Fermented Cod Liver Oil, What Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride Says Now

After the storm of accusations by Kaayla Daniel, PhD. against Fermented Cod Liver Oil (FCLO), made by Green Pastures, many practitioners are inundated with questions on whether FCLO is still part of the GAPS protocol. For some practitioners, this question is encountered multiple times a day. 

The real question remains What does Dr. Natasha say about it now? 

Dr. McBride spoke on this topic specifically in her presentation Gut and Psychology Syndrome (Part 1) at Wise Traditions 2015, the 16th Annual International conference of The Weston A. Price Foundation. 

“Vitamin A & D, the good supplement is cod liver oil. The recent controversy about fermented cod liver oil has confused a lot of people. I use both the fermented cod liver oil and the Rosita oil. I have many people who take them. They have taken them for many years with good results. I use both. I don’t take any sides because neither side has any solid science or any solid testing. I wouldn’t be afraid of either of these,” McBride said. (10:40).

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“They’re very useful but again it is a supplement. Be careful with the supplements. We want foods,” McBride says. (12:51).

The basis of the GAPS protocol is healing and sealing Intestinal Permeability, Leaky Gut in layman’s terms. Then rebuilding the system so the microbiome is put back in the correct balance. This is done on the protocol through nourishing and healing foods. When you support the body correctly it can heal itself. 

One of the main things seen with GAPS is there are many different paths to the end goal. It is very bioindiviual. This was specifically addressed in McBride’s article One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison, specifically saying listen to the body and what it needs nutritionally. This means no one can tell you what your body needs in its course of healing. Only the body can tell you.

This includes Fermented Cod Liver Oil.

Not all Fermented Cod Liver Oils are GAPS compliant and may be the cause of some digestive upset. This one contains cassia oil and processed stevia which are not GAPS approved. This one is approved as is this one. 

Many times when a person is healing and supporting their system people tend to get very scientific saying we need this balance of this vitamin and that balance of another vitamin. However, the body doesn’t necessarily work the way a lab deciphers or breaks down vitamins. “Too scientific” is what Dr. Natasha responds. 

“We get a lot of vitamin A from GAPS. It’s very rich in vitamin A. The recent testing that I became aware of has demonstrated that the values of vitamin D in foods, that has been put into all of our nutritional textbooks, and dietician textbooks, are incorrect. That two quality egg yolks a day can provide your daily amount of vitamin D. A good helping of butter can provide a daily amount of  D, particularly pastured butter,” she says. “That certainly makes far more sense from the logical point of view because so many people in our western world spend the whole winter without sunbathing. Yet we all don’t drop off and we all don’t have osteoporosis and tooth decay.” (14:20).

Her stance has never changed. Her protocol of repair comes from supporting the body correctly. Foods provide us the nutrients to support the body to heal. 

McBride doesn’t lean on supplements saying, “I only use the supplements at the beginning of the program until the diet is fully introduced, fully going and the person starts healing. Then we can discontinue supplements because the diet provides everything necessary.” (16:30).

It is not necessary to continue taking supplements for life. Our bodies are perfectly and wonderfully made. We are not designed to be reliant on popping supplements. 

“So again, cod liver oil is not something you will have to take forever. The diet will provide you with everything,” McBride said. (1650).

The more damage a person has the longer they need the support until their system is absorbing nutrition from their food. “Children with dyslexia, hyperactive children, schizophrenic people, autistic people and people with other mental and behavioral issues benefit dramatically from supplementing fish oils. Studies were done without changing the diet, without changing anything else in the lives of these groups of patients apart from supplementing them with a particular brand of fish oil,” she adds. (17:00).

“Based on that I used these supplements particularly at the beginning, particularly with those groups of children and adults. Then after two, three months of supplementation we usually discontinue that as well. Because there is no need anymore. Once we are up to having good amounts of animal fats every day, and we build animal fats consistently, the more animal fat a person consumes, particularly with mental illness, the quicker they recover. That is an observation that is very solid. Many years of observation.” (17:25). 

McBride’s clinical practice has been extensive working with canaries-in-the-coal-mine. This is the basis for her statements. The bodies have told her. 

This issue to FCLO or not is raging with emotions for many people. Each side is right, in their own eyes, and raging with words for the other. It’s much the same as political divisiveness. Both sides are correct in their own eyes, they have their minds made up, both sides are accused of lying, both sides can’t see the other side. This is, however, a position of defaming one business only. There’s no doubt to this matter as not one naysayer posted an objection to this fermented cod liver oil, made by a company never mentioned. Only Green Pastures was attacked. If the issue is indeed fermented cod liver oil, all fermented cod liver oil should be attacked. 

This only raises more questions.

When it all comes down to it each person should do what they feel works for them as in One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison. However though, since we are all in our own state of repair it doesn’t make any sense to turn others away from what could be their healing path. 

For further information on GAPS supplements click here. 

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.