. As a whole food supplement. Who knows if we will discover if more nutrient components of cod liver oil need to be taken together as cofactors.
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)
Cod liver oil is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids and far superior to any omega-3 supplements. It contains omega-3 fats, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Other real food sources are egg yolks, fresh cod liver, bone broth, animal fats, dairy products, raw milk, organ meats, beef liver, and fish livers. As a general rule, a healthy diet should include small amounts of these animal products to incorporate extra nutrients into their daily diets.
These omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain, support the cognitive function, nervous system, and vision in the growing baby’s brain. Studies show that the risk of neural tube defects goes down when the mother gets a minimum of 500 mg of DHA.
They naturally have anti-inflammatory properties and may help reduce the risk of preterm birth and postpartum depression in mothers. Studies show that the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in cod liver oil can promote gut repair. This is by supporting healthy gut flora and increasing the production of anti-inflammatory compounds, like short-chain fatty acids.
DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is especially good for promoting a healthy heart by reducing inflammation. It’s recommended to get about 1000 mg daily.
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) is good for brain and eye development. It’s recommended to get about 200 mg daily.
Omega 3 and 6 need to be in balance with the correct ratios to each other. Omega-6 is not bad for you, but consumed in large amounts without omega-3s can cause inflammation. A healthy ratio is about 2:1 omega-6 to omega-3. This is a controversial topic you will want to read over. Basically don’t consume excessive amounts of fish oil.
Vitamin E
Cod liver has naturally occurring vitamin E. Vitamin E is considered an antioxidant because it can reduce oxidation in fats. A-tocopherol is the main form of vitamin E found in cold water fish, it also has the most antioxidant activity of the tocopherols.
High Vitamin Butter Oil with Vitamin K2
Cod liver oil is a great source of vitamins the human body needs. Weston A. Price discovered that something amazing happened when people took high-vitamin butter oil together with cod liver oil. The high-vitamin butter oil contains a fat-soluble vitamin, the natural form of vitamin K2. K2 helps put calcium where it is supposed to be, like in our bones and teeth. It does this by depositing calcium currently in our bloodstream and also by retrieving it from places it was incorrectly deposited in our bodies, like kidneys, arteries, etc.)
A midwife we know said, “I bet we would see less calcium deposits in placentas if K2 was added to prenatal regimens.” We completely agree!
Photo by Knut Troim on Unsplash
Incorporating Cod Liver Oil in Life Practically
Choosing a High-Quality Supplement
When selecting a cod liver oil supplement, pregnant women should always choose the highest quality product made by a reputable manufacturer, such as Green Pastures or Nordic Naturals. Look for products that are fermented and minimally processed to preserve the natural nutrients found in cod livers.
It’s important to choose one that has been tested for purity and is free from contaminants like heavy metals and PCBs. Most commercially manufactured cod liver oil and fish oil are refined with toxic alkali, bleaching, deodorizing, and heat. Fermented cod liver oil has none of this done to it.
Fish are rarely contaminated and are caught in the North Atlantic. So choosing a supplement that sources their fish there is the best way to ensure a pure product free of contaminants.
Best Available Cod Liver Oil Supplements
Here is an amazing list of the best available fermented cod liver oils as per Weston A. Price’s website:
BEST:
- Green Pasture Products: Fermented Cod Liver Oil, greenpasture.org
- Radiant Life: Fermented Cod Liver Oil, Rosita radiantlifecatalog.com
- Local Weston A. Price Foundation Sellers
GOOD:
- Engelvaer Cod Liver Oil
- Garden of Life Olde World Icelandic Cod Liver Oil
- NOW Foods double strength Cod Liver Oil
- Pharmax Cod Liver Oil
- Sonne’s Cod Liver Oil
- Swanson double strength Cod Liver Oil
- Twin Labs non-emulsified liquid Cod Liver Oil
Synthetic Vitamin D Supplements vs. Natural Whole Vitamin A & D
Vitamin A Misconception
There have been claims that high doses of vitamin A are toxic. This is both true and false. Studies show that consuming high levels of a synthetic form of water-soluble vitamin A is indeed linked to birth defects. However, this only seems to happen with synthetic forms not naturally occurring vitamin A. Studies show that vitamin A in oil-based supplements is ten times less toxic than the water-based ones. Nutrients found in natural whole foods won’t push the body out of balance like synthetic ones can.
High-quality cod liver oil has the natural fat-soluble form of vitamins A and D. Vitamins A and D need each other for optimal absorption and function. When taken in normal amounts, the levels of vitamin A in cod liver oil has not been found to be toxic to pregnant women or their developing babies.
Dr. Ben Lynch says synthetic D3 cholecalciferol is rat poison and his opinion is that no one should be taking a Vitamin D supplement because it increases calcium, depletes magnesium, crashes potassium, increases H2O2, lowers ATP, depletes Vitamin A and lowers ceruloplasmin.
6 Crucial Cofactors for Vitamin D
The vitamin D protocol has this helpful list of cofactors:
- Magnesium – about 400mg of magnesium glycinate in the evening should work
- Boron
- Vitamin K as K2 (mk4 version not mk7) – at least 600 mcg with dinner
- B2 – 100 mg Dr. Cicero Galli Coimbra uses this to treat his MS patients.
- Zinc
- Folate
- *Rosemary essential oil also helps with absorption
Regular Cod Liver Oil vs Fermented Cod Liver Oil
The manufacturing process removes most of the naturally occurring vitamins from regular cod liver oil. They then add synthetic vitamins back in. Fermented cod liver oil on the other hand retains its naturally occurring vitamins and no synthetic vitamins are added back in.
The manufacturing process with high heat damages the cod liver oil, whereas the fermentation process makes the nutrients more easily absorbable. This is good news since it’s reported that 45% of the population has the VDR gene mutation, which makes it hard to absorb vitamin D.
Increasing Vitamin D Absorption
A large portion of the population struggles with not only digestion but also absorption of nutrients. Add that on top of the previously mentioned VDR gene mutations and lack of sunlight, and no wonder the vast majority of Americans are severely deficient in vitamin D.
People with low stomach acid, low functioning gallbladder, or no gallbladder should take ox bile with their cod liver oil to aid with digestion.
Determining the Appropriate Dosage of Cod Liver Oil:
Here are Dr. Weston A. Price’s daily recommended doses for fermented cod liver oil:
MAINTENANCE DOSE:
1 teaspoon will provide about 10,000 IU of vitamin A and 1000 IU of vitamin D.
PREGNANT OR NURSING WOMEN:
2 teaspoons will provide about 20,000 IU of vitamin A and 2000 IU of vitamin D.
BABIES AND CHILDREN:
½ teaspoon will provide about 5,000 IU of vitamin A and 500 IU of vitamin D.
RECOVERY FROM SURGERY OR ILLNESS:
up to 90,000 IU vitamin A and 9,000 IU vitamin D may be taken for a few weeks to support healing.
Considering Capsule Form or Liquid Form
Cod liver oil can be found in both capsule and liquid form. They both contain the same product so the only difference is a preference on how to take it. Choose the one that is easier for you to take.
Non-fermented, liquid cod liver oil is usually light in flavor and the lemon-flavored one (such as Calson’s lemon flavor) is actually pretty tasty. It can be easily added to smoothies or salad dressings.
The fermented cod liver oil, however, has a much stronger pungent flavor and is not very palatable to most people. We suggest just taking this as a liquid or capsule. Our favorite green pasture product is cinnamon tingle flavored fermented cod liver oil.
We once heard a midwife recommend that when a woman is struggling with morning sickness and unable to take her cod liver oil orally instead rub it into her skin.
Incorporating Cod Liver Oil into Daily Routine
To make sure you get your daily dose of cod liver oil in, we suggest incorporating it into your daily routine. Like always taking it with breakfast or dinner. By having a regular schedule for your supplements, you won’t risk missing vital nutrients nearly as often as without one.
There is no particular time of day that is better than another when taking cod liver oil. However, it is best to take it with a meal that has fat in it for maximum absorption. For most people dinner time works best to ensure this. Above all, find a time of day that works best for you and stick with it.
Monitoring Vitamin D intake
With all supplements, it’s important to listen to your body and pay attention to any signs of adverse reactions or discomfort. If you experience any adverse side effects like nausea, upset digestion, or allergic reaction, stop using and talk with your provider.
We suggest getting your Vitamin D levels tested regularly with a blood test.
Dr. Jockers says, “Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must be activated by the body. Two hydroxylations are required for activation. The first occurs in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], or calcidiol. The second occurs primarily in the kidneys and forms the physiologically active 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], or calcitriol (“activated vitamin D”).”
| Deficient | Optimal | Therapeutic | Excessive | ||
| 1,25-OH D (calcitriol ) | Active Form | <60 ng/mL | 60-90 ng/mL | 90-120 ng/mL | >120 ng/mL |
| 25-OH D (Calcidiol) | Storage Form | ||||
| Vitamin D3(cholecalciferol) | your skin & animal | ||||
| Vitamin D2(ergocalciferol) | plants | ||||
| Multiply ng/mL by 2.5 to convert to nmol/L | |||||
Dr. Jack Kruse says that people with autoimmune diseases need much higher levels of vitamin D. This is because many of them have one or more polymorphisms of the VDR gene. There are now over 25 variants of VDR polymorphisms. Dr. Ben Lynch has lots of information about this, we have the link below under resources.
Monitoring Vitamin A Intake
Testing Blood serum levels is easier for Vitamin A. Just aim to keep them between 30-90 mcg/dL.
| Deficient | Optimal | Excessive |
| <10 mcg/dL | 30-90 mcg/dL | >120.0 mcg/dL |
Storing CLO Properly
Store an opened bottle of fermented cod liver oil in the fridge or a cool dark location.
Cod Liver Oil Quality Testing
One of our favorite health organizations ever is The Weston A. Price Foundation. It has an incredible wealth of reliable and accurate health information based on the studies of Dr. Price. A lot of this portion of our article was taken from an article called, “Report on Cod Liver Oil” written by Sally Fallon Morell in their Spring 2016 Wise Traditions Magazine.
Most commercially produced cod liver oil uses distilling, heat extraction, bleaching, deodorizing, high heat, and alkali to extract their cod liver oil. After being processed, synthetic vitamins are then added back in. The highest level of aldehydes is found in the molecularly distilled cod liver oil without synthetic vitamins added back in. But to put that into perspective, a piece of fried chicken has 10-100 times more aldehydes than this type of cod liver oil.
There have been reports that fermented cod liver oil is rancid. Rancidity is tested with four tests. Fermented cod liver oil has been shown to have exceptionally low levels in 3 of the 4 tests. Still, those tests are thought to be outdated and less reliable. Dr. Weston A. Price sent a sample of fermented cod liver oil to Dr. Grootveld’s laboratory to be tested where the results showed that no aldehydes were found. Dr. Grootveld uses a newer technique which uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which can accurately pinpoint a range of peroxides and aldehydes.
Vitamin Levels Tested in Cod Liver Oil
Vitamin D levels in commercially produced cod liver oil were undetectable because it is removed during the distillation process. The total vitamin D tested in fermented cod liver oil ranges between 1,500-5,500 IU/teaspoon.
Vitamin A in the fermented cod liver oil was about 40% higher than the unheated cod liver oil. The total vitamin A tested in fermented cod liver oil has been found between 5,000-12,000 IU/teaspoon.
Potential Risks and Precautions
While vitamin A is extremely essential for a healthy pregnancy, overly excessive amounts can be harmful. The main concern is with synthetic vitamin A, but like with all things there is always a highest limit for even natural supplements and nutrients.
So pay attention to your total vitamin A intake from all sources, including both diet and supplements. For instance, make sure you are not consuming overly excessive amounts of cod liver oil or other vitamin A-rich foods or supplements.
Above all, we want you to know we believe it is important for you to consult with your provider about your specific health needs and requirements. The best idea would be to get bloodwork done to test the levels of both vitamin A and D before starting to supplement.
Conclusion
Fermented cod liver oil is our favorite way to provide supplements for pregnancy, providing essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and vitamin D that are essential for optimal health for both mama and baby. By incorporating cod liver oil into your prenatal routine, you can support the healthy development of your baby, reduce the risk of pregnancy complications, and promote overall well-being for both you and your baby.
With its unparalleled nutritional benefits and scientific backing, cod liver oil truly deserves its place as the best supplement for pregnancy.
Remember to consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen and follow recommended dosages for optimal results. Cod liver oil doesn’t just make for a vibrant and healthy pregnancy but smart babies too!
If your are trying to get more natural whole foods that are nutritiously dense into your family’s diet we suggest starting with raw milk! You can find local farmer to purchase it from, or better yet just go purchase your own family milk cow! It’s not that hard, we can walk you through it!
FAQs
The concern with pregnant women taking cod liver oil during pregnancy has to do with a misunderstanding about vitamin A. There have been many studies reporting a connection between high doses of synthetic vitamin A and birth defects. This led to the assumption that all vitamin A was dangerous. This is indeed false and quite contrary.
It is crucial for mothers to have enough vitamin A during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, but only real vitamin A not synthetic. It is only high doses of synthetic vitamin A that have been linked to these birth defects. There have been no studies linking real vitamin A to birth defects when taken in normal doses.
The best way to know if a cod liver oil brand is trustworthy and safe to consume is to see its results from third-party testing. This test needs to show a heavy metal, Dioxins, PCBs, and Benzo A Pyrene analysis.
Both Green Pastures and Radiant Life carry natural whole food unaltered high-quality real cod liver oil. Their cod processing leaves most of the natural vitamins and nutrients intact, so there is no need to add synthetic vitamins back in.
Green Pasture and Radiant Life both sell high-quality fermented cod liver oil. See above for more information and the websites.
For the average healthy adult, Dr. Price recommends one teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil daily. This will provide about 10,000 IU of vitamin A and 1000 IU of vitamin D.
Questions for Cod Liver Oil During Pregnancy
Is It Safe to Take Cod Liver Oil During Pregnancy?
Yes, it is absolutely safe to take a good quality cod liver oil during pregnancy. There have been many studies done that show that cod liver oil taken during pregnancy improves the health of both mama and baby.
Is Fish Oil the same as cod liver oil?
No, Fish Oil is not the same as cod liver oil. Fish oil is usually made from fish like mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon. It contains omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In comparison, cod liver oil is made from the liver of codfish.
Is Krill Oil the same as cod liver oil?
No, Krill Oil is not the same as cod liver oil. Krill oil comes from krill which are tiny, shrimp-like marine animals. They are rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are both omega-3 fatty acids.
Are there trans fats in fermented cod liver oil?
Yes, however, these trans fats are a naturally occurring component of fish oils, neither synthetic nor added in after processing.
How much vitamin D is in Fermented Cod Liver Oil?
Testing shows there is a range of 1,500-5,500 IU/teaspoon of vitamin D tested in fermented cod liver oil.
How much vitamin A is in Fermented Cod Liver Oil?
Testing shows there is a range of 5,000-12,000 IU/teaspoon of vitamin A tested in fermented cod liver oil.
There are some photos downloaded from Image by jcomp on Freepik.
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