Fish eggs are extremely high in vitamin D and a much safer and better choice than drops or pills for resolving this common nutritional deficiency. What to look for to source the highest quality roe with no additives.
Are fish eggs, also referred to as fish roe, a better choice than Vitamin D drops for resolving worrisome signs of vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D is surely the darling of supplements at the moment. More and more exciting news keeps coming out about this Wonder Vitamin and its beneficial effects in reducing the chances of many kinds of cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. The research is simply too groundbreaking to ignore.
I wrote a couple of posts last year about how the seasonal flu is really just Vitamin D deficiency disease and why I take a cod liver oil supplement every day even when I get good doses of midday Florida sunshine. I find the role of Vitamin D in the body and its ability to preserve health and reduce inflammation of all kinds very exciting.
Nearly 80% of People Deficient in Vitamin D
According to a study published by the peer-reviewed Archives of Internal Medicine, nearly 80% of Americans were deficient in this critical nutrient in 2009. Is it worse today? I would wager that it probably is given the advent of smartphones and less time spent outdoors! (1)
These numbers have even conventional doctors jumping on the bandwagon with more frequent testing. Supplementation is the solution commonly recommended when Vitamin D levels are too low to reap any health benefits.
While I think the enthusiasm over Vitamin D is wonderful, I personally do not feel comfortable with the casual way that high dose Vitamin D supplements are being recommended.
In some ways, it seems like Vitamin D has become just another drug!
Taking a single vitamin or nutrient in isolation is a practice that should be used with caution. This is especially true with Vitamin D, which is fat-soluble. Toxic blood levels from supplementation can and do occur.
For this reason, a food-based supplement that supplies Vitamin D is safer. In addition, a whole food source like high vitamin cod liver oil supplies not only Vitamin D, but also Vitamin A and other nutritional cofactors which work synergistically to prevent toxicity.
Watch out, though. Many cod liver oil brands are high-heat treated, which destroys the natural Vitamin D. Synthetic Vitamin D is added back after processing, but this fact is not indicated on the label.
Be sure to use only brands that do not heat the oil. This is the vetted and tested brand I use.
Vitamin D Foods and UVB Sunshine
What if your Vitamin D blood levels are so low that you can’t take enough cod liver oil each day to bring them up very quickly?
What if you live in a climate where getting a decent dose of midday UVB sunshine to produce Vitamin D via the skin is not an option for a substantial portion of the year?
Clearly, taking more than a teaspoon or two of cod liver oil each day to try and boost Vitamin D levels is not the answer in these situations.
Too much cod liver oil each day results in consuming too many omega 3 fatty acids. This can be just as bad as too little. Both scenarios can result in inflammatory conditions in the body.
In those instances, then, larger doses of Vitamin D are obviously required in addition to the daily dose of high vitamin cod liver oil.
However, there is a better and safer way to increase your Vitamin D blood levels quickly without those potentially dangerous high dose Vitamin D drops and pills!
Fish Eggs: Traditional Sacred Food to the Rescue
Fish eggs, also known as fish roe, were highly prized by the natives of South America who would sometimes travel hundreds of miles from their mountain villages down to the sea to procure it in dried form. Â This superfood was then provided to women of childbearing age to ensure healthy and robust babies and children.
The Eskimos also consumed fish roe from a number of fish species, particularly salmon. Fish eggs were dried for consumption during winter months and for special feeding to pregnant women.
How Much Vitamin D in Fish Roe?
It is no wonder fish roe was so highly prized by isolated natives.
According to an analysis carried out by the Weston A. Price Foundation, a single tablespoon of fish roe contains approximately 17,000 international units of vitamin D. (2)
In addition, fish roe contains vitamins A, K2, zinc, iodine, and the brain supporting omega 3 fatty acid DHA in ample amounts.
One tablespoon of fish eggs, then, supplies a similar amount of Vitamin D as a midday dose of Vitamin D on the skin!
Incidentally, one tablespoon of pastured lard clocks in at 10,000 IU of Vitamin D according to tests by the Weston A. Price Foundation. This healthy fat is a great alternative for those who are allergic to fish.
Synergistic Nutrients
Vitamin A and particularly Vitamin K2 work synergistically with Vitamin D to prevent toxicity and over calcification of the soft tissues, bones, heart, and/or kidneys, hallmark symptoms of Vitamin D overdose. The K2 can be the animal form (MK-4) or the fermented form (MK-7).
Given this information, doesn’t it seem much wiser to use fish eggs as that big Vitamin D boost rather than potentially dangerous and untested Vitamin D drops and pills?
The truth is that no one really knows what the long term effects of taking large doses of Vitamin D in isolation will be. Do you really want to be a guinea pig or do you want to use the safe and effective Vitamin D boost that the Eskimos and traditional mountain-dwelling tribes of South America used when sunlight was not a readily available option?
Where to Get Fish Eggs
I buy small glass jars of salmon roe at gourmet grocery stores for as little as ten to fifteen dollars.
The brand of fish roe I buy has only 3 ingredients: fish roe, salt, and water. Make sure the brand of fish eggs you choose does not contain any preservatives or colors added.
If you can find a fresh or dried source of caviar, so much the better!
How to Eat Roe
I love my salmon roe right off the spoon.
I eat 1/4 – 1/2 tsp in the morning with breakfast a few times a week. They are so salty and delightful. If you aren’t sure you like it at first, try it a few more times as roe can sometimes be a bit of an acquired taste.
If you simply can’t get used to fish eggs off the spoon, try some topped on whole-grain crackers with some creme fraiche.
Another option is to eat sushi! Many recipes for sushi rolls are topped with generous amounts of fish eggs.
Note that fish roe make great finger food for toddlers!
In my mind, fish eggs are a much superior – and delicious method for quickly raising and maintaining optimal Vitamin D levels.
What is your favorite way to eat fish roe? Do you like it off the spoon as I do?
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I’ve been taking FCLO and daily salmon roe since December and it’s had catastrophic effects on my vitamin D levels. I”ve just had a blood test and they’ve dropped by 50% from sufficient to deficient. I expect both are high in D2 rather than D3 and it’s been shown that D2 supplementation causes D3 levels to drop. I love what the FCLO does for my teeth and I”m sure the salmon roe is highly nutritious but they’re not a substitute for D3 supplements if you live at high latitudes.
When I was a young girl my greek grandmother used to fry saltwater fish quite often for lunch. She would always call us kids in for the meze of fish roe. I never knew then how wise she was. I have never had problems with my pregnancies or births and I make sure my kids get that roe no matter how small the fish-and sometimes they’re no bigger than anchovies! Thank goodness for all the grandparents in the world with wisdom beyond any university education-the wisdom of the aeons.
gwong March 3, 2013 at 9:44 pm
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Dear Sarah,
Thank you so much for this article and all the other very informative and great articles you’ve put up. I heard your lecture at the Oralhealth Summit and at the end of the talk, you mentioned fish eggs being one of the most important foods to eat, that along with fish head soup. I live close to a Chinese neighborhood and would go to a supermarket there to buy wild caught salmon heads. The up side is the heads are fresh and only cost $1.99 per pound. The down side is, though they’re labeled wild caught, next to the tray of heads are two trays of salmon fillets, one labeled wild caught and the other labeled farm raised, so since there is only one tray of heads, I assume that they just threw the wild caught and farm raised heads together. I tried to get some answers from the people at the fish counter, but no one knows whether they are wild or farm raised. They do have other fish heads specifically labeled wild caught next to fillets of that fish also labeled wild that you can purchase, so I went there last Thursday to see what they had to offered. On that day, there were some fresh salmon heads and next to them were the two trays of fillets, this time, both labeled wild. Taking that to be the only salmon available was wild, I bought one of the heads and to my delight, on the tray of heads were containers of fresh fish roe. Because of your recommendation, I bought a container. As soon as I got home, I took a spoonful. I had been eating raw liver for almost 10 months and have not found any adverse effects from it, and decided to eat the fish roe raw. I don’t know if I should have done that, but that night, as I was putting up some black out blinds, I broke out into a sweat. At that point, I didn’t think anything about it and continued working. The next day, I made some soup from the meat from the fish head that I had roasted and broth that I had made from the bones and put in some vegetable and about a tablespoon of fish roe and had it for dinner. Later I broke out into a sweat again. Again, I didn’t think much of it, till I saw some notes that I had taken from the Oral Health Summit mentioning that fish roe and sea food of all kinds had the ability to heal the thyroid. I had been dealing with low thyroid function for many years. I was always cold and the last few years, the condition became so severe that my fingers and toes would become numb and turn black as soon as I would get cold. I went to several, chiropractors and acupuncturist to resolve the issue and one of them told me that, a healthy body has moisture. In demonstration, he showed me his hand in comparison to my hands. His had a slight feeling of moisture on it and mine was absolutely dry. They are so dry that often times, I cannot even get a grip on a door knob to open it. So it was really amazing that a tablespoon of fish roe could do so much.
I am so grateful for this discovery, but I would like to know if it’s OK to eat the fish eggs raw? As I said, I’ve been eating raw liver since April last year with no apparent problems. I divide them into single servings and freeze them and take out single servings as I use them. I plan to do the same with the fish eggs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again thank you for all your contributions.
Cheui May
Dear Sarah,
Thank you so much for this article and all the other very informative and great articles you’ve put up. I heard your lecture at the Oralhealth Summit and at the end of the talk, you mentioned fish eggs being one of the most important foods to eat, that along with fish head soup. I live close to a Chinese neighborhood and would go to a supermarket there to buy wild caught salmon heads. The up side is the heads are fresh and only cost $1.99 per pound. The down side is, though they’re labeled wild caught, next to the tray of heads are two trays of salmon fillets, one labeled wild caught and the other labeled farm raised, so since there is only one tray of heads, I assume that they just threw the wild caught and farm raised heads together. I tried to get some answers from the people at the fish counter, but no one knows whether they are wild or farm raised. They do have other fish heads specifically labeled wild caught next to fillets of that fish also labeled wild that you can purchase, so I went there last Thursday to see what they had to offered. On that day, there were some fresh salmon heads and next to them were the two trays of fillets, this time, both labeled wild. Taking that to be the only salmon available was wild, I bought one of the heads and to my delight, on the tray of heads were containers of fresh fish roe. Because of your recommendation, I bought a container. As soon as I got home, I took a spoonful. I had been eating raw liver for almost 10 months and have not found any adverse effects from it, and decided to eat the fish roe raw. I don’t know if I should have done that, but that night, as I was putting up some black out blinds, I broke out into a sweat. At that point, I didn’t think anything about it and continued working. The next day, I made some soup from the meat from the fish head that I had roasted and broth that I had made from the bones and put in some vegetable and about a tablespoon of fish roe and had it for dinner. Later I broke out into a sweat again. Again, I didn’t think much of it, till I saw some notes that I had taken from the Oral Health Summit mentioning that fish roe and sea food of all kinds had the ability to heal the thyroid. I had been dealing with low thyroid function for many years. I was always cold and the last few years, the condition became so severe that my fingers and toes would become numb and turn black as soon as I would get cold. I went to several, chiropractors and acupuncturist to resolve the issue and one of them told me that, a healthy body has moisture. In demonstration, he showed me his hand in comparison to my hands. His had a slight feeling of moisture on it and mine was absolutely dry. They are so dry that often times, I cannot even get a grip on a door knob to open it. So it was really amazing that a tablespoon of fish roe could do so much.
I am so grateful for this discovery, but I would like to know if it’s OK to eat the fish eggs raw? As I said, I’ve been eating raw liver since April last year with no apparent problems. I divide them into single servings and freeze them and take out single servings as I use them. I plan to do the same with the fish eggs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again thank you for all your contributions.
Cheui May
“……..While I think the enthusiasm over Vitamin D is wonderful, I personally do not feel comfortable with the casual way that high dose Vitamin D supplements are being recommended by healthcare professionals……… ” couldn’t agree with you more!
Amazing! Its really remarkable paragraph, I have got much clear idea
regarding from this piece of writing.
9$/lb i’d assume its not salmon eggs, it might be cod or trout, but its still good to eat. Greeks make taramasalad with cod eggs, which is very delocious spread.