The type of diet I recommend and follow comes from the recommendations of Dr. Weston Price, an American dentist from the 1930s. In his quest to discover reasons for tooth decay, Dr. Price travelled the world and studied over a dozen groups of isolated communities worldwide who enjoyed excellent dental health. His research revealed that the dental conditions he was treating in his patients were a result of nutritional deficiencies, not genetics. Although these non-industrialized peoples he studied came from different geographical regions they had the following in common:
• Traditional diet of indigenous foods
• Long healthy lives
• No chronic illness, obesity, infertility or birth defects
• Strong bones and straight teeth
Focusing on their nutrition, he found they shared common eating habits despite the varied locations. Much to my surprise they weren’t vegetarians! They consumed nutrient dense foods high in vitamins and minerals such as cream, butter, eggs, organ meats, insects, fish, fish oils and shell fish.
One of the staple foods of healthy ancestors were bone broths (also known as chicken soup) which provided the calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Grains and nuts were soaked, sprouted and/or fermented for easier digestion. The use of high quality butter and other animals fats are prized for health and fertility. Fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut or kimchi) and dairy products (kefir, yoghurt) provide healthy bacteria similar to probiotics. The cookbook I’ve been using is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. Little by little I’m implementing tasty culinary dishes with my family. Although this diet is not vegetarian, there are many preparations that vegans will find helpful.
This type of high-fat diet runs counter to the standard American dietary recommendation of a low fat/low cholesterol diet. Yet as we’ve been encouraged to consume low fat diets, our rates of chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes are on the rise. For more information see the following articles:
Atherosclerosis by Hollie Greenwood
Cod Liver Oil
