***Please note that there have been some recent concerns about the below product. Please read more at this post, or click here to find out what were taking nowadays. Do some reading and research, and decide for yourself what is best for your family. Thank you.
Below you'll find what came to my in-box this week from the Weston A. Price Foundation, but first I'll give you my little opinion on the whole cod liver oil drama. (You wouldn't believe how many questions I've gotten about this!)
Dr. Mercola's recent statement about Cod Liver Oil threw me for a loop because:
1. I used to read him regularly and trusted most of what he said, although he was a bit of a hard seller for all of his products. Obviously, I also suggest my favorite products to you now and then that I might get an affiliate commission on, so I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to earn money from your site. But geesh, he really pushes his stuff, so much so that he lost some credibility with me. (I hope I don't come off like that sometimes when I go on and on about how much I love something!)
2. The thought that I could recommend something that could prove to be harmful makes me ill just to imagine it. This is why I so painstakingly research everything before I post about it and then still tell you to use what you read here only to motivate you to do more research on your own.
However, I wasn't unsettled for long before common sense kicked back in.
This traditional food has been a part of the diets of healthy people for a lot longer than any of us may even know. Not to mention the fact that a few things he said in his article didn't set right with me:
- He wrote about the research showing how important the ratios of vitamin A & D are in CLO, and how “modern cod liver oil” doesn't have the correct ratios. He's exactly right, “modern” CLO doesn't supply these vitamins in a healthy ratio, which is why we should only take the kinds that DO, like the fermented CLO.
- He talks about what a highly processed food CLO is, and again, he's right, which is why we should only take the fermented CLO, because it's processed very little.
- Next he says that after looking into it more, he thinks there is enough vitamin A in the American diet. I'd like to know what planet he lives on. Is there really any vitamin that Americans get a sufficient amount of these days?
A member from this thread at the Native Nutrition Yahoo forum said it best:
“In my opinion Dr. Mercola has lost all credibility. He has changed his opinion 3-4 times in two years. Each time the opinion change had to do with directing traffic to his fish oil/krill oil. He almost points to the real problem (the industrialization of one of our sacred foods…just like milk) but then directs the conversation to say that ‘all CLO is bad and buy my krill oil'. He twists his reasoning to fit his mode of sales. This is not proper nor ethical. Especially when so many people look up to him for advice. He even goes as far as to say that ‘omega 3's' are essential ‘nutrients', but it is not the fats that are the real nutrients! They are part of the puzzle. The fats bind hormones, nutrient, co-factor, vitamins, & quinones together for proper nourishing of our bodies. The fats are the carriers not the ‘essential nutrients'!”
BOTTOM LINE: THE BRAND, THE SOURCE, OR THE QUALITY REALLY DOES COUNT!
As with most foods, to be sure you're getting the healthy version, YOU MUST CONSIDER THE SOURCE! Where did it come from? How was it made? What is in it? What is not in it? How was it grown or raised? These and many more questions are things you need to get into the habit of asking no matter what it is that you're putting into your mouth. You always want to choose whatever is most natural, the closest to how God created it.
The answers to these questions are not always easy to find (which is why we need to help each other!), but they can make all the difference between something that is LIFE-GIVING and hugely beneficial to our health or something that is no better than junk food or even HARMFUL to our health.
Cod liver oil is just one example. As mentioned in the quote above, milk is another example. Compare fresh, raw milk to ultra-pasteurized milk…one is full of life-giving nutrients, the other is so dead you may as well skip it, and it could even be harmful to your health, organic or not!
Be sure to look over this complete list of cod liver oil posts full of information to help you decide — and also there are posts on how to get it down! Here's where you can get the fermented cod liver oil.
Please share your thoughts below!
Now take a look at the official response to the recent cod liver oil bashing from the Weston A. Price Foundation:
UPDATE FOR WAPF MEMBERS
January 2009
ONGOING COD LIVER OIL CONTROVERSY
Several weeks ago we sent out an update on vitamin A and cod liver oil to all our members, in response to a negative article about cod liver oil by John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council. This update is now posted on our website at https://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/CLOUpdateDec2008.pdf. (Note from Kelly: that link isn't working, but this one is, and it discusses Mercola AND Cannell's claims.) The important take-home message is that there is nothing in the new study authored by Cannell and others to indicate any toxicity whatsoever from cod liver oil; however, the authors have put a politically correct spin on the findings in order to frighten people away from this life-giving superfood and vector them into taking isolated vitamin D instead.
Now Dr. Joe Mercola has come out with his own anti-cod liver oil statement, based on Cannell's study. What particularly concerns us is not the fact that Dr. Mercola has a different opinion on the subject, but that he has completely misrepresented the teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation, stating that the Foundation believes “…there is sufficient vitamin A in the diet of most Americans, especially if they are taking a multivitamin.”
The crux of our teachings at WAPF is that there is NOT sufficient vitamin A in the diet of most Americans, especially in comparison to the diets of healthy primitive peoples. Vitamin A was plentiful in the diets of primitive peoples because they ate the liver of sea and land animals, animal fats such as seal oil, candle fish oil and butter from grass-fed animals, and other rich sources such as fish eggs and fish heads. It is difficult to see how investigators can claim that vitamin A is toxic when traditional diets were so rich in this nutrient. As most modern people do not eat these foods, at least not in abundance, we recommend cod liver oil to supply vitamin A, as well as other fat-soluble nutrients.
Also, we have NEVER recommended multivitamins! We recommend nutrient-dense food (such as cod liver oil).
Not all cod liver oils are created equal. It is important that cod liver oil contain sufficient vitamin D to balance the vitamin A content. Please visit our cod liver page at https://www.ww.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil.html.
We are planning a long article on cod liver oil, including a point-by-point rebuttal of Mercola's statement, in the Spring 2009 issue of Wise Traditions. (That's the one I linked to above where the other link wouldn't work.)
Sarah says
Those guys over at greenpastures.org must be overworked. I just attempted to place an order with them on the phone. The sales woman was extremely rude and abrupt. She was quoting me a different price (without shipping) than what their website had for the quantity. I couldn’t complete the order because she was so upset. It was kind of amazing. Be careful in ordering from them. They are not handling orders so well from others I see on the net.
Linda says
what I am saying is, I personally would prefer to get my vitamin D from foods(I consider Green Pasture Codliver Oil to be a food), whereas any other supplemental vitamin D will be lacking the co-factors, and we never really know the longterm results of that kind of supplementation. So if grain with all its phytic acid content is playing the role of thief in my body(stealing the minerals from my bones/teeth because I am eating grains that have not been properly prepared)then the real problem is not the FCLO, but the food I am ingesting. I want my cake and want to eat it, too(that’s speaking for those of us who love grains too much to cut them out to see what amazing things would happen if we did!).
Tasha says
I agree that I would prefer to get vit D from the sun or whole food sources as well. However, I live in an area which is cloudy or rainy practically 10 months out of the year, so getting vit D from the sun isn’t a great option. I thought I was getting enough vit D from FCLO/Butter oil since it was a whole food source, but clearly that wasn’t the case. It’s not working for my son either. I just got his test result about 20 minutes ago. His level measured lower than mine – 15.2ng/ml which is considered deficient.
I feel absolutely sick to my stomach and my mommy-guilt meter is on HIGH right now. I thought I was giving my son the best food source of vit D. I thought I was doing the “right” thing. I think I really need to reconsider if FCLO is a good supplement/food for us.
Linda says
I read an amazing article a while back, and I will post the link here. Cutting out the carbohydrates, PLUS the fclo/butter oil combo was what helped people in this experiment remineralize their teeth(which, in my book means, their bones/teeth are getting the vitamin D they need!?!).
https://wellnessmama.com/3650/how-to-remineralize-teeth-naturally/ BE SURE to look at the chart and study it!
Blake…the fluorides and bromides—you are spot on. Google Dr. David Brownstein. He has a lot of help in that department. Again, grain products is where the problem crops up. He is also a foremost authority on iodine. You don’t HAVE to buy his books if you listen to him on YouTube. His speeches are extensive and full of help.
KitchenKop says
Have you seen this post?
How to save $2600 in dental bills:
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2013/02/how-to-save-2600-in-dental-bills-another-real-food-success-story.html
Kelly
Linda says
this is all so strange, because you remember maybe, if you are signed up for Dave’s blog via email, how he has had practitioners use so many different cod liver oils, and have unreal results with the FCLO, whereas they didn’t with the others. They would try different ones from time to time and always come back to the FCLO. I remember the particular example of the gymnast that broke a wrist(or ankle?), and didn’t heal over a pretty significant period, but a WEEK’s worth of FCLO changed her life! You all remember reading that?
KitchenKop says
I know?!!! I guess everyone is just so different…??
Linda says
how about we ask Dave to weigh in on this?
Tasha says
Hi Linda,
That would be great if we can get Dave’s thoughts on this. On another note, I had my 8 year old son tested today for Vit D.
Linda says
Tasha…I emailed Dave, a call to him would be best, as there are many topics to explore, s.a. the following(his words)
testing lab. forms of D, D in tissue or floating around in blood, thyroid concerns, age, diet, cytochrome 450 enzymes system, relevance of the test itself
Tasha says
Thanks Linda.
I agree that the body is far more complex than we understand and each person is so different. All I can say is that it appears that using FCLO and butter oil as my main source of vitamin D didn’t work for me, when I thought they should have. I’m not sure if my body simply can’t use the forms of D in FCLO and butter oil very well (maybe I have some weird vit D receptor polymorphisms or something???) or if there’s not much vit D in the products – in which case, I would have thought that there would be more people discussing this on the net since so many people use FCLO. And then there’s the thought of too much Vit A….which I’m still not sure about in relation to Vit D and Vit K2.
The Vit D test I took was a serum 25-OH vit D test which measures the sum of 25-hydroxylated vit D2 and D3 species. I think it was a relevant test for me, as it came up low when I was feeling really awful. I’m much better now that I supplement with D3 on top of the FCLO and butter oil, but I’m still not back to my old self yet.
Tasha says
This is why I really thought that I had my bases covered with the FCLO and butter oil. I read so much about FCLO/Butter oil before diving in and I kept hearing the praises of it and that it was chock full of fat soluble vitamins including D. From what I read, this combo should have had enough D in it for my needs, without needing additional “synthetic” supplementation. Turns out, it was not the case for me. My D level was quite low and I truly thought that I was slowly dying because it seemed like all of my body functions (physical and mental) were not working properly or slowing down. With that said, my levels did rise up relatively quickly once I added 5000IU vit D/day to the FCLO and Butter oil, so maybe there are important cofactors in the FCLO and Butter oil that assisted with that.
I think a big part of this also has to do with living in Canada where we don’t get alot of sun, coupled with lots of indoor living and activities, so there’s not a big component of getting Vit D from the sun here for me. I had also cut out “fortified” foods from my diet as well in favor of the pastured raised meats, farm fresh organic veggies, kombucha, sprouted soaked grains and seeds etc. I thought I was doing everything right and then boom…January 2013 hit and my health took a big turn for the worse which I am still recovering from.
blake says
We can no longer rely on FCLO alone for D needs. With the dental challenges and all the other heavy metals and halogens destroying our immune system, we HAVE to supplement with D3 or use tanning or go to the equator for our D needs.
Iodine with selenium, C and tyrosine is extremely important as well to combat the fluoride and bromide in our foods, water and environment. D is a hormone, but iodine feeds our thyroid hormones. The ovaries also, produce thyroid hormone.
Marilyn says
If anyone is near Victoria, BC and would like to purchase a sealed bottle of Green Pasture’s fermented cod liver oil with butter oil, I have recently been diagnosed with a dairy allergy and hence cannot use my last bottle (I had originally ordered six). I would be willing to sell it for just what it cost me ($50), so you’d save on shipping and any potential customs and duty fees.
Maria says
2000 per day is what our pediatrician recommended, she was not brand specific.
Thorne is the brand that our naturopathic doc recommends.
We still take the FCLO/high vitamin butter blend.
KitchenKop says
Do any of you know what is the best way to get your vitamin D levels checked??
Thanks!
Kelly
Tasha says
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for your blog!
From my understanding, the best way to check D levels is a serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D test (25-OH Vitamin D).
KitchenKop says
Is this done somewhere or can you get it for home?
Tasha says
I live in Canada, so the healthcare system is different here than in the US. I had to request a serum 25-OH Vitamin D test from my doctor and then go to a lab and get the blood test done. However, here in Canada, I’m hearing more and more that the majority of doctor’s don’t believe there’s any use to test vit D because the cost of testing is far more expensive than getting the patient to just start vit D supplementation. The problem with that approach is that you don’t know what your D levels are to begin with, so it’s difficult to gauge if a maintenance dose of 2000IU/day will suffice or if you really need 10,000IU/day for a few months because of a severe deficiency.
There is a home vit D testing kit available, but I’ve never used it before. https://vitamindcouncil.zrtlab.com/
There’s also an organization called Grassroots Health that has a study on Vitamin D. The study involves getting a Vit D test kit to test your levels and filling in a questionnaire. https://www.grassrootshealth.net/proj-welcome/?pr=95284.
Maria says
In October, my three younger children, ages, 15, 12 and 8 had their levels taken.
They were all low. We take FCLO and our pediatrician, who is very holistic, said that she has had other patients who take FCLO and they all have low vitamin D levels….. and she concludes that FCLO is not a good source of Vitamin D. She didn’t discourage the supplement, but just pointed out that it doesn’t appear to be a good source of Vitamin D. So my children take Vitamin D 3 from Thorne. Also, not sure if it is related, but my youngest had problems with cavities and since we have taken the D3 from Thorne, she has had good dental checkups….. Her level was very low.
Tasha says
Thank you for sharing this information Maria! I’ve scoured the net trying to see if anyone had low Vit D levels tested while on FCLO and all I’ve found are people shouting the praises of FCLO. Even the product analysis data on the Green Pasture’s website indicates that on average, there should be anywhere from 2000-4000IU of D/tsp of FCLO. May I ask how much of the Thorne Vit D3 you give your kids? Do you give it in addition to the FCLO? Now, I’m wondering about my 8 year old son as he gets 1/2 tsp FCLO/day. Since I found out I was so low in D while on FCLO, I started to give him an extra 500 IU of D3/day. I suppose I should just get him tested though to find out what his D levels are.
skinneymckinney says
i meant to add (3rd line from the bottom) (go to http://www.greenpasture.org and sign up for latest news and blog activity)
skinneymckinney says
Kelly, i haven’t read this whole blog, so you may have already said this. Dave(owner of Green Pasture website) has a couple of wonderful articles he has written, both posted at the Weston Price website. One was written in March 2006 and is here: https://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/clo-manufacturing?qh=YToxOntpOjA7czo2OiJ3ZXR6ZWwiO30%3D the other in 2009 and is here: https://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/update-on-cod-liver-oil-manufacture The articles are a bit tedious, but the info is all there. Then, if you subscribe to his weekly emails(go to ), you get updates as he learns. Some of those emails are testimonies and are incredible. Dave is a super special person. He is so committed. No shortcuts for him. I thank God for what he does.
blake says
Yes, u r right!
People don’t understand that if we don’t consume organ meats regularly, our adrenals will become deficient in vitamin A.
Vitamin A is necessary with cholesterol for creating cortisol steroidal hormone from the adrenal glands.
This deficiency makes sense when seeing so many with autoimmune diseases.
The give prednisone for autoimmune diseases to stop the attack, but what is prednison?
It is a synthetic (with side effects) corticoid steroidal hormone.
Why not get the natural form and bypass side effects with FCLO?
Thanks,
Blake
D. says
I asked Dr. M, point blank, if he was REPLACING the krill where it was being harvested for his oil; no answer. Imagine that. He’s never answered even one question I’ve ever asked him. I think I’ve asked about three, but nothing difficult. I still read his articles, but I do SO wish he’d send out regular emails for his advertising, instead of promoting them in his articles so feverishly. It’s very off-putting. I’m also sick and tired of his “nutritional typing”. I still think if people eat as many traditional foods as possible, push away from the table when full, and exercise moderately (for age) we’d all do much better than trying to have a certain BMI (whatever in the world THAT is). BMI is a flawed theory anyhow, just read about that recently. If I find the article on that I can post it here if anyone is interested. He’s always promoting things like push up and pull-ups and things that some people just can’t do. Walking is still the best all-around exercise, in my book.
As a sidenote (forgive the rant) on his site, if you participate in the Vital Votes section (sorta like a forum but roughly designed, to say the least) you can ask him questions – sometimes he responds, sometimes he doesn’t. Lately, whenever someone asks something Dr. M will rudely say, “well, if you’d read through all the comments first, this question has already been answered”. The nerve! Some of those comment sections have over 300 responses!! Who has time to read through 300 responses. . .personally, I think he’s overdoing the exercise . . . he’s becoming crabby and doesn’t look very healthy to me. But – – – that’s just me.
Fermented CLO is still a wonderful food. I wouldn’t trust the dude (Cannell) from the Vitamin D Council over Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, and that’s for darn sure. Sally and Mary have stated clearly why they still firmly believe in FCLO and that’s good enough for me. It’s not like those two ladies just came out of the woods after being lost for 50 years — they DO know the score.
Andrea says
I have always taken Carlson’s because I can’t afford fermented at this point. Is that now considered bad? It is listed on the WAPF website as a “good” source.
KitchenKop says
Based on the info in this post and all I’ve heard and read, I really only recommend the FCLO. However, I recently saw that too, that the Carlson’s is still in the “good” category in the WAPF shopping guide, so I think that would be better than nothing for sure, and it’s probably still much better than other brands.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
It’s honestly not the fact that he is trying to earn money that bothers me. He has every right to do that. It was just how *hard* he was pushing his stuff back when I quit reading him, and I hope I haven’t come off like that in the past, but I may have at times.
D. says
I don’t get the pop-up thing anymore (I did for a while) but it’s his annoying videos which drive me nutz. He is not a good speaker, he doesn’t present well — so WHY does he continue to make these things?? I just don’t understand his reasoning. Besides, I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, or maybe it’s just me, but he seems to be off-kilter a little bit. . . it’s almost like he can’t think of what he wants to say sometimes. I know that happens to all of us, but with him it’s almost as though he just blanks. That does NOT speak well for a doctor who is trying to promote nutrition and alternatives to the general public! Alternative methodology is having a hard enough time making headway.
At any rate, I prefer to read information. I’m a busy gal and I don’t always have time to sit and watch a 10 minute video. I absorb things into my mind a lot better when I read it for myself, rather than having it told to me. It’s sorta like when my Mom was teaching me how to cook — she could tell me a dozen times but until she actually showed me what to do or until I tried to do it myself, I didn’t get it. My mind is funny that way! It’s that “Please, I’d rather do it myself” idea.
Igor says
I first realized Mercola wasn’t a philanthropist when he made it impossible to read his articles without first filling out an annoying pop-up that asks for your name and email (there’s actually a simple way around this, but it’s the principle of the thing that counts).
But hey, crass commercialism is what America is all about, isn’t it? Making money — that’s the American Dream, no? Mercola is only being a patriotic American when he chooses to focus on the bottom line. America loves its entrepreneurs.
*sigh* 🙁
Whatever happened to men of honor and integrity like Dr. Weston Price?
D. says
Not only has Mercola’s stance on CLO changed because of the fact that he sells a different (and inferior, IMPHO) product, but because of his sudden alliance with John Cannell and the Vitamin D Council, who is opposed to Vitamin A for some reason. At least they certainly aren’t in favor of recommending A, which seems very odd to me. I wonder who is funding the Vitamin D Council? Someone with an agenda, no doubt, but it suprises me that Mercola would jeopardize his position at WAPF when he knows very well that Vitamin A is a very important substance, especially to those of us with vision problems. Vitamin A is also important for skin conditions.
Mercola pushes Krill and his other commercial venue and condemns the use of grains (without telling people that soaked grains are ok, which he WELL knows), and Mike Adams at Natural News is constantly pushing vegetarianism/rawganism/veganism and bashing daily the use of dairy products and meat. I’m sick of both of them and their e-newsletters so I hardly ever read them at all anymore.
Ann Rein says
Thank you, Kelly! I’ve actually printed out a lot of this fermented cod liver oil info and brought it to my local health food store (along with my copy of Nourishing Traditions), a naturopath there was interested. Hopefully we’ll get another convert out of it.
KitchenKop says
I had to go do some digging around (everything takes so much time), but I found the right links, all but one.
KitchenKop says
Oh booger, sorry about that. I promise I’ll get to it as soon as I can.
If anyone finds those links for me, please comment with them and then I can quickly fix it. It takes time to hunt them down sometimes.
Kel
Ann Rein says
Kelly, are you aware that the links to the WAP CLO article return a 404 error, as does the blog at Green Pastures? I’m investigating this all now, and would love that info if you can fix the links.
Becky says
I get Mercola’s updates or I should say I did get them. I have unsubscrided due to the fact that he scared me with his CLO hissy fit and I threw out three brand new bottles! I have since read many other articles disproving him and I have had it. That is not the first questionable thing he has done but it was the last for me.
I cannot afford the best brands and I have always used Swanson Vitamin company for all my supplements. Back in the good old days CLO was CLO and it was also not in capsules but yucky liquid. If anyone knows anything negative about Swanson I would appreciate the info.
KitchenKop says
Becky, I’ve never heard of Swanson, and really am only comfortable recommending Green Pastures because I know this guy KNOWS his stuff when it comes to CLO, and the fermented CLO is an even bigger plus. 🙂 It’s really not all that expensive, especially when you think that you may not need a lot of other supplements. We take a few others, but I consider this THE most important one.
Kelly
KitchenKop says
Hi Roger,
This post addresses that concern:
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/08/cod-liver-oil-update-questions-about_05.html
Kelly
Roger says
Codliver oil may be a source of Vitamin D, but research suggests people taking multiple doses of codliver oil may reach toxic levels of vitamin A, if taken in an attempt to increase the levels of vitamin D.
Bendich A, Langseth L (1989). “Safety of vitamin A”. Am J Clin Nutr 49 (2): 358
KitchenKop says
Julianne,
There are too many possibilities for why you’re vitamin D isn’t getting/staying up, and I don’t feel comfortable trying to advise you on something as important as this.
I’d suggest you contact your local Weston Price chapter and ask them for the name of a natural doctor they recommend – that would be a good place to find answers.
Kelly
julianne ortiz says
II have been eating weston a price now for a year fermented cod liver oil, grass fed beef lots of farm fresh eggs. II just went and got my blood tested for vitmin d I am very low I don’t understand I pay a lot of money to eat right the rawxgold butter 6o.00 a jar and My vitmin d level is low I am really confussed. I never gained weight on this diet, but my health has gone from pretty good to crap. What am I doing wrong
Tasha says
I’ve had a similar problem. I had been taking the fermented cod liver oil with butter oil for about a year. I got my vitamin D tested and it too was really low and I ended up feeling awful too with sooooo many strange symptoms – don’t know if they are all related to low D though because apparently symptoms can take a while to resolve even once you get your D levels up. In any case, I ended up supplementing with 5000IU D3 on top of the FCLO and the butter oil and now the D level is good. I read on the Green Pasture’s site that the majority of the D in the FCLO is D2. I’m wondering if my body doesn’t use D2 very well compared to D3. The other thought is that maybe there really isn’t that much vitamin D in the FCLO, but if that were the case, I think I would have seen something on the net about this since so many people use it. Can anyone shed any light on this?
KitchenKop says
Katrin,
Maybe others will respond and be able to help you out, but you’re beyond my knowledge! Consider seeing a Naturopath (or other natural doc) who is familiar with WAP teachings.
Kelly
Katrin says
Hi,
I was wondering if you or others have had good experiences with raising your vitamin D levels with FCLO alone?
My levels were found to be low at the end of the summer and after a couple of months taking D supps, I felt good, and then started to feel not so good. I feel like, from the WAPF research I’ve read, that the D began depleting my A levels, and would like to get away from taking any isolated supplements and rely on FCLO for a good proportion of A and D.
My other question is whether anyone has ever gotten a strange sensation in their thyroid when taking FCLO? I take a greens powder that has seaweed in it, and am wondering if I’m getting too much iodine, or whether the animal source vitamin A is finally allowing my thyroid to absorb the iodine and that the strange sensation will pass after awhile? Or perhaps the FCLO is helping my body detox – maybe even mercury I didn’t realize was hanging out in my body?
I appreciate your responses, thanks!
Katrin
JC says
Green Pastures has a new flavor of FCLO gel out, called Fruit Attack. Anyone who orders any products from Green Pastures BEFORE 4:00 p.m. TODAY will get a free jar of Fruit Attack.
The only catch is that you have to *ask* for the freebie (details on the site) AND you have to agree to give feedback on the flavor after you’ve tried it.
Mine is already on the way!
Jeannine
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Mary, I thought your comment was spam at first…
Here’s my comment, the fermented cod liver that I take IS a source of omega 3’s, but not as high as some fake “omega 3” supplements, but it is all natural. We take that and also eat other foods for omega 3’s like grass fed meats, eggs, fish, etc.
More here: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2007/12/cod-liver-oil-part-1-answers-to-common.html
Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Mary DeMartin says
Kelly – I received this info and the part of “Don’t make mistake that Cod Liver oil is – and is NOT a source of Omega 3’s
Could you please comment?
Mary
The Value of Omega 3’s to Your Longevity
Do you know that dietary lack of omega-3 fatty acids ranks as the 6th biggest cause of premature deaths in the US? Yes, some 84,000 premature deaths a year! And, another 82,000 premature deaths a year can be attributed to eating too many artificial trans-fatty acids.
This is not so hard to understand when one reviews the many supported and clinically proven benefits of omega-3’s, including:
benefits overall heart health
helps to lower triglycerides
helps lower cases of high blood pressure due to cardiovascular disease
helps to reduce high cholesterol
helps to prevent blood clots
helps lower heart rates and also prevent arrhythmias (disturbances of the normal rhythm in the heart’s beating)
helps to stimulate your blood circulation and avoid problems such as varicose veins and Raynauds disease
lack of omega 3 has been linked to depression
aids relief from arthritis and many forms of chronic inflammation
fish oils improve your brain function – taking fish oils with omega 3 has been linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
aids fat metabolism, thus aids weight control
helps maintain healthy insulin levels
may protect babies against developing different types of allergies such as hay fever, sinus infections, asthma, food allergies and allergic skin conditions such as hives and eczema – if taken while mother is pregnant
helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and may reduce menstrual pain
The richest source of Omega 3 undoubtably is from fish oil which has been extracted from cold-water fishes such as salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel and hoki.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that cod liver oil is the same as fish oils with omega 3, because the makeup of the two is very different. Cod liver oil is not a source of omega 3’s.
Out with the bad (trans-fatty) and in with the good (omega-3’s)!
Make this one of your healthy longevity mantras!
Kelly says
Mary, sorry I wasn’t more clear in the post, I’ll have to go fix it – THIS is the best CLO to take now, and is even better than the other CLO from Green Pastures:
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/10/fermented-cod-liver-oil-series-part-1.html
Mary DeMartin says
Kelly:
HELP! I also read the update from Green Pastures – I live in Windsor Ontario Canada – and it was very difficult to get the High Vitamin A Cod Liver Oil – now I hear this news!
I cannot do without my Cod Liver Oil – it helps with arthritis symptoms – what to do???
Thank you for any information you may provide
Mary
Kelly says
Thanks to a reader, I just found this update from Green Pastures:
https://www.greenpasture.org/node/130
Deanna says
Hi Kelly,
It does seem to help with the stiffness, but I was so shocked about the hormone issue. I am suppose to go for a bone density test.
Your website is awesome! So much information and I am just struggling to find ways to make my life better.
Thank you
d
Kelly says
Deanna, I can’t wait to hear if it helps your joints!
Kelly
Deanna says
Hi,
I just finished reading the article by the Vitamin D Council and I was worried about CLO. Thanks for the great information.
I am a new member of Westin Price Foundation. I have been trying CLO from Green Pastures and will be starting my 3rd bottle and it will be FCLO.
An amazing thing has happened to me! I was born hypo-pituitary and it is a long story. But yesterday my Endo said my blood tests show my t3 (thyroid hormone) has taken a significant jump. He couldn’t believe it and questioned whether I was getting the right synthroid dose. Not to mention my growth hormone jumped up higher then he thought it would also. The only thing is my calcium level is now at the high end of normal. I am a little concerned about that. Anyway I have high hopes that FCLO can help me. I was taking it hoping it would help my stiff joints that has happened to me since being on humatroupe hgh. I didn’t think it could stimulate my thyroid and growth hormone levels.
Thanks again
Deanna
Shannon says
Kelly,
Yes that was helpful, thanks! We already squirt our CLO in the back of our throats anyway, so hopefully we’ll do okay with the fermented kind. If not, maybe I’ll put it in a shot of kombucha for the kids. We just opened a new bottle of the regular, so when it’s gone we’ll make the switch. I’ll have to post my experiences with it on my blog.
Kelly says
BTW, Chase, to answer your earlier question:
Here’s the deal on the cod liver oil and natural vs. synthetic vitamins.
Sometime this year (I had heard early in the year), the only source (in Norway) for the natural vitamins A & D will no longer be making that available. (Decreased demand with the popularity of plain “omega 3’s”?)
Remember how in “regular” CLO, in the cleaning process, the vitamins are removed, and then vitamin A & D are put back in. The quality brands would put natural back in, but many brands already use synthetic (which are very harmful to our health!)
Soon, because the source will no longer be available, ALL cod liver oil will have only synthetic vitamins UNLESS it is unheated/unprocessed, which the fermented CLO is.
Hope that’s not confusing.
Kelly
Marilyn says
I’m confused. I thought Green Pastures was fermented CLO. What brand is everyone here referring to when they say fermented cod liver oil?
KitchenKop says
You are right, but the confusion comes in because back when this was written, the fermented kind hadn’t come out yet.
Kelly
Marilyn says
Thanks, Kelly. I read the article somewhere from Green Pastures that said even with their brand the A and D was removed and then added back in, and that they have only so much of the natural A and D (or something to that effect). Do you know if that was for the older product or is that still the case? Does the fermentation process allow the CLO to retain A and D or do they still have to add it back in? Do you know how much of a supply he expects to have? Do you know why natural A and D would only be available for a limited time? Why couldn’t they be produced by someone else?
KitchenKop says
Hi Marilyn,
From what I know, it’s not produced by anyone else because there is no money in it these days. 🙁
If you find out anything more, let us know.
Kelly
Kelly says
Shannon, I just posted a new comment to answer more about the taste at this post: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/10/fermented-cod-liver-oil-series-part-2.html#comment-2428
Let me know if you have any more questions. 🙂
Shannon says
My kids take the regular Blue Ice CLO very well, how is the fermented flavor in comparison?
Carrie at NaturalMomsTalkRadio says
I started becoming increasingly irritated with Mercola when it became impossible to search or view a page on his site without “logging in”, and even though I was a subscriber, it won’t let me log in. Sigh.
Carrie @ The Thrifty Oreganic says
Great clarifications, Kelly! That all makes perfect sense! I wasn’t too worried, because I knew my source of CLO was solid in its ratios. I am interested in switching to Fermented CLO soon, however!
Thanks!
Kelly says
Shannon,
Yes, the fermented comes in Cinnamon. It also comes in plain or licorice…ick!
Shannon says
I was not swayed by Cannell’s information and was a bit irritated to find that Mercola was jumping on the band wagon–he has slipped down a notch in my mind. But it is nice to see that other’s (including WAPF) are in agreement with me. 🙂
We have been taking the Blue Ice Butter Oil Blend CLO. My question is, how does the fermented taste in comparison? We really like the Cinnamon, I will have to check and see if the fermented is available in Cinnamon and perhaps when we finish this new bottle we will switch. I guess at some point we will have to switch if they are not going to make the regular anymore.
Kelly says
Chase,
I’ll answer your question soon, I need to make a call next week and make sure I’m not going against my word. I said I wouldn’t disclose everything I was told yet, because an “official” statement about it would be out in early 2009. I have no idea what the big deal is (doesn’t seem like it should be a big secret to me), but I want to keep my word. I only said a bit more today because I’ve read the same things in other places.
Kelly
Lisa says
I had a nagging feeling that Dr. Mercola’s “stance” on CLO might have something to do with his Krill Oil.
Thanks for clearing that up! I’m taking my fermented CLO!!!
Chase M. says
Can you elaborate on what you mean by “soon the source for natural vitamins will no longer be available”? Thanks
Kelly says
Rob, you’re right about the regular Green Pastures CLO – it’s still a good product, but for Maria: soon they won’t be selling it anymore – he’s only selling what he still has in stock, which is a lot from what I gather…? (There are good sales now and then.)
The reason he won’t be making anymore of it soon, is because of what I wrote about a little about in this post: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/10/cod-liver-oil-capsules-important-update.html
I’ve read it in a few other places now, so I can say a little more: soon the source for natural vitamins will no longer be available, so Green Pastures will only be making the Fermented CLO because the vitamins aren’t processed out at all (thus they won’t need to add any back in). Another reason the FCLO is superior!
Kelly
Martha says
Thank you, Kelly. I receive Mercola’s newsletter and it concerned me too. We are using the raw fermented CLO and knew we were at least going to use what we had. After reading your post, I will continue to purchase when we run out.
Rob Archangel says
Thanks Kelly,
I’ve also felt somewhat put off my Mercola’s hard sell for his stuff. I think he’s generally pretty good, but certainly out to make a buck, and sometimes at the expense of full disclosure. Another example is his Cocoa Cassava Bars- he rightly talks smack about soy elsewhere, but glosses over the fact that his bars contain ssoy lecithin. Also, while disparaging (rightly) the preponderance of fake ingredients in most energy bars, he ignores legitimate real food bars like the Lara Bar. Now, I’m no LaraBar salesperson, and they are fairly sugary, but they’re also just whole foods. Here’s an example of one of their ingredient lists, for ‘Banana Bread’ flavored bar: Dates, Almonds, Unsweetened Bananas No mas. Another- Pistachio: Dates, Pistachios, Cashews One more issue: he wrote a book about the drawbacks of artifical sweeteners, yet also talks up and recommends Xylitol. Now maybe that’s an exception and is actually a healthful sweet alternative, but I doubt it, and his hawking of it turns me off.
So yeah, Mercola is not fully disclosive and has lost credibility.
Looking forward to trying some of the fermented CLO. Looks like a solid product and well worth the investment.
To Maria: the WAPF still stands behind the regular High Vitamin Green Pastures CLO. Their Vit A: Vit D ratio is 10:1, which is within acceptable ranges, (though WAPF folks say even lower is better). But still, nowhere near the 100:1 or higher ratios found in some CLOs. So- don’t fret!
Maria says
Thanks, Kelly – this is very helpful. I am a member of WAPF too and I processed the same information much the way you did, however, I am assuming that the “regular” CLO from Green Pastures is okay?? We did order the fermented but we are finishing up the regular Orange and Mint CLO from Green Pastures.
I look forward to the full report in the Spring issue of WAPF”s Wise Traditions.
Maria
Shauna says
Yes – thank you for this! I read Mercola’s article and at first I was worried, then I talked to a doctor friend who agreed with him and felt VERY worried….. but like you, my common sense came back quickly.
I’m glad to hear from WAPF too.
Shauna
Julie L. says
Kelly,
That article had me worried, too, as my mind kept trying to grapple with a) one of their (WAPF) own spoke out against CLO!; b) the highly processed nature of the product, and c) the supposed studies which prove vitamin A toxicity, etc. I was a bit stunned, to be honest, after daily consuming CLO since the Deidre Currie Festival in September. For two days, our family went back to regular Omega-3 capsules while I processed the info and sought out more info. So glad the WAPF responded in a timely manner and I so very much look forward to their Wise Traditions Spring issue, where they will have a point-by-point rebuttal. From now on (I should say, after our last regular CLO bottle is finished), we will be purchasing the fermented variety. By that time, that’s all I may have to choose from anyway, huh? 🙂
Thanks for devotedly and continually staying on top of these important issues!!
–Julie L.
Julie says
Thanks, this is very helpful. I’m glad I have been taking the fermented cod liver oil.