CLO and Vit questions

[Alison's Mom]

So after posting my thread about my kids not growing well, JaneS had several suggestions that make a lot of sense about being Vitamin D deficient, among other things. Thank you JaneS!!!

Now, wise mamas, I'm not sure of what CLO or other vitamins to get so it's not a huge battle to get them to take anything really awful tasting, but that they will be getting a decent supply of necessary vits/minerals.

From the sounds of it, Blue Ice fermented CLO is not something they would be willing to take and will become a huge battle of wills (my DD especially, is very strong willed and it would make us both miserable). So, if that's the best thing, I'm looking for the next best thing that is more palatable.

I noticed other sites still list non fermented Blue Ice CLO, but the green pastures site does not, and am not finding Vit levels for this. Dave from green pastures has said they still make the gummies, but he said they are not sweet and some people don't like them either.

We used to give dd Nordic Naturals berry flavoured liquid CLO ages ago and I think the taste was OK or she would have complained, but have just noticed it has no K or A and a paltry amount of D.

Carlson's liquid CLO for kids has 425 IU Vit A and 200 IU of Vit D which still doesn't seem like enough, and no K. Their chewable vitamins and minerals, however, has 5000IU of A, 400 IU of D and 40 mcg of K, so this almost seems like a better option on its own, or in addition to the NN CLO for the good oils?

Also, we are in Canada, and certain things are harder to find here. NN is available at HFS and I think Carlson's is as well.

I have started making bone broths with grass fed beef bones, and will continue to do that to get some Vit K in them, and leafy veggies have K as well? Just not sure how to get the exact right amounts unless in a supplement. . .

Butter Oil, raw dairy, etc is out because DS is allergic to dairy. We have virtually cut out soy, which hopefully will help, and have switched to rice milk.

Any suggestions would be great! Thank you.

[Brigio]

I'm also in Canada and am currently trying to get some raw milk! Right now to supplement my DD I give her 1 capsule of the Garden of Life Calcium (it is an adult formula) . For an adult it is 5 capsules so I give her 1 (she is 21/2) and I mix it in her smoothie. I also give her a multi vitamin by Douglas Laboratories (rated very well for bioavalibily), probiotics (Children's by Udo's), and Carlson's CLO. I can't afford the fermented right now and I'm not sure she'd take it. I also give an additonal 400IU's vit. D (she gets about 1000IU). HTH!

[mbravebird]

Just this month we are trying Vital Choice's wild Salmon Oil as a subsitute for fermented CLO. It costs less and tastes better. It is still a bit fishy, but it doesn't stay in your mouth like FCLO, so it could be hideable in things.

It has as much D as FCLO, but a bit less A. We get extra A from liver (my six year old swallows liver "pills"), and liver also has K2 and other goodies, so we feel that switching to the salmon oil is an acceptable substitute. It also has a good amount of iodine, because Vital Choice uses fish heads for the oil, not fish bodies. The oil is also really high in antioxidants and Omega 3's, which CLO is lower in, so we are hoping that it will be a good solution for us.

Vital Choice is a great company with high standards and they produce their own oil from their own catch; they don't buy it off of other producers. It's low-heat processed and no vitamins are stripped.

On another note, my D levels were in the mid-30's after consistent, but not daily, consumption of FCLO. I just started supping with extra D.

[mbravebird]

The Carlson's has synthetic vitamins added, if you're concerned about that -- that's how they get such exact amounts. They strip the oil to purify it and then add vitamins back in. Green Pastures is the only one who doesn't do that anymore, because all the Norway producers recently started doing this, including the ones who supply NN and Carlson's. Vital Choice doesn't do it, either, because they produce their own oil, and salmon is low enough in toxins that there's no need to ultra-purify it.

I know the choices are mind-boggling. Will either of your kids swallow pills?

[Alison's Mom]

Yikes - I thought I had replied already!

No, I don't think they would swallow pills, although I could try out some small ones and see what happens. . . .

Thanks for the info. After reading up on a few different types of CLO and vitamins, and getting thoroughly confused in the process, decided to head out to my local natural food store and ended up getting Carlsons CLO for kids with lemon oil, which actually doesn't have a fishy taste at all, and the kids are sort of reluctantly OK with taking it. I also got Bio Strath which was recommended by the health care manager there, so am trying that as well, although it's not going over well with DD, who really doesn't like the flavour. Rather than fight with them over all the stuff, decided to give them the natural gummy vitamins with some vit d and vit a in them as well.