A spoonful that does not taste of fish
Anyone who was given a spoonful of cod liver oil as a child mainly remembers the taste. The chocolate version of the Royal Blend Gel is meant to change that: the cocoa and vanilla largely mask the taste of the fermented cod liver oil. The gel also stays on the spoon.
Cocoa, vanilla and stevia
The flavour comes from cocoa powder and organic vanilla extract. The sweetness comes from organic stevia leaf, a plant from South America whose leaves taste naturally sweet. No sugar is added. A small amount of silica turns the oils into a gel.
Vitamin A, children and pregnancy
Cod liver oil contains retinol, a form of vitamin A. Green Pasture does not state the amount, because it differs from batch to batch. If you give the gel to children, discuss the amount first. During pregnancy, only use it after consulting your midwife. Do not combine it with other supplements containing vitamin A.
Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil and butter oil gel
Green Pasture's Blue Ice Royal Blend Gel is a blend in the chocolate flavour consisting of one third X-Factor Gold Concentrated Butter Oil and two thirds Blue Ice Fermented Cod Liver Oil. The cod liver oil is obtained from the livers of sustainably wild-caught, MSC-certified Alaskan cod, and the butter oil comes from grass-fed cows. The product is naturally rich in vitamins A and D and in omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. The blend is also available in capsule form.
Natural source of vitamins A and K
Green Pasture's cod liver oil is not heated during the production process and is naturally rich in both the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and vitamins A and D. Although some sources are convinced that too much vitamin A is harmful, it is in fact valuable to realise that many people probably get too little rather than too much of this important vitamin, particularly children and women who are expecting. Vitamin A contributes to the normal process of cell specialisation and to the maintenance of normal vision, normal skin and normal mucous membranes, and to the normal function of the immune system. Vitamin D contributes to the normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus, to the maintenance of normal bones, teeth and muscle function, has a role in the process of cell division and contributes to the normal function of the immune system. EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart, and DHA to the maintenance of normal brain function and normal vision, with a daily intake of 250 mg. Green Pasture's concentrated butter oil is made using an unheated centrifuge process. The oil is naturally rich in vitamin K, which contributes to normal blood clotting and to the maintenance of normal bones. Butter oil also contains fatty acids such as butyric acid, lauric acid and CLA.
Weston A. Price and Activator X
In his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Weston A. Price describes how the Swiss long particularly valued the butter of cows in spring. During this period cows eat fast-growing grass. In the butter of this spring milk, Price found a substance he called Activator X. Today that substance is often associated with vitamin K2. Price also believed that butterfat and cod liver oil complemented each other. That idea prompted Green Pasture to create its product line of butter oil, fermented cod liver oil and combinations of both.
Benefits
A blend of natural, unheated cod liver oil and butter oil produced the traditional way. Cod liver oil made from sustainably wild-caught, MSC-certified Alaskan cod. Source of vitamins A, D and K and omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. Green Pasture works with the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF).
The best of both worlds
According to Weston A. Price, the combination of cod liver oil and butter oil is more beneficial than either on its own. Green Pasture's butter oil is made from the milk of cows kept on pastures with fresh, fast-growing grass. That milk is processed into butter oil using a centrifuge process, without heat. The cod liver oil is fermented the traditional way without synthetic additives and carries the MSC label, partly thanks to the sustainable fishing techniques of fishing partner Alaskan Leader Seafood.
Essential fatty acids of sustainable quality
Green Pasture is the only company in the world to use a centuries-old, traditional, very mild fermentation technique for its cod liver oil products, which makes it possible to avoid the use of heat and to preserve the natural antioxidants in the oil. The cod liver oil is continuously tested by independent third parties and meets modern requirements for quality and purity. Green Pasture works with the Weston A. Price Foundation and received the MSC label for its Fermented Cod Liver Oil, an ecolabel awarded to only a handful of fish oil companies worldwide.
About Green Pasture
Green Pasture is a family business based in Nebraska, founded in 2003 by Dave and Barbara Wetzel. A few years earlier they had decided to live closer to nature with their family and start a dairy farm. They came across Weston A. Price's ideas about vitamin-rich butter oil from the milk of grass-fed cows and began making Concentrated Butter Oil. In 2007 Green Pasture expanded its product line with fermented skate and cod liver oil. In 2012 David and Barbara received the Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from Nebraska.
