If you have opened the cod liver oil chapter and found two sets of amounts, you have not misread it. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride gives a general recommendation, then a separate set for ordinary oils with natural vitamins added. This guide puts the passages beside each other so you can see which product and life stage each one describes.[1]
Start With the Bottle, Not Just the Spoon
Before the amount discussion, Campbell-McBride asks readers to consider production quality, added vitamins and individual nutritional needs. She prefers traditionally produced cod liver oil and says to ask the manufacturer about amounts when vitamins have been added. Her explanation does not treat every bottle as interchangeable. She also describes individual requirements changing from day to night, from winter to summer, and with stress or rest.[1]
Keep the serving size and the actual vitamin A and D amounts together. Include other sources, such as a prenatal or another supplement, when reviewing the total. Excess preformed vitamin A can cause harm, including during pregnancy; an oil’s natural origin does not make an unlimited amount safe. For pregnancy, breastfeeding, babies and children, review the exact product and total intake with the clinician involved in their care.[4] The tables below report the book’s guidance, rather than setting an individual supplement schedule.
The Book’s General Amounts
In “How much cod liver oil should we supplement?”, Campbell-McBride gives the following general amounts. Her preceding discussion favors traditionally produced oil.[1]
| Life Stage | What the General Passage Says |
|---|---|
| Adults | About 1 teaspoon per day. |
| Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women | Double the general adult amount. |
| Children | Half the general adult amount. |
| Babies and Very Small Children | This passage describes rubbing oil into the skin, with the diaper area as its example. It does not give an oral amount here. |
In that same paragraph, she reports doubling the amounts for a few weeks at the beginning of the programme, based on her clinical experience. Keep that short-term clinical note with the rest of her discussion; it should not be added automatically to another supplement plan.[1]
The topical passage is a different route from a measured oral serving. It does not tell you how many units of vitamin A or D a particular baby would receive through the skin. Do not count it as a measured replacement for an infant’s prescribed supplementation.
Ordinary Oils With Natural Vitamins Added
The next paragraph discusses an ordinary cod liver oil with natural vitamins added. It names an approximate vitamin A-to-D ratio of 10:1 and says to consult the manufacturer because added amounts differ. These are the typical daily amounts listed in that separate paragraph.[1]
| Life Stage | Amount in the Added-Vitamin Passage |
|---|---|
| Adults | 1 teaspoon per day. |
| Children | Half the adult amount. |
| Babies and Very Small Children | One-third of a teaspoon per day. |
| Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women | 1.5–2 teaspoons per day. |
The baby entry here should not be silently combined with the skin-application entry in the first table. They come from different paragraphs about different product contexts. Ask about the actual oil rather than choosing whichever entry is easier to follow.
A ratio also does not tell you the concentration in a serving. Two products can have the same ratio while supplying different amounts of both vitamins. If the label uses different units for vitamin A and vitamin D, ask the manufacturer to explain the comparison rather than dividing the two printed numbers.
When New Cod Liver Oil Is Introduced
The official GAPS supplement FAQ gives a gradual sequence: from Intro Stage 3, once fermented foods have been successfully introduced, begin a probiotic and cod liver oil in tiny amounts and increase gradually. Fish oils follow once the full daily cod liver oil amount has been introduced. For a Full GAPS start, the FAQ permits probiotic and cod liver oil from the beginning, again starting tiny.[3]
There are important distinctions here. The FAQ gives an earlier probiotic exception for people who cannot tolerate fermented food; it does not move new cod liver oil to Stage 2 in that answer. Another answer says to continue probiotic and cod liver oil already tolerated before starting GAPS. The 2020 book also includes a probiotic in its Intro starting routine, so “everyone must stop every supplement in Stages 1 and 2” would be too broad.[3][5]
The GAPS supplements guide covers the full sequence and keeps the food-first approach in view.
The Epilepsy Exception Has Its Own Timing
Campbell-McBride’s 2020 essential-fatty-acid discussion says not to use plant- or fish-oil supplements for at least the first year of treatment in people with epilepsy. She says these oils can trigger seizures in a proportion of people and that the reason is not known. Her dietary focus for that group is animal fats in food.[2]
Her later option is narrower than restarting every oil: after seizures have stopped for at least six months or longer, a person prone to common colds could consider cod liver oil during the cold season, beginning with a tiny amount and increasing gradually. Keep both conditions together: the minimum first year and the later seizure-free period. This passage does not change a seizure-medication plan.[2]
The FAQ separately cautions about cod liver oil, other fish oils and evening primrose oil for seizures, tics, Tourette syndrome and other involuntary movements. It does not assign all those conditions the epilepsy passage’s later timetable.[3]
Questions About the Amounts
Can I Use the General Amount if the Label Is Unclear?
The book asks readers to consider the oil’s quality and individual needs before its amount examples. An unclear label is a reason to get the missing product information, rather than assuming the same spoonful contains the same vitamins. My product comparison shows the kinds of label and testing details available for several oils.
Does Everyone Stop Taking It in Summer?
Campbell-McBride describes finding supplementation helpful in the cold season and says the majority do not need it in summer when they have sun exposure. She also puts diet and lifestyle ahead of the supplement. That is her seasonal approach, rather than an instruction to change a particular person’s prescribed plan whenever the season changes.[1]
Where Is My Family’s Choice Explained?
My family uses Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil and a separate Nordic Naturals Complete Omega product. The cod liver oil overview explains that family context, production methods, vitamin A and D, and tolerance. Our product names are not someone else’s dose schedule.
Your Next Step
Put your bottle’s name, serving size, vitamin amounts and other supplements beside the relevant source passage. That gives you a clear set of details to review instead of a teaspoon number on its own. My Supplement Introduction Tracker is listed in the WFLI Shop. A notebook can hold the same product, amount and response notes.
References
- Campbell-McBride N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Cod Liver Oil,” especially “How much cod liver oil should we supplement?” Product quality, individual requirements, the two amount passages and seasonal use.
- Campbell-McBride N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Essential fatty acids,” the epilepsy restriction and later cold-season cod liver oil option.
- Campbell-McBride N. Official GAPS FAQs, “Supplements,” questions 2 and 28 (sequence and existing use), and question 7 (reactions and involuntary movements).
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Health Professional Fact Sheet. Preformed vitamin A and excessive intake.
- Campbell-McBride N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), GAPS Introduction Diet starting routine, probiotic recommendation.
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