Gut and Physiology Syndrome draws a direct distinction between synthetic vitamin A added to fortified processed foods and natural vitamin A found in liver, cod liver oil, high-fat meat, eggs, high-fat dairy, and oily fish. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride identifies excess synthetic vitamin A as the pregnancy danger in this discussion while presenting natural vitamin A as necessary for the developing baby.[1]
The wording matters. “Vitamin A” is not one undifferentiated category in the GAPS source. The form, the food or supplement carrying it, and the way that product was made are part of the recommendation.[1][2]
For the skeletal-development context, read how pregnancy nutrition shapes the jaw, pelvis, and spine. For the broader GAPS starting route, use the Preparing for Pregnancy, Birth, and Breastfeeding on GAPS.
The Natural and Synthetic Distinction
Campbell-McBride writes that processed foods in industrialized countries are widely fortified with synthetic vitamin A. She says excess synthetic vitamin A can cause health problems and is particularly dangerous during pregnancy because it can damage the developing baby.[1]
She then contrasts those fortified products with liver and cod liver oil. In the book’s account, they provide natural vitamin A in a food or traditionally produced oil rather than the isolated synthetic forms used to fortify processed products.[1]
| Source | How the GAPS Book Classifies It | Pregnancy Context |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified processed food | Synthetic vitamin A added during manufacturing.[1] | The form the book identifies as dangerous in excess during pregnancy |
| Liver | Natural vitamin A with other fat-soluble vitamins, B vitamins, vitamin C, protein, and other nutrients.[1] | A traditional pregnancy food in the source |
| Cod liver oil made traditionally | A natural vitamin A and D supplement whose production quality matters.[2] | The supplement route for which the book gives pregnancy amounts |
What Liver Provides Besides Vitamin A
The book does not describe liver as a single-vitamin pill. It names natural vitamin A, other fat-soluble vitamins, the full spectrum of B vitamins, vitamin C, protein, and many other nutrients together in the same food.[1]
Campbell-McBride says deficiency in real natural vitamin A can interfere with development of the baby’s bones, eyes, nervous system, immune system, and connective tissue. She lists liver, high-fat meats, eggs, high-fat dairy, and oily fish as food sources.[1]
Why the Book Discusses Daily Liver
Campbell-McBride writes that eating liver daily was a duty for pregnant women in many traditional cultures. Her stated reason is the combined nutrition it supplied to the growing baby, not vitamin A in isolation.[1]
The official GAPS pregnancy FAQ gives the same food-first emphasis. It calls good food the most important pregnancy supplement, names natural animal fats, meat, fermented dairy, eggs, and liver, and again says daily liver is particularly important.[3]
Neither of those passages gives a gram, ounce, or IU amount for liver during pregnancy. The instruction is food-frequency language: liver daily. The source gives measured teaspoons only when it moves to cod liver oil.[1][3]
Cod Liver Oil Quality Comes Before the Dose
Before listing amounts, the 2020 book discusses how modern industrial processing can damage naturally occurring vitamins A and D and lead manufacturers to add synthetic vitamins back into the oil. Campbell-McBride prefers cod liver oil produced by traditional methods. When that is unavailable, she says to look for oil with natural vitamins A and D added and does not recommend synthetic vitamins.[2]
The book says exact vitamin A and D amounts in naturally produced oil are difficult to assess because the vitamins exist in many natural forms and current testing cannot be fully relied on. It also says individual needs differ and change, so working out an individual cod-liver-oil amount is not a precise science.[2]
For ordinary cod liver oil with natural vitamins added, the book says to look for a vitamin A-to-D ratio around 10 to 1. It also says to consult the manufacturer about amounts because every product contains different added levels.[2]
The book treats the general amounts as a starting point, says its general traditional-oil doses can be doubled for a few weeks at the beginning of the program, and places diet and lifestyle ahead of the supplement. Campbell-McBride says cod liver oil is helpful in the cold season and that most people do not need it in summer when sunlight is doing its work.[2]
The Pregnancy Amounts the Book Gives
For traditionally produced cod liver oil, Campbell-McBride gives about one teaspoon per day for an adult and says to double that amount for pregnant and lactating women. For ordinary cod liver oil with natural vitamins added, she gives 1.5 to 2 teaspoons per day for pregnant and lactating women and says it is a good idea to consult the manufacturer because products contain different amounts.[2]
| Product in the 2020 Book | General Adult Amount | Pregnant or Lactating Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Traditionally produced cod liver oil | About 1 teaspoon per day | Routine amount: double the adult amount. Separately, the book says the general traditional-oil doses may be doubled again for a few weeks at the beginning of the program.[2] |
| Ordinary oil with natural vitamins added | Typically 1 teaspoon per day; look for an A-to-D ratio around 10 to 1 | 1.5 to 2 teaspoons per day; consult the manufacturer because products differ[2] |
| Liver as food | No gram or IU amount in the pregnancy passage | The book uses daily-food language rather than a measured dose[1] |
What the Book Says About Overdose
Campbell-McBride acknowledges that vitamin A can be toxic in excess. Her numerical example says chronic toxic levels require more than ten times the recommended daily allowance for weeks to years and translates that into about 20 teaspoons of cod liver oil per day for an adult. She then contrasts that amount with one teaspoon per day and returns to synthetic vitamin A in fortified processed foods as the overdose concern emphasized in this chapter.[1]
That general overdose example does not replace the separate pregnancy amounts, product-quality rules, individual variation, temporary few-week doubling, or seasonal context the book gives elsewhere.[1][2]
What This Looked Like in Our Family
Our family uses Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil. I also carried our sixth pregnancy on Full GAPS and ate whatever I cooked for the family.[4]
I have not documented a pregnancy-specific cod-liver-oil dose, daily liver during pregnancy, a vitamin A blood result, or an infant outcome tied to either liver or cod liver oil. I am not turning the product we use into a pregnancy result we did not record.[4]
Build the Pregnancy Food Rhythm
Full GAPS Pregnancy: Week-by-Week Meals and Routines organizes the source’s Full GAPS pregnancy guidance into a week-by-week food and kitchen routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Book Say All Vitamin A Is Dangerous in Pregnancy?
No. The passage identifies excess synthetic vitamin A in fortified processed foods as the danger and contrasts it with natural vitamin A in liver and cod liver oil.[1]
Does the Book Give a Liver Dose for Pregnancy?
It does not give grams, ounces, or IU for liver in the pregnancy passage. It says eating liver daily was traditional and important. The measured teaspoons belong to cod liver oil.[1]
How Much Cod Liver Oil Does the Book Name?
For traditional cod liver oil, about two teaspoons per day is the routine pregnancy amount that follows from doubling the book’s one-teaspoon adult amount. The book separately says those general traditional-oil doses may be doubled again for a few weeks at the beginning of the program. For ordinary oil with natural vitamins added, it says to look for an A-to-D ratio around 10 to 1, names 1.5 to 2 teaspoons per day, and says to consult the manufacturer because products differ.[2]
Why Does Product Quality Matter?
Because the book says industrial refining can destroy natural vitamins and lead manufacturers to add synthetic versions back. Its dose discussion begins with production quality for that reason.[2]
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Vitamin A,” including overdose, fortified synthetic vitamin A, pregnancy, liver, cod liver oil, and fetal-development passages.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “How Much Cod Liver Oil Should We Supplement?” including product-quality, natural-vitamin, manufacturer, and pregnancy-dose passages.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. GAPS Frequently Asked Questions, “Pregnancy,” question 3.
- Garnica, E. WFLI Family Story Source, family supplements, sixth-pregnancy Full GAPS food, and no-documented-pregnancy-dose-or-outcome boundaries, current through October 2026.
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