NOTE: I no longer support the Vitamin A as poison theory. I do not recommend it to anyone, especially children. All information in this article is purely to help you understand what it is based on. It is possible to get too much Vitamin A by overdosing supplements or liver. But that doesn’t happen often and can be quickly remedied if it does by stopping the supplements. Vitamin A from animal sources (retinol) is an essential part of a nourishing diet. Beta Carotene can cause carotenemia (as my son had) but will not overload the body with Vitamin A. Retinol is required for regulating both copper and iron. I encourage you to research and make your own decisions. You can read our update/why we turned and ran from the Vitamin A Detox Diet HERE.
Today we’re discussing what you’ve all been waiting for – how to overcome Vitamin A Toxicity.
It’s really quite simple.
I also wanted to note that I will be focusing on the Vitamin A Detox Diet in relation to children since that is my area of specialty. That being said, everything will be applicable to adults as well.
Finally, know that this is VERY NEW information. So new things are coming to light left and right. I will do my best to keep up with anything that changes and give you the most up-to-date information.
How Does Your Child Get Vitamin A Toxicity?
A person becomes toxic when the liver is saturated with a particular toxin and can’t handle any more. Too much toxin = toxic. Once your bathtub is full of water it will start spilling over the edges. You can’t truly drain the tub until the faucet is completely turned off.
In other words, you have to stop taking in Vitamin A (intox) in order for your body to get the built up Vitamin A out (detox). You need the Vitamin A Detox Diet.
To clarify I do NOT mean detox in the sense of a juice cleanse or starving yourself. I’m using the word detox purely to mean the act removing the toxin. Not the widely held beliefs about the methods of detox.
The idea of no more in, drain the stored amount out is pretty simple and straight forward. I’ll go into more details on how specifically in a moment.
First I want to address how we got here in the first place.
Why Are Children so Loaded with Vitamin A?
If you’re like me you’ve been trying hard to nourish your kids and make sure they are eating lots of fruits, veggies and whole foods. Maybe you add extra egg yolks to smoothies or some desiccated liver to your meatballs. Your kids take cod liver oil weekly, drink raw milk or organic whole milk, eat sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, peppers, beets, spinach and kale. An assortment of healthy food.
How about a multi-vitamin added in for good measure? Just to “fill in the gaps.” Some whole food Vitamin C too?
Well, maybe not. Each of those things contains Vitamin A in the form of retinol, beta carotene or other carotenoids. And they add up. Quickly.
Humans did not eat this way thousands or even hundreds of years ago. Nobody ate the rainbow 1,000 years ago (I think we’ve forgotten how healthy white fruits and veggies are!). It just was not an option. There were no supermarkets with produce from around the world shipped in daily. People ate what was available.
Or maybe you’ve raised your kids on a typical diet these days of processed foods and pasteurized milk. They are all fortified with Vitamin A. Did your child ever drink formula? Fortified. In this case the government is dictating that your child needs large doses of Vitamin A on a daily basis.
How our Food and Diet Have Changed
I’m going to get technical just for a second here to explain some things on a deeper level.
Our bodies have a variety of receptors (molecule that responds to/”receives” specific substances like neurotransmitters, antigens and hormones). These substances are called ligands. Scientists have labeled one of the receptors RXR (Retinoid X Receptor). It is a poor name since this receptor can, and should, accept more than just retinoic acid.
RXR can also accept DHA (docosahexanoic acid) and phytanic acid, two types of fatty acids (there are others it accepts as well). These are actually the intended ligands for the RXR. Think of them as keys that unlock the RXR. And when they are present, they block the RXR from accepting Vitamin A.
DHA and phytanic acid should come from our food, specifically from ruminant animals. Ruminants eat grass, break down chlorophyll into DHA and phytanic acid. Then we consume them in beef fat and dairy fat. Both DHA and phytanic acid speed up the enzyme that breaks down Vitamin A in addition to blocking it from the RXR.
But this process has been interrupted. What are animals fed these days? Grains. No chlorophyll. On top of that the grains are usually covered in glyphosate. So there is much less DHA and phytanic acid to breakdown Vitamin A. And there is glyphosate that prevents the breakdown of Vitamin A (read all about the glyphosate Vitamin A connection here). A double whammy.
The popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets has also been a factor. We need red meat and animal fats from grassfed animals to get sufficient protein (to make retinol binding protein), DHA and phytanic acid. But those are missing on these restricted diets. Then add Vitamin A supplements on top of that “to prevent deficiencies.” It’s a recipe for disaster. If you know anyone that has gone on a vegan or vegetarian diet and felt great for a bit and then all of a sudden started to feel awful…this is why. They may actually be inducing an autoimmune disease!
As you can see our food supply and recommended diet has contributed greatly to this imbalance of Vitamin A. Plus the abundance of glyphosate is preventing us from detoxing Vitamin A.
How My Children Became Toxic
I’m right there with you when it comes to having children with Vitamin A Toxicity.
When my son was two he started itching his legs like crazy until they would bleed. Eczema. I did not know it then, but eczema is actually classified as an autoimmune condition. We had him tested for allergies. Oh boy. A laundry list of foods, including dairy and nuts. Time for big diet changes.
So over the years I got creative and made everything dairy free (or tomato free when avoiding nightshades) using pumpkin or squash as a replacement. He also couldn’t have potatoes. So he always got carrots instead.
When he was five (after multiple rounds of testing and we’d had to carry an epi-pen for a year due to a severe nut allergy) he had more allergy testing. The new allergist took one look at him and noted that he had orange feet!! Carotenemia…an overload of beta carotene…Vitamin A Toxicity. I’m sure he was overloaded before that (why he had the eczema in the first place). But this took it to a whole new level.
We’ve struggled for years with him having stomach aches, up and down eating, skin issues, minor fevers, mood/behavior issues. Now we know why!
Vitamin A Toxicity in Pregnancy
When I was pregnant with my third I was being so “good” eating every nutrient dense food possible…with liver added. And a multi on top. I’m sure I was getting extremely high amounts of Vitamin A. And it’s passed to baby both in utero and in breastmilk. God designed babies to detox the Vitamin A from mom since baby’s liver is healthier. Great design. But not so nice for baby in this world we now live in.
So my daughter had a tongue tie, feeding issues and extreme vaccine reactions as an infant. She basically stopped eating. And of course I tried to get her back to health feeding her squash and liver smoothies!! She is now 4 1/2 and still struggles. She has complained of bone pain since she was old enough to verbalize how she felt. She has frequent stomach aches and a low appetite. Again, now we know why!
Thank goodness after a short time on the VAD diet and using our simple magnesium lotion her leg pain is gone, and she eats so well!
Of course I did not know anything about Vitamin A Toxicity back then. So when I became pregnant with baby #4 I ate the same way. So much nourishing food…or so I thought. Salads piled high with a rainbow of vegetables, avocado, fried eggs and desiccated liver. Washed down with a big glass of raw milk.
Now I’m dealing with the consequences again. Or should I say my son is. Feeding troubles from birth. Food reactions. Flat spot on his head. Weak bones. Horrible teething pain. Body tension and tongue restriction. All because I tried to follow current health advice.
Are We All Overloaded with Vitamin A?
But it didn’t even start there. Like most people I’ve been overloaded with Vitamin A my whole life. My parents probably were too. Maybe my grandparents were too! I was born in 1980. Processed food was what everyone ate. And all processed food, infant formula, and pasteurized milk are fortified with Vitamin A.
Then glyphosate was added to everything, making it much harder for our bodies to detox Vitamin A.
So it didn’t matter which extreme I was in – I was filling up on a toxin. And then passed that on to my children. Even my oldest. She was born before I had ever heard the term Real Food. But she still got the Vitamin A overload from me, then compounded with vaccines. And it impacted her neurologically.
All this to say, many people are overdosing on Vitamin A whether they realize it or not. Plus nobody is able to detox in our toxic world. That is a big problem. And it needs to stop.
How Do You Stop Vitamin A From Coming In?
- The easiest way to start the process is by eliminating all supplements containing Vitamin A or D and foods fortified with Vitamin A or D from your child’s diet. Immediately. They can be sneaky. Alternative milks and yogurts, flours, cereals, crackers. Not sure why our government thinks we are all Vitamin A deficient and we need it added to every food.
- The next step is removing Vitamin A foods from your child’s diet. Well, mostly. Unless you go to extremes like eating only beef and rice for the next six months you will be getting some Vitamin A. But the goal is to make that as minimal as possible. The less comes in, the faster it gets out. I will talk more about particular foods later.
- Then you have to look at what you put on your child’s body. Soap, shampoo, lotion. Even essential oils. If it comes from brightly colored plants (even green herbs) it has carotenoids and your skin will absorb it.
- Another critical aspect of your child’s food is to make sure it is organic. Glyphosate amplifies the effects of Vitamin A in the body. Try to avoid it as much as you can. This is particularly important when it comes to grains. Washing your produce well is also helpful.
- Finally I highly recommend doing HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) with a skilled practicioner to find out what supplements your child truly does need short term to get in balance and to help the detox process.
Vitamin A Detox Diet
So what exactly does the Vitamin A Detox Diet look like? And how do you get started?
That’s where my new book comes in! I have created a guide for parents to walk them through the process of detoxing their children.
The diet does not eliminate any major food groups. You can still eat meat, veggies (all these white ones are awesome!), fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, beans and fats. So in that sense it is quite easy. You definitely won’t go hungry!
But it does eliminate a lot of foods you are probably used to eating. Like most red, orange, yellow and green veggies, pork, fish (due to contamination), dairy, egg yolks, olive oil, lard and unrefined coconut oil. In that sense it’s a big change from the traditional food diet we are used to. It’s hard to make that mental shift. And it can be hard in social settings.
My book has a long list of recipes and sample menus to help get you going. And it has the approved food list.
One critical aspect of the VAD Diet is protein. Your child must get adequate protein. Remember that Retinol Binding Protein we discussed in an earlier post? It is the only way to safely transport Vitamin A out of the liver. And it is a protein…so you need protein to make it. There are many sources of protein, but meat from ruminant animals is an essential one of the VAD Diet (read why here).
Getting Started on the Vitamin A Detox Diet
If you want to jump in now, a general rule is that if it’s colored it’s out and if it’s white it’s OK. This does not apply to all fruits as many get their color from substances other than beta carotene. But some do, like peaches and nectarines. Most grains are OK and most meat is OK (except pork). There are also some foods that don’t contain Vitamin A but do impact the body’s use of Vitamin A, like certain nuts and fats. So it is important to get the full diet.
The Vitamin A Detox Diet is generally a very short process for kids. I’d say a few weeks to a month or two is all that is needed.
Kid-Friendly Vitamin A Detox Diet Foods
I’ll keep sharing some new Vitamin A Detox Diet recipes.
My four-year old has been the easiest to feed on the VAD Diet. She asks for my food all the time.
Some of our favorites right now are:
- roasted parsnips
- rutabaga fries
- crinkle cut homemade french fries (yes, you can eat white potatoes!)
- peeled cucumbers or rice crackers dipped in homemade hummus
- rice and beans
- baked or roasted chicken dipped in honey
- roasted cauliflower
- roasted green cabbage
- gluten-free banana bread topped with sunbutter or butter
- fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, bananas, pears, apples, cherries, white peaches)
- grassfed beef meatballs
Why are olive oil and unrefined coconut oil excluded in the vitamin A detox diet? They are not vitamin A food sources. Do these foods have other contents that effect vitamin A levels in the human body?
Thanks,
Anna
Good question, Anna. There are actually carotenoids in olives. That’s what gives the green color. The coconut oil is a bit trickier. While it doesn’t have Vitamin A it does have other fatty acids that inhibit the Vitamin A detox.
Can we use peanut oil for short period of time for detox… because here in India their is no oil for detox strategy all refined oils are fortified with vitamin a & d except peanut oil
I’m sorry that I am not up to date on this diet. It did not work for my family, so we have not followed along. I’d work with a practitioner for dietary recommendations.
I thought pineapple were full of beta-Carotene? I use to love pineapple and was originally saddened when I found it was on the no-no list for a low vad diet.
I hope I’m wrong?
Well, up until a few weeks ago it was on the approved list. But it was just removed. I’ll have to update the post.
Hello Mary, I gather from your Pumpkin Bread recipe that you and your children are no longer doing the Vitamin A detox. May I ask if that is because you think your children have finished detoxing, or is there some other reason you have decided not to continue? Seems so hard to know how far to go with little ones, but after reading this article posted on Grant Genereux’s forum https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3543/htm I am encouraged to err on the side of caution with VA, i.e. to keep it as low as possible. Thanks.
Correct. We are no longer on the diet. There are quite a few factors really. In the end I believe the diet was causing doing more harm than good staying on it so long. It created a lot of imbalances and deficiencies. All of our symptoms were coming back, worse than when we started. I think we swung too far the other way – I do think we need some Vitamin A. Yes, VA Toxicity is very real. But I think you CAN be deficient and I think it doesn’t really take that long to get out of a toxic state (3-6 months max). So we are trying more foods and seeing how it goes. I feel better than I have in months.
There are other factors as well related to the VA Detox Program that have gotten a bit out of control in my opinion. I just couldn’t continue to support such an uncertain, constantly changing, more and more restrictive diet. Especially with kids. And the ongoing crazy supplement suggestions. It was just too much for me. I do still support the original diet for short-term healing/detox. After that I recommend trying to add foods back. Especially animal sources of Vitamin A, like eggs.
Would glutathione and milk thistle help with vitamin a toxicity?
Both glutathione and milk thistle help support detox. But I do not advise trying to remove Vitamin A from your diet/your body.
I’m curious if your children are vaccinated ? Many of their symptoms including eczema and allergies are linked to vaccine injuries.
My child’s medical status is not something I discuss publicly. But I will say I know the dangers of vaccines VERY well.
I think that the nutrient aspect of keeping a low VA diet is the key to doing it successfully and having less retracing (symptoms coming back as they gradually leave your system). The latest research has found that insoluble fiber is essential to get the VA out of your system and beans/legumes in adequate quantities provide the essential nutrients that would otherwise be lacking. That may have been the game changer in your progress. I wish you well and hope you find a safe balance.
I am familiar with the “bean theory.” And while it may sound good, it would not have been my answer. I am quite intolerant of beans/legumes and most foods high in insoluble fiber in general. It would have been pure misery for me to add that on top of how rotten I already felt on the diet. I have found other ways to get my nutrient levels restored – a wide variety of real, whole foods.
I also don’t get on very well with beans, I do great getting fibre from oats and wholegrains. Garrett Smith’s liver detox has evolved considerably in the last year. The focus is now much more on healing liver cholestasis (which causes toxins to reflux into the blood as the liver dumps them through the bile, instead of into the GIT and out, as they should do). That could explain the wall you hit up against when you were a few months in. I’ve only had good results in myself and my children. Sounds like you had a high Vitamin A intake for several years, do you think its possible to detox something that has built up over years, in just a few short months, not to mention heal all the damage it has done to the liver? I had a high intake for ten years, I don’t expect to get all that out in a few months, I’m just taking it slow and steady, and as it is a balanced diet I’m happy to eat this way for several years and allow my body to detox at a comfortable rate, whilst taking steps to support liver health. When I get detox symptoms I simply slow down for a wee while and they pass soon enough. Wish you all the best.
I can’t see much of his stuff as I was blocked from everything for asking questions. So I don’t really know what has come of his theory. We were not just a few months in. We were a year in, and our health was deteriorating. If a doctor/practitioner tells you to just keep going/waiting after trying their advice for a year and you are feeling worse than ever it’s time to move on. If it’s working for you, great. It was not good for my family. And 2 years later I am still seeing some lingering effects of it that we have to undo.
Can you explain the diet you used and the nutritional supplements that helped you treat cholestasis and detox
This diet did not work for me. You can check with other practitioners that follow the Vitamin A Detox.
Hello Mary, I have a recurring scalp infection which I think is caused because of excess sebum produced by high intake of vitamin A, it is causing excess hair loss.So recently I cut down all the vitamin A foods to try VAD. I do not see any relief yet. Also I’m following a keto diet so I’m intaking excess fat…I know fat is needed for vitamin A absorption but since I’m not taking any vitamin A is it ok to continue keto or the high fat food is halting my vitamin A detox by absorbing the vitamin from liver even after stopping the intake.
Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you. I don’t diagnose or treat medical conditions and can’t give nutritional advice without first assessing someone. In terms of Vitmain A, I no longer support the VAD Diet (as I state in the disclaimer at the top).
If you no longer support the vitamin a deficiency diet, then you should REMOVE THE PAGE.
It’s full of misinformation anyway. Grant Genereux’s hypothesis is just absolute nonsense. Very soon he will — if he hasn’t already, develop severe problems due to his complete misinterpretation of research and studies.
The most blatant error is his notion that beta carotene = vitamin A. It does NOT. It’s not converted to vitamin A unless there is plenty of zinc and other nutrients in the body, plus the body has a feedback loop to prevent excess conversion from the carotenes.
Why you have the page up is beyond comprehension. Unless you could change it to make a LARGER and STRONGER disclaimer at the top, and then correct and limit the erroneous information below…
Thank you, Kely. I have kept it up purely for people to find information and make their own decision. Yes, I could make some updates to make my current stance more clear. Thank you for the suggestion.
My ten-year old daughter injested several capsules of Vitamin A two weeks ago. She’s already manifesting serious symptoms of Vitamin A overdose – pounding headache, loss of appetite, reddish and peeling lips, weight loss etc. How do we get her out of this? She’s in great distress.
If you think your daughter is having a medical problem, go see your doctor. A true acute Vitamin A overdose will generally resolve itself pretty quickly by avoiding Vitamin A. But a couple capsules of Vitamin A does not sound like very much. I’d go see a doctor.
Do you have any suggestions for people dealing with vitamin A toxicity due to accutane. 2 years ago I was on accutane for 5 months. it caused my ulcerative colitis to turn into crohns colitis, bone weakness leading to scoliosis, blurry vision now needing glasses, eyes sensitive to light, very dry skin and lips, mental and physical dissociation problems ( my mental state is the most concerning). For the last year I went on a carnivore-ish diet that healed my inflammatory bowel disease which is great but my other symptoms still remain. I’m sure it is because the vitamin A is still in my system. I have lowered my vitamin A intake in my foods and started going to lots of infrared saunas. Do you have any other advice like Supplements or anything else? How long does it take to see results? Should I expect this to take years or if I limit my vitamin A a lot could I see results fairly soon. Main thing is I want my mental state back and I want to be able to see again.
Thank you!
-Juliana
Unfortunately I no longer work with Vitamin A toxicity. Vitamin A from food is not toxic. However, getting high doses from medication could cause problems. Anything you can do to support your liver may help. Making sure you are eating high-quality, nutrient-dense whole foods will be beneficial as well. I only give specific recommendations to clients (for legal reasons).
Hello, did you ever improve from the light sensitivity and blurry vision?? I’m having the same issues from vitamin A.
Thanks!
I did not find the low Vitamin A diet helpful. It caused worse symptoms over time. I do not recommend it.
It would have been great to know what exactly you and your family were eating while on the VA detox diet. Is there a page or a resource you can link to where I can find this info?
Unfortunately the diet kept changing while we were doing it. I don’t know the current restrictions. And I don’t promote it. You can look up Dr. Gerrit Smith for more information.
Hi can you suggest a alternative protein source for a vegetarian for VAD diet. Is paneer or tofu a good alternative. Or can I take pea protein mixed in water
Sorry, Nithya – I do not support the VAD diet nor a vegetarian diet. I do not have any recommendations for you.
I have a vitamin a overload and can’t find out where I went wrong. I look at my shampoo and conditioner and it contains lot of herbs which I do not know if these herbs have vitamin a…….can you recommend a shampoo and conditioner that is safe to use and doesn’t have vitamin a? It would be so very helpful and much appreciated.
I do not have any recommendations. I do not avoid Vitamin A (read the disclaimer at the top of the post).
Do you have another post explaining your current diet that you use now since the VAD diet did not work for you?
I just eat real food. No special diet. Just a wide variety of whole food. I use HTMA to assess my needs and also listen to my body. It’s unique for each person. I wrote a bit about it here: https://justtakeabite.com/2020/01/06/why-we-stopped-vitamin-a-detox-diet/
Thank you for keeping this post up with your disclaimer. It is valuable to see your honest experience. Over the past 12 or so years on my own journey, I have read thousands of anecdotal evidence like yours, thousands of peer reviewed published papers, dozens of books on every type of diet. Spent thousands of various tests, and tried to avoid supplements as much as possible because they don’t make evolutionary sense to me, and tried to live balanced and natural as possible, but it’s still difficult switching it around because we do tend to take it a little far sometimes and it becomes extremely frustrating trying to figure out the answers.
I accidentally had extremely high vitamin A diet + in supplements I had not realized had high vitamin A due to one of my diet switch mistakes. This lead me to your website and also some books about the liver (after tests revealed possible liver damage) and my symptoms aligned nearly perfect to vitamin A toxicity. I plan to just avoid vitamin a rich foods and of course supplements for a while but not more than a few weeks.
I did try to find where you wrote it, maybe I missed it, but what were your symptoms that lead you to vitamin A toxicity diagnosis belief? I’m mostly curious if you had dry eye problems at all, bone pain, or pressure headaches?
I’m also wondering if you have done research on liver health? It’s a new piece of the puzzle I’m looking into that is making sense to me. If you do look into it, please also don’t do anything extreme for too long and especially don’t do any of those mythical liver flushes. Real liver health seems to advocate for times of keeping unhealthy fat and protein intake low while increasing fruits and vegetables. Not much unusual about that since it fits with how humans lived historically. Anyway, if you have time, I’d love to hear you answers. Thanks again.
We had a lot of random symptoms. No dry eyes, bone pain, or pressure headaches. I honestly can’t remember what took me down that path. I do not recommend Vitamin A supplements. Just eating a balanced diet with animal sources of VItamin A. Liver health is definitely key!