In my last post, I talked about why I started a food-grade online supplements shop while outlining the potential dangers of synthetic vitamins. In this post, I will give a brief explanation of what I consider to be the most important vitamins for great health.
“The ingredients within foods work synergistically; they work as teams to feed cells. Isolated and synthetic vitamins contain only a fraction of the vitamin complexes and lack the cofactors and micronutrients found in nature” (Walkabout Emu Oil). While certain vitamins, such as B12, can be easily obtained from food alone (eggs, animal protein, cheese), others are scarce or completely absent from meals. The most scarce and important vitamins are fat-soluble (absorbed with the presence of dietary fat) and include vitamins A, D and K2 in the form of MK-4.
Vitamin A (Retinol) and Vitamin D:
Vitamin A (Retinol) is important for eye and skin health. It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body from disease. Vitamin A is only found in meaningful amounts in organ meats and many people today are not accustomed to eating every part of the animal. Synthetic vitamin A on the other hand, can be overdosed, which may lead to vitamin A toxicity. To reduce the risk of overdose, opt for foods and food-based vitamin A sources, especially in the presence of vitamin D. When you have adequate vitamin D, you can increase your threshold for vitamin A.
Natural Sunscreen
A meta-analysis found that an intake of vitamin A (retinol) that you get from animal sources is strongly associated with reduced risk of melanoma and can act as a protector against harmful UV radiation. Beta carotene (preformed vitamin A) found in vegetables, such as carrots, found no such results.
Vitamin D: vitamin D is not actually a vitamin. It is a cholesterol. That means your body has to produce it from within, from adequate external stimuli. Vitamin D is also responsible for the health of our bones.
In order for the body to absorb adequate dietary calcium from the intestines, it needs adequate vitamin D. Many people in Western cultures are dangerously low in vitamin D. And since vitamin D is a cholesterol and produced in the body, it is virtually absent from all other foods except for fish and egg yolk. (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, May 17, 2019)
Best Supplements for Vitamin A and D- Cod Liver Oil, Liver and Emu Oil
Whole food supplements contain other components that help balance the key vitamins within the supplement. For example, our Rosita Cod Liver Oil contains more than just omega 3s; it also contains co-factors such as vitamin A and D in the right balance and form for easy absorption. Your body knows exactly how to utilize the vitamins contained in cod liver oil because it’s a potent food and not a synthetic. It is also a rich source of naturally occurring vitamins A and D. Rosita is possibly the world’s purest and most potent cod liver oil. The company handcrafts this raw cod liver oil in small batches using a rare, ancient extraction process. Cod from the clear, pristine waters off the Norway coast are line caught by the Rosita team to ensure freshness, quality, and sustainability. Taking Rosita liquid with a bit of Emu Oil on the spoon can help smooth out the taste and adds vitamin K2 to absorb all the goodness from the cod liver. Emu oil also contains: vitamins A, D3, E, CLA, AA, ATP, omega’s 3,6,7, 9, DHA and phosphorus. More on this incredible traditional superfood below.
GoodieVibes offers an alternative vitamin A source from three different grass-fed beef liver supplements: Smidge Freeze-Dried Beef Liver, Perfect Multi Organs Blend of 6 Glandulars (coming soon) and Perfect Desiccated Liver. All of these food-grade supplements are made with grass-fed beef liver and organ meats and contain a host of other vitamins. Liver is a tremendous source of all B vitamins, including especially crucial nutrients such as B12 and folate (B9). B12 is important for energy levels, cell function, reproductive health, and more. It offers rich mineral content including zinc, copper, and iron – minerals which are important for red blood cell health. Liver also provides CoQ10 which is important for heart health.
Another benefit of liver is its rich protein profile, as it is two thirds protein content by weight. It is a rich source of many amino acids, which have many important functions, including helping with muscle building and repair. It is a bioavailable source of vitamin A and K, making it a supplement that can revitalize the skin.
Vitamin K2:
“K2 may be the most important vitamin you’ve never heard of. It is responsible for ushering calcium within the body into the bones where it belongs and out of the arteries and soft tissue where it doesn’t. K2 helps with calcium metabolism which is critical for cardiovascular health. K2 also plays a key role in skin elasticity and prevents the formation of calcium within the elastin of the skin, helping it spring back and maintain its suppleness.” (Chris Kresser).
Best Supplement for Vitamin K2
Our Walkabout Emu oil is the highest source of naturally occurring K2 in the form of MK-4. It has a host of health benefits and is extremely nutritious. Only now are scientists acknowledging the importance of K2 in the form of MK-4.
According to Dr. Will Schlinsog and his wife Elizabeth Schlinsog from Australian Walkabout Emu Oil:
“Research on the vitamin K2 family has exploded in the last decade. Scientists now know that MK-4 is the most important of the MK’s and is responsible for many life-sustaining processes. It is the bioactive form of the vitamin at work on the genetic and metabolic level. Not only does MK-4 act as a co-factor in the cellular production of energy in the electron transport chain in the mitochondria, but also as a co-factor in activating vitamin K-dependent proteins for blood clotting, bone development (directing calcium into the bone), keeping arteries calcium free, hardening tooth enamel, reproduction, maintaining the integrity of skin, and even survival itself.”
Walkabout emu oil benefits: tooth and bone remineralizer, anti-inflammatory, is excellent for the skin and has anti-wrinkling/anti-aging properties and contains vitamins A, D and E. This is only a truncated list of the many benefits of this traditional fat!
Topical Choices
Many cosmetic creams and lotions are infused with synthetic vitamins, similar to many oral vitamins on the shelf. The best topical creams that I have found to contain naturally occuring fat soluble vitamins are: Walkabout Emu Oil and Lipidology.
Emu oil contains vitamins A, D, E and K2- all of which are great for skin health.
LIpidology tallow is a whipped, grass-fed/finished beef tallow cream that contains vitamins A, D, K and E, all which are highly bioabsorbable. Tallow is also high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has anti inflammatory properties.
Both of these topical creams are unadulterated- all the factors and cofactors that nature deemed necessary for these fats to work at their optimal are left intact—nothing added in or taken out. Emu and tallow are great for soothing, moisturizing and feeding the skin with essential, naturally occuring vitamins that stimulate cell regeneration, moisturize deeply into the skin, and can heal skin abnormalities as well as cleanse the skin of bacteria and bring a healthy glow to the face and body.
Vitamins A, D and K2 are critical for the maintenance of good health. While these vitamins can be obtained from some very specific foods, they can be difficult to find in adequate doses on a regular basis. And even though I eat a whole foods diet consisting of plenty of animal protein, fat and grass fed dairy, I still fall short on meeting my daily recommended dose which is why I choose to supplement my diet (and my skin) with these health-promoting, fat-soluble vitamins.
I hope those who try our products benefit from them the way I have for over a decade.
Yours in good health,
Despina