My grandmother is 85 years old. She dyes her hair and dresses like a 50 year old. She’s in great health for her age and despite two falls in the past two years she hasn’t suffered any broken bones. Yesterday she told me she attributes her good health to cod liver oil. It seems her mother force fed her a tablespoon full every morning of her childhood. Apparently her mother, my great-grandmother, would hand her a tablespoon of cod liver oil in one hand and a quarter of an orange in the other. She’d hold her breath, swallow the cod liver oil, and suck on the orange. Her brother and sister who stood next to her in line would do the same.
In my thirty years on this earth I have already visited more doctors than my grandmother has visited in eighty-five years. When I told her how much I was spending on medical treatments she told me to stop paying so much money for expensive remedies. She told me to swallow a tablespoon of cod liver oil every morning. When I told her I didn’t think that would solve my troubles she told me to give it a shot. “After all,” she said, “we’re talking about $5.”
Well, hmmm. Are you gonna do it?
Well I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to swallow it without gagging, and since it’s totally unrelated to my pain issues I doubt it will help me, but I’m going to buy the $5 bottle and give it a shot.
can’t wait to hear how it works!
haha it’s onlt $5, an upset stomach, and fishy breath…
Let us know how it goes! š
I hated it too, but my mom convinced me to try Carlson’s lemon cod-liver oil (I think they have lime too). It’s more expensive, but it’s actually tolerable. [She swears by cod-liver oil too.]
Though I guess I’d wait to see if it works before spending the extra $. š
Sooo… should we start a cod liver challenge? Count me in.
This is a great story and your grandmother sounds wonderful.
As a point of relief, they make cod liver oil pills–easier to swallow than cod liver oil itself!
Studies have shown that cod liver oil helps people with arthritis. I don’t remember the details, though, and studies may have proved something different by now, anyway
I’ve tried to convince my grandmother to let me take the pill version, but she’s old fashioned and says only the liquid form will do. I promised her I would try the liquid version at least once.
Maybe I’ll be able to find the lemon flavored cod liver oil in a local store. The amazon ratings are 5 star!
Elizabeth — do you purchase the flavored one locally or via the Internet?
That was very typical here in Portugal decades ago also. I was wondering where is your grand-grand -mother from?
I buy it locally – it’s in the health food section, though it’s a more organic/natural/local type grocery store rather than the general kind. Maybe a health food store if you can’t find it in the grocery store?