I've been meaning to do this post for many moons now.
But it never gets done. So I decided I just better sit down
and fire it out. I figured that something this powerful and curative, something
that has actually helped me be healthier and feel better could be one of the most important things I could share with you---even if it helps just one person, my time
won't be wasted.
First, I want to start off by stating that I am not a
doctor, and I am not a health professional. Any information I have to share is
not meant to be a substitute for real medical care. If you have serious health problems, consult your doctor for guidance.
Thus saying, things that help me, and my body type, might not help you. So take all this info with that in mind.
That disclaimer said, we'll get on with business.
I'm an artist, and as such I've learned that a lot of good
things, information, ideas, and even healthy cures for myself have come from
unlikely sources, places a lot of people don't bother looking.
While doing health research, I stumbled across a lot of
articles touting fermented Cod liver oil/with the special mix of butter oil, as
pretty much the elixir of life---something we all need for optimum health,
strong bones, especially teeth.
That really caught my attention.
Fermented cod liver oil for healthy teeth and bones?
That's really kind of weird.
Not to mention it sounds super nasty, like eating bat poop or something.
I thought normal cod liver oil tasted bad, but in my mind, fermented cod
liver oil, had to be one of the worst combinations ever.
Bluck.
Then after reading the price of this fermented fishy
oil, my next thought was, "you've got to be kidding. That's a pretty penny
for nasty stuff. Who would buy that? Fifty bucks?"
No way am I going to pay that much for that.
So the months went by, and the days. And I kept on finding
myself gleaning more information about this fermented Cod liver oil. My
curiosity began to grow.
Slowly, the idea of eating it didn't seem so bad, after all,
the health benefits seemed pretty nice.
The thing that kept me going back to it was the fact that
all the sources seemed to mention that it was a huge factor
in order to have healthy teeth.
I wanted healthy teeth for many reasons.
If you know me, I seriously have this terrible aversion to
dentists, and over my life, it seems, no matter how much I try to take care of
my teeth, I always seem to need dental work.
So the promise of having my teeth be stronger was really nice.
Thus I dug some more.
The reason why they say fermented cod liver oil is better
than the unfermented kind, is that it is not possessed via heat. Before, I
guess the cod liver oil was all fermented in barrels over a process of time, via lacto ferments---not rotting.
But now, due to the way they now manufacture it, they kill off most of the
vitamins. Which is a bummer, because there goes the main health benefits of
even taking most of the cod liver oils that are now on the market.
Thus the reason why the real fermented kind is so expensive.
Hardly anybody processes it the old fashioned way. From my research, the key
factors why fermented cod liver oil is so good, is that it has loads of omega
three oils, high levels of absorbable vitamin D, which your body needs, and also
vitamin A, and vitamin K, all which work together to make your body strong and
healthy.
After learning all this and much more, I
ordered my first bottle, the chocolate flavored kind, not sure what to expect,
only that it would probably be gross.
Blue pastures fermented Cod liver oil/butter oil, is what I
bought. It's pretty much the only fermented cod liver oil out there that I can
find. But I'm sure there are other brands.
When it came, I opened it and peered into the bottle. I was half expecting it to bubble, and eurp up a viperous steam.
But it was very humble, and harmless seeming.
It was a dark brown color, and smelled fishy and chocolaty.
I got a spoon, and ate a half a teaspoon. (The recommended
dosage)
It didn't taste half as bad as the regular cod liver oil my
mom sometimes bought.And I didn't burp it up all day, which was a plus. It wasn't
so bad. It was more digestible to me than the stuff I had been taking. I was kind of excited.
I did more research, and got even more excited. I learned
more about vitamin A, D, and K and how you need it to be healthy.
I told my whole family about it.
I ditched taking vitamin D pills, and just took the
fermented cod liver oil instead.
Then, after a while, my mom, my sister, and my brother
started all taking it.
We bought some more, this time, instead of chocolate flavor,
it was cinnamon tingle. It was a lighter brown-honey color, and it tasted even
better than the chocolate in my opinion.
I didn't notice any huge benefit at first, then as the
months went by I noticed that my sprouting zits that seemed to come every month
disappeared considerably. They aren't utterly gone, mind you, but it is helping. Plus, it makes my skin feel good from the inside out, softer. Another thing to mention that some people recommend it as a sun screen. (kinda fishy though)
(random ditbit) I guess when you eat bad oils, like hydrogenated vegetable oil, and margarine, and stuff like that, you get sun burned easier, because the sun oxidizes the free radicals, and causes problems. My point, eat good oils for happy skin.
Okay. Back to the fermented cod liver oil experiment.
While taking it into the winter months when everybody was getting
colds, and everybody was sneezing, and coughing, and snorting, we didn't get
sick.
I didn't get one cold last winter, at least that I can
remember.
My sister got sniffles for a day, and that was about it.
Usually in April, we all get colds like clockwork,
especially my mom, ever since I can remember. And this year.
Nothing.
We were spared.
I can't think of a year we didn't get sick at least a couple
times.
This was a real record for us.
In my book, that fact alone is pretty amazing. We've been
around a lot of coughing, snot-ridden kids, and adults. And still we've been
okay. Maybe it's a fluke. Maybe I'll suddenly get sick tomorrow. Maybe it has
nothing to do with the fermented cod liver oil.
But maybe it does. Maybe it also has something to do with
the fact that we've been eating a lot of yummy fermented foods as well, and
cutting GMO foods out of our diet.
Maybe it's all the above.
Maybe we'll never really know.
But I really think there's something to it.
I'm not sure how it's affected my teeth, but I'm hoping that it's making them stronger.
I think it's worth continuing the experiment. Meanwhile, I
thought I'd drop by and tell you about it.
All my growing up life I've been plagued with terrible sinus
infections, and colds.
Now that I've tried to take charge of my health, and started
looking for answers, my health has improved so much that I can't help but give
a shout out to you, and let you know that there is hope.
I truly believe that our bodys can heal themselves if you cut out the poisons, and start giving them the nutrients they need.
If I had kids, I'd feed them this stuff every day just to
keep their bodies strong, and their immune system fighting all the germs that
surround them.
Avoiding the flu, that alone, in my book, is something worth
taking cod liver oil for---not to mention the loads of other health benefits.
It's super good for your skin, hair, and bones.
I want to shout out to everybody, and let everybody know
that this stuff is awesome!
EAT---your fermented cod liver oil. I don't care if you
can't stand the taste. Eat it anyway!
This is a painless way to keep your immune system up and
running especially in the winter months when you don't get much sun, and when
your Vitamin D levels are low.
It's good for your whole body.
It's good for your kids.
It's good for your teeth.
For those of you who think you just can't stomach it, or
don't even want to taste it, there is hope for you too. They have it in capsule
form, so not to worry.
They also have it so you can just buy the fermented cod liver
oil without the butter oil.
First we bought it with the butter oil. But now we buy the
butter oil separate from the fermented cod liver oil because it's cheaper that
way.
They recommend taking a half a teaspoon of the fermented cod
liver oil/butter oil.
 |
| Combo butter oil and fermented cod liver oil. |
 |
| Butter oil aka GHEE, it tastes like Carmel butter, and is super yummy |
Also, note you can take too much. I think three tablespoons
is what they call an overdose. It can be hard on your liver if you take too much, so take it sparingly.
Besides it's expensive anyway, so you want it to last.
Also some really good information about fermented cod liver
oil can be found via these links. There's a lot more information out there on
it, if you are wanting to learn more, just do a goggle search---Health benefits of fermented cod liver oil---and you'll have your reading cut out for you.
You can buy FCLO (fermented cod liver oil) via this link.
Note that there are other places you can buy it. There are lots of places you can buy the butter oil too, aka GHEE. You can also shop around to
find the best deal. But it's pretty much expensive everywhere ya go.
Fermented cod liver oil, superfood.
The basics
How fermented cod liver oil is made
How much to take.
How fermented cod liver oil is an important factor if you
want to have beautiful skin
http://beautyeditor.ca/2010/09/02/the-single-best-product-evah-for-your-skin-is-not-in-fact-an-actual-skincare-product/
Interesting health connection and tooth decay.
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/nutrition-fluoridation-and-dental-health/
Interesting health connection and tooth decay.
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/nutrition-fluoridation-and-dental-health/
Also a fantastic book that changed the way that I look at food, is a book by Sally
Fallon, called Nourishing Traditions. I think every household should own this
book. It talks a lot about the importance of fermented foods, and the
significance of going back to the way our ancestors prepared food before refrigeration.