Cod Liver Oil
As a general rule I do not recommend multivitamins for adults or kids (nostalgic as I might be for Flintstones chewables!). Most multivitamins contain upwards of 20 different nutrients per dose, but it is rare that any one person would be deficient in that many vitamins or minerals. That means that you are paying for nutrients that will more than likely end up in your urine or feces. In addition, many companies use man-made and isolated forms of vitamins and minerals that are poorly absorbed. Frankly, most nutrients are not optimally absorbed in pill format. When we eat nourishing foods we are getting much more than an isolated vitamin or mineral, and science has not yet found a way to perfectly replicate these benefits in pill form.
For all these reasons and more, the only “multivitamin” that I recommend broadly is cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is extracted from the liver of the cod fish. Reputable cod liver oil producers do not add or subtract any substance from the pure oil. Therefore, all of the nutrients occur in natural ratios, as they do in food. This makes the nutrients in liquid cod liver oil much more functional than those in a pill. Specifically, cod liver oil contains the following key nutrients:
Vitamin A: Necessary for mineral metabolism, strong bones, immunity, normal growth, successful reproduction, healthy skin and good eyesight.
Vitamin D: Necessary for mineral metabolism, nervous system function, insulin production, immunity and protection against depression.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Supports optimal visual and brain function, helps resolve inflammation and supports the immune system.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Helps resolve inflammation and supports the cardiovascular system.
The benefits of these four naturally occurring nutrients go beyond their individual power. Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that we cannot absorb them if they are not coupled with dietary fat. Conveniently, DHA and EPA are types of omega-3 fat, facilitating absorption of these vitamins. Once inside the body, vitamins A and D work together to provide a number of additional benefits such as reducing the risk for certain cancers and autoimmune disorders.
You might be wondering why I recommend cod liver oil so broadly if I don’t believe that everyone is deficient in the same things. The modern diet and lifestyle are perfectly designed to cause deficiencies in these particular nutrients. High doses of vitamin A are found in organ meats such as liver, which have largely gone out of fashion. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is best provided by sunlight, rather than food. Unfortunately modern schools and workplaces are almost all indoors, preventing people from obtaining critical mid-day sunlight. And omega-3 fatty acids are required to offset the effects of another fatty acid, omega-6. The modern diet contains 10-20 times more omega-6 than our ancestral diet, thanks to industrialized seed oils such as soybean oil and corn oil. To stay in balance, we should cut back on these oils and, at the same time, increase our omega-3 consumption.
Are you ready to change up your family’s “multivitamin” routine? Two high quality brands to try are NutraPro and Rosita. NutraPro offers flavored options that are very palatable, I promise! Unopened, most cod liver oil is stable on the shelf for a year or more. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use within three months.
Babies as young as four months can take ¼ teaspoon of cod liver oil per day. As kids approach three years old, you can increase to the full dosage recommended on the bottle. I strongly recommend having the whole family take cod liver oil together, both for improved parental health and to set a good example for the kids. Our bottle gets placed on the breakfast table every morning and we pass around our measuring spoon, each taking our daily dose in turn. People are shocked when I tell them that the kids don’t mind, but they happily imitate everything we do and this is no different! Give it a try, your kids might surprise you!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23436065
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20655952