Forget the politically correct notions about what constitutes healthy eating. Foods devoid of fat, salt, and/or healthy microorganisms are not fit for human consumption, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Good for you? Whole milk, butter, eggs, cream, etc.Traditional foods rich in saturated fats, cholesterol, and other culturally accepted no-no's have been unfairly demonized, argues Weston A. Price devotees. In fact, many of the health problems that we mistakenly link to these forbidden foods, they say, are actually due to their modernized, industrialized, processed substitutes.
For example, advocacy groups associated with the foundation are lobbying legislatures, food suppliers, grocery stores, restaurants and consumers to have pasteurized, homogenized, reduced-fat dairy products replaced by raw whole milk; white sugar replaced by honey, maple syrup or molasses; white flour replaced by whole, organic, even sprouted grains; hydrogenated vegetable oils replaced by butter, coconut oil, or (are you sitting down?) lard. They’ve even established a “Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund” to “protect the rights of farmers to provide meat, eggs, raw dairy products, vegetables and other foods directly to consumers.” Who could argue with that?
The Weston A. Price Foundation bases its work on the research of its namesake, an early 20th century dentist who studied the health -- and eating habits -- of isolated populations all over the world. He discovered that traditional diets, far removed from modern agriculture and manufacturing, resulted in healthier people. Although not yet a household name, the foundation has increased its visability and membership due to the burgeoning sustainable food movement, which closely aligns with its increasingly credible food philosophies. The organization was even featured in Michael Pollan's best-selling book, In Defense of Food.
For more about the fascinating work being performed by this controversial, yet courageous group of real-food activists, read The Great Divide: Who Says Good Nutrition Means Animal Fats? Weston A. Price, published, last year, by the Washington Post. Then post your own comment and tell us who you believe: What foods should we be eating and why?
Comments
many of these foods; whole milk, eggs, butter, meat, ect. have simply been eaten by people for so many thousands of years that I just cannot buy the line that some medical "experts" and public health "officials" spout about them being bad for us. not to mention my Eastern European relatives who all lived well into theirlate 70s and late 80s and ate lots of meat,saturated animal fatand butter, apparentlynot suffering any ill effect.
I just do not believe it, so I'm more with the traditional food side of the argument. however, any organization can be too dogmatic, which turns people off to the cause and skews the generally overall positive vision said organization may truly have at heart.
I for one, believe in real, unprocessed food. i believe it is best for us and our planet. but it also isnt my hill to die on, life goeson, whether everyone agrees on these ideals or not.
Thanks for weighing in, Emily. I couldn't agree with you more. It's hard to argue with the way our ancestors ate, especially as we look to other cultures for guidance in not only WHAT we eat, but the WAY we do it (like sitting down to a meal with family and friends, for example).
Anyone scared to eat their egg yolks, butter, fat, full fat milk and bloody red meat can send it to me. I'll pay the postage.
Keep up the good fight Shari.
I think we also need to look at the source of the food as well. Factory eggs are not as healthy as free range. Grass fed beef (and other pastured animals and their fat) is healthier than feedlot beef or pork or chicken. Another reason the folks of yore and other places today can eat the way they do is because of how the food they eat was produced. Many of the vegetables in the grocery store have had a lot of nutrients bred out of them in favor of being able to handle long shipping and storage. I believe these things must be kept in mind as an integral part of being able to eat more animal fat, butter, eggs, etc.
You are singing our song. Check out our new book, The Silver Cloud Diet e-book, available at http://www.thesilverclouddiet.com. The sustainable diet for the 21st century which proposes you eat the way your grandparents did, a broad and varied diet of unprocessed foods, mostly organic, and wild caught when possible. W're all on the same page here and out in front of a great movement that may save our health and society. Keep up the good work.
Linda West Eckhardt
James Beard Award winning cookbook author
co-author The Silver Cloud Diet e-book
No tree died for this book to be published.
available at http://www.thesilverclouddiet.com
I agree with you wholeheartedly. However, I eat only grass fed beef, pigs that forage, raw milk, raw cream and raw cheese. Tons of fruits and veggies, nuts and NO GRAIN and no SUGAR AT ALL. The food industry makes the insurance industry look like angels.
I agree. My Nan, 90 this year and still going strong, tells me about the sort of food they used to eat. She talks fondly of "dripping on toast" and there was of course none of this low fat or vegetarian nonsense. They used butter, suet, lard, goose fat. I think it very strange that animal fats are naturally occurring and require little or no refining to eat yet apparently are really bad for you. I don't buy it - we have been conned. I happily consume animal fat when I want to and eschew all grains apart from maize. Fat is satiating, if I eat animal fats I eat less food overall, I am less hungry, my blood sugar feels regulated and I have lost a stone in weight. I have more energy than ever before because grains make you bloated, fat and slow.
I partially agree. But, one does have to be more scientific than to just criticize a well documented wealth of evidence that show contrary results. So, before you turn everyone off you must show the evidence. A gut feeling is just that - nothing more.
I do believe that there is a balance to all phases of our lives and we need to keep our planet as uncontaminated as possible. But, let's not jump from the skillet into the fire because someone thinks they know what is right. Prove it to make yourself believable. I've seen too many people jump on the wagon of an idea that seems plausible and that we would like to believe, only to find that the end result was worse.
Prove it. That is the only logical way to get reasonable people to believe.
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