A Fascinating Look into Traditional Diets

In the early 1930s, a Cleveland dentist named Weston A. Price began a series of unique investigations. For over a decade, he traveled to isolated parts of the globe to study the health of populations untouched by Western civilization. He wanted to find the factors responsible for good dental health. He learned that dental problems like cavities and overcrowding are the result of nutritional deficiencies rather than inherited genetic defects. He visited islands west of Scotland, remote Swiss villages, and indigenous peoples from North and South America. He also visited Melanesia, Polynesia, Australian Aborigines, and New Zealand Maori. Wherever he went he noticed beautiful straight teeth free from decay. He also noticed the people had strong physiques, resistance to disease, and fine characters. These were all common traits of people on traditional diets that included essential nutrients. Naturally, Price compared his new discoveries with his experience of Western diets. Traditional diets contained four times the water-soluble vitamins and minerals. They also contain ten times the fat-soluble vitamins from the animal foods abundantly available, such as: Butter Fish Fish eggs Shellfish Organ meats Eggs Animal fats Aren’t these foods loaded with cholesterol? Aren’t they shunned by American dietary advisers as unhealthy? But these fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A and D, are vital to health. That’s because they act as catalysts for mineral absorption and protein utilization. Without them, we cannot absorb minerals, no matter how abundant they may be in our food. Price discovered an additional fat-soluble nutrient, which he labeled Activator X. All primitive groups had a source of Activator X, now thought to be vitamin K2, in their diets. Isn’t it interesting that the traditional foods of these peoples were instinctive choices? This demonstrates the value of observing traditions. It’s the essence of wisdom gained over time and preserved for future generations. A surprising finding for Price was the idea of a pre-conception diet, something unheard of today. Many tribes required that their young parents-to-be consume nutrient-dense animal foods for six months before conception. This expectation extended to lactating women and growing children—a stark contrast to his observations of Westerners subsisting on nutrient-deprived, commercial foods. Examples include: Sugar White flour Pasteurized milk Low-fat foods Vegetable oils Convenience items (filled with extenders and additives) Price's discoveries and conclusions are presented in his book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration." The book has striking photographs reminding us how physical degeneration occurs when human groups abandon traditional diets in favor of modern convenience foods. So, given all this research by Price, what are the dos and don’ts of eating to prevent the degenerative diseases so prevalent today? Is it complicated? Not really. Let’s start with Price’s don’ts. This may reflect what’s in your cupboards or your food-buying preferences. Do not eat commercially processed foods and make sure you read the labels: Cookies Cakes Crackers TV dinners Soft drinks Packaged sauce mixes etc. Avoid all refined sweeteners:  Sugar Dextrose Glucose High fructose corn syrup Fruit juices Avoid white flour and white rice. Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or oils and foods cooked in these oils. Avoid all industrial polyunsaturated vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola, or cottonseed. Do not practice veganism. Animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods. Avoid products containing protein powders as they usually contain carcinogens or damaged proteins formed during processing. Likewise, avoid: Lean meat Skinless poultry Reduced-fat milk Egg whites without the yolks Protein powders Consumption of these products can lead to deficiencies, especially of vitamin A. Avoid processed pasteurized milk, do not consume: Ultra-pasteurized milk products Low-fat milk Skim milk Powdered milk Imitation milk products Avoi