Cod liver oil is an excellent supplement to include, especially if fish, seafood, sea vegetables and grass-fed animal products are not included regularly in your diet. Cod liver oil is a rich source of essential nutrients, such as omega-3s, DHA, EPA, as well as vitamins A, D and E, that can be difficult to obtain from food alone.
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
Cod liver oil is high in omega-3s that improve your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, which reduce inflammation, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and many other degenerative diseases. Consuming grain-fed animal products and/or vegetable oils (corn, soybean, sunflower, etc.), can result in an imbalance of 10 to 30 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. The ideal ratio is 1 to 1, but even 4 to 1 would be a great improvement to reduce inflammation and help prevent disease.
Two particular omega-3s, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) & EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are especially important as they promote brain health, vision, improves insulin sensitivity, and may help with depression, cancer, heart disease, alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Vitamins A, D & E
Cod liver oil is a good source of the fat soluble vitamins A, D and E. Vitamin A is essential for vision, skin health, calcium metabolism and immune support. Vitamin D is important for bone health, immune system regulation, nervous system functioning, and disease prevention. Vitamin E is the fat soluble antioxidant that protects against rancidity from oxidized fats. The more polyunsaturated oil you eat, the more vitamin E you need.
Best Brands: Carlson, Green Pasture & Nordic Naturals
Quality is Everything. Dr. Brian Popiel of Sonoran Naturopathic Center says, “Any brand that is labeled pharmaceutical grade is good. The processing and purification (removing heavy metals and chemicals) is extremely important. If clients get cheap fish oil they get what they pay for, a lower quality oil with impurities.”
I highly recommend selecting cod liver oil in liquid form that is flavored. The lemon, orange or even strawberry flavor makes it bearable to consume without having to plug your nose! Drizzle on vegetables and salads, or take by the spoonful. Keep airtight in the fridge.
Don’t take more than the recommended amount on the bottle. Just because it’s good for you doesn’t mean you should ignore recommended daily doses and start taking more. Too much omega 3 is used in high doses to suppress the immune system. There’s also no need to supplement on days you eat fatty fish or if you eat fatty fish more than 4 times a week.