Despite what you've probably heard, your body is hungry for fat. Not just any fat, it needs high-quality, unprocessed fats and oils to supply its requirements for energy, cell building and repair, and a healthy nervous system.

More and more people are discovering the value of supplementing their diet with high vitamin cod liver oil. It supplies a concentrated source of vitamins A and D in the proper ratio (not greater than a 10 to 1 ratio of A to D), which the body requires in much greater amounts than we can obtain in the standard American diet. Dr. Price referred to vitamins A and D as "fat soluble activators".

The Importance of Vitamin A and D

Your body cannot absorb minerals without adequate amounts of vitamins A and D from animal fats. If minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus, are the bricks out of which your body is built, vitamins A and D are the mortar!

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a catalyst on which many biochemical processes depend. According to Dr. Weston Price, neither protein, minerals nor water-soluble vitamins can be utilized by your body without vitamin A from animal sources. Dr. Price discovered that that the diets of healthy isolated people that he studied had at least ten times more vitamin A from animal sources than found in the American diet of his day!

Vitamin A:

• Acts as an antioxidant, protecting your body against pollutants and free radicals
• Stimulates the secretion of gastric juices needed for protein digestion
• Plays a vital role in building strong bones and rich blood
• Contributes to the production of RNA

Sources of preformed vitamin A (retinol) include butterfat, egg yolks, liver and other organ meats, seafood and fish liver oils.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D, like vitamin A, is needed for calcium and phosphorus absorption. Your body manufactures vitamin D3 out of cholesterol in the presence of sunlight. Synthetic vitamin D3 is poorly absorbed. Synthetic vitamin D2 has been linked to hyperactivity, coronary heart disease and other allergic reactions. Foods rich in naturally occurring vitamin D include: butterfat, eggs, liver, organ meats, marine oils and seafood (particularly shrimp and crab).

Vitamin D is essential for:

• strong bones, healthy teeth and normal growth
• Protects against cancer and multiple sclerosis
• Deficiency can cause rickets and myopia

Increasing numbers of studies indicate that deficiency of vitamin D is incredibly common among Americans, and that the lack of this crucial nutrient may be related to a variety of health issues.

High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil

In addition to being a great source of all natural vitamins A and D, high vitamin cod liver oil is also a good source of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, otherwise known as the "Omega 3s." It is also a source of vitamin E.

Once a standard supplement in traditional European societies, cod liver oil is a must for women and their male partners, to be taken for several months before conception, as well as for women during pregnancy and lactation. Growing children also benefit from a small daily dose, as well as those recovering from illness, accidents or surgery.

Sources: Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon Morell. The Fourfold Path to Healing, by Thomas Cowan, MD.

What are your reasons for taking high vitamin cod liver oil?