Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 1: March 2014 | Page 10

E AT S M A R T !

By Rachel Ezelius, RD

Once Again New...
The Rehabilitation of Cod Liver Oil

I

am sure that whole 'spoonful of sugar
helps the medicine go down' came with
the recommendation of taking cod liver
oil. Even the name 'cod liver oil' sounds
pretty gross. But as I was researching the
philosophies of the Paleo diet for the next
Eat Smart Challenge (more on that later)
cod liver oil was suggested in almost
everything I read. In school, I remember
that cod liver oil was used as an early
remedy in lieu of modern medicine but I
thought that, like my local Blockbuster, it
was now obsolete. Surprisingly, it is not.
Thankfully, manufacturers have figured out
how to make it strawberry flavored.
Cod liver oil, as the name suggests, is the
actual oil extracted from the livers of
Atlantic cods (again, I gag.) The oil is
commonly taken as a dietary supplement
because not many people are buying and
eating livers of cods on a regular basis. So
let's talk about the good stuff. It is one of
the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids,
EPA and DHA. A body with certain nutrient
deficiencies or impaired pancreatic
functions (like diabetes) can't produce EPA
and DHA so it becomes an essential
nutrient. Also, cod liver oil is famous for
its excellent source of both vitamin A and
vitamin D (providing manufacturing hadn't
destroyed these nutrients.) Both A and D
are essential to a healthy immune system
and precursor to active hormones. Vitamin
D also has been identified to directly
influence at least 10% of our genes and is
important in preventing the common cold
or flu as well as inhibiting at least 16
Y