Dairy: RealMilk dot com from the Weston A Price Foundation

 I found this article very interesting, because it is consistent with what I have been told personally by one of my most recent health advisors, a PhD who owns a supplements company and who does live blood droplet analysis in a number of cities, mine being one of them (about every 3 months he makes the rounds here).

The article is about a woman who had a very popular blog going, which was about vegan, as she had become vegan for the usual reasons people become vegan. After a few years, she started not feeling well, and this is consistent time-line wise with what the PhD I got advise from in 2013 said, as part of what he standardly educates people about in their first appointment. It was almost an afterthought as I was preparing to leave: "Oh, and don't let anyone talk you into vegan, you'll do fine for about five or six years and then (things are depleted from your tissue stores and you tank.) (He'd also interjected in my 45 minute session (for $75) that he gets some pushback in the part of the country he lives (in the supplement-making Mecca of the US, Provo, Utah), but having a glass or two of red wine before eating or with an early dinner can be very beneficial, showing again how many variables go into what people consume! Body, mind, and spirit must be considered, as is done in integrative functional medicine such as Lumigrate's about.)  

The vegan blogger had sought input from a physician. As you can read if you go, she relates how testing came back showing all was well, but, as is typical with conventional medicine, they didn't run the tests that can tease things out (see our information about thyroid testing at Lumigrate, a search word would be hypothyrodism and TSH, or simply find the thyroid forum). Thankfully she'd talked to others about it and they educated her about the different types of doctors and testing out there, so she sought out an outside the box provider who ran the kinds of tests that would tease out what she had going on. (I'm doing educated guessing about the types of providers she went to, she didn't perhaps have the words to specify as she is perhaps not that familiar with the medical industry today, so please make your own interpretation if you read the article.) 

When she announced on her blog that she was bailing on them -- imagine a 'leader' telling a 'flock' that they had realized the errors of their way and they were simply being honest and forthcoming and, I would presume, wanting to let their followers know what they NOT know. You cannot know what you've not yet learned. So now that she'd learned (the hard way), she was sharing with others. What was the response? Unbelievable reaction. And this is mostly why I'd like people to read the article, to see the many things brought into her story: 'trolls' who are paid to infiltrate groups and cause problems in the Internet community, for instance. She had the same thing occur with her I had in 2009, where people accused me of being a made up person by BigPharma to throw everyone off track because 'nobody could go and do what she does and look the way she does and have fibromyalgia'... when, in fact, Lumigrate was launched after I'd had a reversal of symptoms and I wanted to bring the information to people about what's out there 'outside the box' and add to information online about what goes on inside the box (as there are clearly alliances that those outside the inner circles are not aware of, who have enormous control of the medical and insurance industries. If a person just studies the information with an open mind, like a detective, it becomes very apparent).

And since she mentions how much better her recipes developed for vegan are when made with the kind of butter than Westin A Price foundation's website, above, suggests/professes about, I thought I'd add it on here. 

letthemeatmeat.com/post/3141542244/interview-with-an-ex-vegan-tasha [4] 

I'd actually heard some saying that there was influence from 'powers that be' to try to lead some people awry about wellness, and the vegan movement was supported if not started initially by those wishing to weaken a segment of the population. Naturally, there are as many theories out there anymore as movements, but it was an interesting thing when I learned of it and helped me to start really thinking about 'follow the money' when it came to what I had presumed was sincere 'outside the box' information.

That allowed me more recently, I believe, to think my way through why it is that pyroluria is such a common condition with relatively simple and inexpensive solutions, yet I had never had any of the progressive, outside the box providers tell me about it. A couple have heard about it, and the above-mentioned nutrition/supplements expert said he had a lot of information about it. But after three visits in a year, it was never mentioned even though I was discussing symptoms I have that would fit into it, such as quirky brain/learning disabilities stuff, or wine consumption. (I got into drinking wine due to having a cholesterol 'problem' per the conventional medical doctors at the time I turned 30, which was 1990, and the more I drank the happier they got with my 'profile'. Having alcoholism running in one side of my biological family and also in the adoptive side, I had always been cautious in developing a daily use of alcohol. I felt better without it, but then my 'numbers' got bad, and now I know the whole cholesterol thing was BigMedicine's 'thing' and personally subscribe to the outside the box providers about that. But there's something fishy about why the outside the box providers' learning places aren't teaching them about 'the most common unheard of disorder', pyroluria. 

I hope this has been a thought-provoking additional component to this topic. If you're lookign for pyroluria information, it's in the environmental wellness/illness forum generally, there's a topic about addiction in the brain/head forum, and there will be more being added as we go. The most important take-home message I hope people are receiving is that understanding 'the systems' involved is crucial to navigating health care. If you turn to a resource that is aligned somehow with one of the systems, you're going to get programming offered to you that's skewed in their direction. So follow the money, who owns, say PBS, or Netflix, or Showtime, or the newspaper you read. Is it a 'pay to play' format?

We considered having Lumigrate be that so that it was supporting me and not the other way around, but the YOUsers are pretty savy and realized that might skew what is on the website. Advertising, same problem. Memberships would cut out the people who are too cheap or too broke, or too busy as it slows people down to register, so just come and read and see and learn and we hope to get the information viewed and helping people. So it's just had to putter along and reach who it reaches without the big funding it takes to get it to 'the next level'. It'll get there, in it's 'own time'. In the mean time, congratulate yourself for putting in the time to learn as you are, and know that you're getting closer to where you want to be as well. 

This caught MY eye and attention --- Butter in Coffee? Well, I admit I was putting coconut oil in coffee in order to get the fat into me and reduce my use of dairy, before I got into the informaton about grass fed, and learned also to make ghee from it to get the cassein out. 

Anything about coffee tends to get people's attention.  We are a society of caffeine junkies and coffee is the juice of choice for many of us, particularly the middle age and older folks who came along and got into our habits before the caffeinated sodas and 'energy drinks' took over with the generations that are youngest. 

So I'm going to add this onto this thread because I think it's a wonderful way to get people LEARNING ABOUT USING GRASS FED products if they chose to consume products from cows. And the same underlying principle applies to anything from an animal --- their diet needs to be what their bodies have historically consumed ALL ALONG IN THEIR LIVES/LIFE (which you can spot in the packaging, they'll specify 100% or 'always' and other words so watch for the brands that just say they feed them grass, UGH, so tricky they are...). 

www.realfarmacy.com/everyone-suddenly-putting-butter-coffee/ [9]

I couldn't help think about 'good, better, best and then less than good on down to terrible' on this one.  Is this ideal for breakfast? No, there are no plants aside from the coffee if you count that.  Is there protein? Yes, but it's not a lot and it's cassein which is not advisable for many people.  We're all different and we all have to do things differently .. individualized.  BUT is this BETTER than drinking it black or with sugar and or a creamer? Yes it is.  

Still, coffee has a lot of positive hype and if you study about it for many conditions including blood sugar, it has some negative effects.  It affects the villi of the intestines too. Since many people have a myriad of health issues that stem from their gut, whether they know that yet or not, it's likely been another setup for failure of health that makes the overall industries that make money get more money off of people's health problems.  Just my opinion, YOU form yours.  

Maybe while having a cup of buttery Jo! 

Live and learn.  Learn and live better! ~ Mardy

Ultimately, I would wish all medical information consumers would have enough experience to do a Search and select things in a skilled way based on much experience -- but we're all in the process of gaining more experience and knowledge. 

I'm reminded of this when doing the search (which was about eggs), because one of the two "Doctor Wilsons" out there, both providing great information for consumers, and assistance via consulting with people, as well, was a massively big step for me in 2009, and the team of local providers I was immersed in at a new integrative medical center, where I was harvesting the best of their seminars and handouts to put on Lumigrate.com, as well as guiding and facilitating the seminar series and overall direction of the clinic. 

I came upon the book Adrenal Fatigue, (calling it also the 21st century stress symdrome) by Dr. James L. Wilson, DC, ND, PhD, near the end of our first year -- which was our only year -- being together.  We'd all met in 2007 repetitively to discuss plans and move forward in very early 2008, with what we thought was a common focus on learning more about and doing more about complex, chronic illness.  An ND was part of the group.  Several D.C.s, including the one who had been so helpful to many with 'fibromyalgia' who I was consulting with as an occupational therapist, were asked to meet and discuss 'moving in' and being part of.  They all declined, but the MD (who would purchase office space for the center in early 2008) would refer patients, he'd said, to the D.C. who had been going up to see people at the rural clinic the MD was employed by (half time). 

The ND in the group had been suggested to me and I'd greatly benefitted from adding him to my provider team / group in 2006.  The D.C., I'd gone to as well, and in the past (circa 1990), a DC from the same college (Palmer) had literally saved my wellness enough to allow me to return to college, become an occupational therapist and literally be where I am today.  So I'd been drawn to the book that had an author with such degrees after their name. 

In late 2008, I bought every copy of Adrenal Fatigue I could get my hands on, and gave them to the providers in the clinic as New Years or holiday gifts.  You'll find Adrenal Fatigue in the Lumigrate forum titled "The Lumigrate Bookshelf", which is not a "collection of any books out there I think are good", but the ones I find that I think are PARTICULARLY good, and if a person were going to spend a bit of time reading about wellness, having a bookshelf with those books is my recommendation.

So, today, when seeing the search results and deciding what to journey to for what I was preparing today to study and also teach someone about, I went first to this link:

www.drlwilson.com/Articles/PRICE.htm [11]

Where I found the following, which I provide here in order for YOU to see why I suggest this link and this website and medical expert as a resource in your learning and on your path to health and well-being. However, this is the 'other Dr. Wilson', who has similarly 'wow' degrees and qualifications, but very different types from Dr JLW.  This Dr. Lawrence Wilson has MIT as a starting point on higher education, and MD with a work history of public / government service in the formative years. 

So this is my tip to YOU, there are two wonderful resources out there with the last name Wilson, and for some reason I find it difficult to keep them straight when seeing information they put out -- they seem to have similar styles, including what their web pages look like. 

Naturally, I have very much valued the Weston A Price information and suggest from a number of topics at Lumigrate people learn what he and his foundation's teachers are about. I initially learned of WAP and the foundation by reading the collection of newsletters at holistic dentist James Kennedy's office in Grand Junction, Colorado.  He would give some time to providing information at Lumigrate, and became a major teacher for me related to what I would call 'the truth movement', on the subject of fluoride in the water (as we covered it at Lumigrate, please search for it if you are interested, it's in the forum on 'supplementing what you eat and drink' since it's added as a supplement to tap water by water treatment plants).  There are also others in the truth dental, mental , health information / activist realms with similar name to Dr Kennedy -- which can again cause confusion.  Just a little tip to YOUsers of Lumigrate, about names.  

I really like that Dr. Wilson, as you see below, greatly respects and credits WAP, while providing his experience's yield over many years from refining, plus the reasons for the modifications.  While there's quite a lot here that I'm not doing correctly based on Dr. Wilson's suggestions, I am pleased to report I do usually cook my eggs the way he suggests, below. 

Now, I'm going to take the link, below, and see what The Weston Price Syndrome is about ..... My interest is picqued by the initial statement about people having some wobbles when eating according to WAP, which is what I have experienced from time to time. 

Live and learn.  Learn and live better! ~~ Mardy

---

THE WESTON PRICE DIETARY PROGRAM

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

© September 2014, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.

 

Weston Price, DDS, was a brilliant dentist who lived about 100 years ago.  He toured the world searching for the healthiest human populations, in part to test some theories about nutrition, and also just out of sheer curiosity.  He was a careful researcher, and was soon fascinated by the varied diets and lifestyles of the tribes he heard about and sought out around the world. He studied their dental health, their diets, their child-rearing practices, and even their beliefs to try to find out what made them so healthy.  He also studied less healthy tribes, and modernized tribes, and was able to compare their diets and lifestyles.

For example, he was amazed that he found no vegetarian groups that were extremely healthy.  All the healthiest tribes used animal products.  He only found two of the healthiest groups that used dairy products (Switzerland and North Africa), always eaten raw.  Dr. Price’s main book, Nutrition And Physical Degeneration, as well as his other writings, stand today as classic nutritional research that should be read by everyone. 

Today, Dr. Price’s work is being promoted by the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF), which makes sure his book is always in print.  A second organization, the Weston Price Foundation, publishes a journal and has over 500 local chapters to promote Dr. Price’s work.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, this group now promotes nutritional ideas that Dr. Price never advocated, and which are harmful.  Among these are:

1) Eating a lot of fermented foods.  Dr. Price never recommended this.  He observed that groups ate fermented foods, but of course they had no refrigeration, so they had little choice in the matter.  There is nothing wrong with some sauerkraut or yogurt, but the Weston Price Foundation goes far beyond this.  It is discussed in more detail later in this article.

2) Eating a high-fat diet.  This is also discussed later in this article.

 

CHANGES IN AGRICULTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT AND IN DIETARY SCIENCE REQUIRES CHANGES IN DR. PRICE’S RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Dr. Price’s excellent research was completed over 100 years ago.  The purpose of this article is to examine the teachings of Weston Price in light of much newer research using hair mineral analysis.  I find that a number of Dr. Price’s excellent recommendations just do not work well today, and need to be modified due to shifts in agriculture and in society that have taken place over the past 100 years.  These important alterations include:

 

1. Development of the atomic bomb and atomic energy. This has increased the exposure of all people on earth to much higher dosages of ionizing radiation.  Sources include A-bomb tests, low level emissions from nuclear power plants, and much greater use of medical and dental x-rays.  The main effect is to make the bodies much weaker and more yin in Chinese medical terminology.  Cooking more of your food helps offset this more yin condition, although not completely. 

 

2. Widespread use of superphosphate fertilizers, hybrid seeds and modern pesticides and insecticides to grow and raise most of our food.  Superphosphate fertilizers definitely have a stimulating effect on plants, which is not all bad.  Superphosphates, plus the use of hybrid seeds and pesticides, have allowed much higher crop yields that feed many more people.  However, the food is far lower in minerals, vitamins, protein and other nutrients in most cases.  This is well-documented in the records from 50 and even 100 years ago of the US Department of Agriculture.

             

3. Much greater use of processed foods.  This has also contributed to far worse nutrition in almost everyone.

 

4. The widespread use of corn and perhaps other grains instead of hay and pasturing to feed chickens, cows, sheep and other livestock.  This has been helpful in some ways, but it has contributed to much lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the meat, eggs, and dairy products, even if they are unpasteurized and unhomogenized.

 

5. Far higher levels of toxic metals and toxic chemicals in the food, air, water and on products we touch or have other direct contact with.  This has caused much worse toxic metal and toxic chemical poisoning in the entire population, compared to 100 years ago.  It also makes the bodies much more yin.

 

6. A much faster-paced lifestyle in most people thanks to electrification, modern communications. 

 

7. Much more electromagnetic stress on the bodies due to the use of flat-screen televisions, computers, cell phones and other devices that emit microwaves and other electromagnetic fields.  These also make the bodies more yin in Chinese terminology.

 

8. New ways to preserve food that are fabulous, but can allow pathogens to grow. This, plus the transportation of food long distances, makes eating raw meats, eggs and even vegetables and fruits much less healthful today.

 

These total effect of the changes above are:

 

1. A much slower oxidation rate in most people

2. Much worse digestion in most people, even children.

3. A reduced ability to resist many types of diseases, allowing epidemics of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, ADD and other serious conditions that were either non-existent or were practically unknown 100 years ago.

In light of this, let us now discuss several of the Weston Price Foundation recommendations, with some changes I suggest.

 

THE WESTON PRICE DIETARY SUGGESTIONS

 

I am very grateful to Dr. Price for his work.  However, below are the changes to the Weston Price diet that I have found necessary today in order for people to feel their best.  This is based on about 30 years of hair mineral testing and clinical experience:

 

1. No fermented cod liver oil and no high vitamin butter oil.  These are not needed and not helpful, especially any fermented product like this.  I know all the hype about them and I do not agree with it at all.

 

1A. Avoid wheat.  In my clinical experience, wheat has been so hybridized and genetically altered that it is sadly no longer a healthful food.  It is much higher in glutamine today, and lower in protein, for example, among other changes.  Today wheat is an irritating and allergenic food for most people.  This is equally true of organically grown whole wheat and even most spelt, a grain that is very similar to wheat. 

Until we can return to heirloom seeds from at least 50 years ago, it is best to avoid wheat in all foods and in all forms.  This includes avoiding sprouted wheat breads, for example, and avoiding all spelt products as well, which can be a little better than wheat, but are often similar.

While some people can still tolerate wheat, overall I find it best to avoid.

 

2. Do not eat much beef.  Lamb is often better.  Beef cattle are a very hybridized species today, even the grass-fed, organically raised beef cattle.  While efforts are underway to bring back heirloom varieties of cattle, one is rarely sure what cows are being raised.  Even if you can get heirloom beef, eat some lamb as well.

Other excellent animal proteins include chicken, turkey and good quality eggs and some raw dairy products.

 

3. At least 70% of your diet each day should be cooked vegetables.  Dr. Price recommended that most vegetables be cooked.  The need for so many cooked vegetables is an empirical finding.  Vegetables offer literally hundreds of phytonutrients that offset the pollution and provide protection from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and many other ailments, and have the ability to rebuild the body better than any other food.  They also provide healthful fiber and a wide range of vitamins and minerals that are hard to obtain in any other way, including pills and drinks.

As for cooking most or all vegetables, I know this is upsetting to some people.  However, Weston Price advocated cooking vegetables, as this is what he observed.  Some have altered his teaching in this area.  Advantages of cooking vegetables include:

a. Cooking breaks down the tough fiber in vegetables, allowing us to absorb many more nutrients from the vegetables.  It is true that it damages some vitamins such as vitamin C, but it does not destroy it all if vegetables are just steamed at low termperature for 10-15  minutes.  I find that everyone who eats a lot of salad, for example, tends to demineralize the body after a few years.

b. Cooking vegetables concentrates the food, allowing one to consume far more of green vegetables such as spinach and other greens. 

c. Cooked vegetables are far more yang in Chinese medical terminology, and this is extremely important for overall health today, even if cooking destroys a few nutrients.  Yin and yang qualities of foods is a somewhat esoteric concept that dates back to traditional Chinese medicine and macrobiotics, an even older science related to Taoism and Tibetan medicine.  For more information about it, read Yin And Yang Healing [12] and Yin Disease [13].

d. Many raw vegetables are simply unclean today, as they are grown in many nations.  This can cause parasitic and other problem, especially when eating in restaurants. 

 

Vegetables to avoid.  I find that it is best to avoid the nightshade family, which are irritating and somewhat toxic.  These include eggplant, all tomatoes, red and white potatoes, and all peppers.  Others to limit or avoid are okra, cucumbers, lettuce, summer squashes, and all salad vegetables, unless they are cooked. 

Eating 70-80% cooked vegetables indeed requires some practice and work, at first.  One must include vegetables with most every meal.  However, it pays wonderful dividends for your health.

 

4. Avoid most fermented or cultured foods.  Dr. Price never advocated eating fermented foods in the strong way that the Weston Price Foundation recommends them.  These foods include miso, natto, yogurt, kefir, kvass, sauerkraut, and some others.

Those who advocate fermented foods say they help acidify the stomach and intestines, help maintain the normal flora of the intestines, preserve some foods like dairy products, and produce some vitamins and minerals that improve nutrition.

I find that some fermented food such as cheese, yogurt, kefir and miso are good, and can be eaten several times a week.  However, the others are not as good in my clinical experience.  Possible reasons for this are:

 

a. Most people today have a very slow oxidation rate, which was not the case 100 years ago.  For this reason, everyone is prone to yeast infections in the intestines.  Ferments of all kinds are yeasts, and they do not seem to work as well with many of our clients today.  The exception, once again, are fermented milk products such as yogurt.

b. Also, fermented foods are very yin in Chinese medical terms.  As explained above, this is a serious drawback today, but it was not a problem when Weston Price lived and wrote his books.

c. Some ferments including sauerkraut produce some aldehydes that can build up in the liver.  Beer and wine are not the only foods that can produce aldehydres.  For more on this topic, read Fermented Foods [14] on this website. 

 

5. Cook all foods, except for raw dairy products, which should be eaten in their natural raw state, if possible.  Meat and eggs should only be lightly cooked, however, as longer cooking will denature the proteins too much and damage the delicate fats.

Dr Price advised cooking most meats and vegetables.  He also suggested eating some raw animal products.  I find that today raw fruits and vegetables are much too yin, the human digestive tract cannot extract enough minerals from raw vegetables, and there are other problems with raw foods except for raw dairy.  Dairy, however, is still very yin, so limit milk intake, for example, to 8 ounces or so daily, and limit the intake of all raw dairy products to 6 ounces or so of cheese or yogurt daily.  More is just too yin.  For more about this important topic, read Raw Foods [15] on this website.

Today, meats that are raw are often unclean and harbor parasite eggs, most of which are killed by cooking.

I also find that eggs should be lightly cooked with the yolk remaining runny, unless you know that the egg is without infections of any kind.

 

6. Avoid most or all fruit and all fruit juices. I know this is difficult for some people, but it is very important.  Dr. Price observed that many tribes ate some fruit, although they did not live on it.  My clinical experience is that fruit is causing many health problems today and is not a necessary or helpful food today.  The problems seem to be due to:

 

1. Fruit is a very yin food, and the bodies are already too yin today,

2. Most fruits are hybrids and are less nutritious than in the past.

3. The sugars in fruit seem to upset the blood sugar and feed yeast in the intestines of almost everyone who eats it.  This was not a problem as much 100 years ago at all.

4. Many so-called organic fruits are still sprayed with somewhat toxic chemicals because otherwise they will not grow well in Northern climates

5. The mineral balance of the fruit seems to be improper for today’s bodies.  In particular, a potassium compound in fruits is toxic.  I know this because when people begin a nutritional balancing program, especially babies and children, they soon expel a form of potassium that seem to be associated with having eaten a lot of fruit, or their mothers ate fruit while pregnant.  This is a shame, but it is my experience.

6. Many people seem unable to neutralize the acids found naturally in fruits.  As a result, the fruit actually has an acidic reaction in the body.  Its high sugar content contributes to this as well.

For more on this important and sad situation, read Fruit-Eating [16] on this website.

 

7. Avoid all shellfish and most fish, except very small ones such as sardines, are not healthful foods today.  One hundred year ago fish and some shellfish were very healthful foods.  Today, they are almost all contaminated with mercury and other toxic metals.  This is very unfortunate, but we see high levels of toxic metals in anyone who eats any fish or worse, shellfish except for very small fish like sardines.  This includes wild caught salmon and other wild-caught fish. 

The mercury content of the oceans, lakes and streams has increased drastically due to burning coal and other industries such as paper-making, that were much less when Dr. Price lived.

Also, the toxic metal content of the coastal waters has increased drastically over the past 100 years due to dumping of sewage and industrial waste in almost all nations on earth.  This is also a shame, but it is very important to know about.

I strongly recommend eating 3 to 4 cans of sardines each week.  These seem to be healthful – any brand of sardines – because they are so small they do not accumulate much mercury, and they are generally wild caught rather than farm-raised.  I have observed no problems eating the sardines from a can, although fresh would be nice if they were available. 

Other very small fish such as anchovies, smelt and herring are also generally fine, but are often larger than sardines, and have a lower omega-3 and vitamin D content, so they are not quite as good.  I suggest avoiding all other fish and especially shellfish or seafood.

 

8. All pig products today may contain parasite eggs.  This is another shame, but we find that all pork, ham, bacon, lard, sausage made with pig intestines and other products from the pig often contains parasite larva or eggs, such as tapeworm, trichina worms or others.  This has to do with general pollution of the waters, and how animals and other foods are raised today.  It does not matter if the pig products are well-cooked, it seems.  They still contain live eggs and can infect the brain and other organs easily.  Also be careful to avoid egg rolls and other places that pig products are hidden.

The only safe pig product I have encountered is porcine pancreas that is used in supplementary digestive aids such as GB-3.  This is probably because the high pancreatic enzyme content of this particular organ kills the trichina worms and their ova safely.

Dr. Price found that many traditional cultures ate pork, particularly in the South Seas.  It was considered a sacred food, and was always consumed cooked.  Sadly, today I cannot recommend it.

 

9. Cod liver oil, while a very good product, does not provide enough vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids today. Dr. Price recommended high vitamin cod liver oil to obtain vitamins A and D, and omega-3 fatty acids.  However, I find that today the bodies are so deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D that a lot of cod liver oil is needed to provide enough of these essential nutrients.

Eating 3 or 4 cans of sardines each week, however, is a way to obtain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, a digestible form of calcium, RNA and DNA and many other vital nutrients.  Put some mustard, relish, hot sauce or mayonnaise with your sardines if your don’t like them.

If you won’t eat sardines, then be sure to take a supplement with about 800-900 mg of omega-e fatty acids (a combination of EPA and DHA) and about 3000-5000 iu of vitamin D daily.  This seems to be roughly what the bodies require today.

 

10. Soaking grains to destroy enzyme inhibitors, trypsin inhibitors and other anti-nutrients is not needed.  Dr. Price never discussed soaking grains.  However, the Weston Price Foundation strongly recommends soaking grains, seeds and nuts.  Soaking grains and nuts makes them more digestible, allowing more people to eat them.

The problem is that soaking makes a food much more yin.  It can also allow mold to begin growing on the food.  While soaking seeds overnight is okay, I suggest using a digestive aid to overcome the anti-nutrients in most grains.  Some groups that have eaten grains for thousands of years such as the Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern people and others do not soak their grains and do just fine.

Also, I do not suggest eating many nuts or seeds, as both these foods are extremely yin in any condition, so they are less healthful today, although they are quite nutritious.  An exception is toasted or even a little raw almond butter.  A small amount of other nut and seed butters are okay as well, but not much of them.  This is also unfortunate, but that is our experience.

Most people do not chew nuts and seeds well enough, and have very weak digestion.  Therefore, if you want some nuts, for example, have some toasted almond butter or a little sunflower butter, which are excellent foods for most people when eaten in very small amounts. 

All peanut butter may contain some aflatoxin, a deadly poison, even if it is fresh and natural.  It is also quite a sweet food and somewhat yin, as are all beans, seeds and nuts.

 

11. Do not eat much coconut or palm oils, or not other coconut products.  Some Weston Price followers embrace coconut products because they are rich in lauric acid and other nutrients, and are stable for cooking purposes, especially.

The problem is that coconut and palm are tropical or sub-tropical fruits that are extremely yin.  They seem to be toxic today for that reason, no matter what other positive nutritional value they have.  Preferably avoid them all and use olive oil, butter, and beef or chicken fat for cooking and other uses.

 

12. Stay away from all sugars and sweets, even natural sweets such as raw, uncooked honey, natural maple syrup, natural agave nectar, rice bran syrup, almond milk, soy milks, rice milks and other sweets.  These are all extremely yin and will unbalance body chemistry badly.  The less one eats of any of them, the better.

 

13. Limit raw milk consumption to about 4 ounces daily for an adult, and about the same amount or less for children.  This is also an important recommendation today.  While raw milk is a wonderful food, it is quite sweet and yin.  Too much is not healthful today for this sole reason.

 

14. Do not eat many nuts or seeds.  While these are healthful foods, they are extremely yin and somewhat hard to digest.  Soaking them makes them even more yin.  Some toasted almond butter is an excellent addition to any diet, and a little of other nut or seed butters such as sunflower seed butter or tahini or sesame butter are okay, but not that important and not needed for this reason.

 

15. Most people can eat some whole grains daily, as long as they are well-cooked and not in excess.  Foods such as brown rice, especially Basmati rice, quinoa, millet, rye, oats, barley, and especially blue corn are good foods if you can digest them.

 

16. Avoid or eat a minimum of raw salads.  I find that people cannot extract enough minerals from raw vegetables today, even if you take a digestive aid, which I always suggest.  The digestive tracts are in very poor shape in all cases, even children.  Also, raw vegetables are very yin, and in restaurants usually they are not that clean.  You will get enough fiber from cooked vegetables, even when they are not crunchy, which is best. 

Eating salads just fills up your stomach and takes up room that is needed for cooked vegetables, some whole grains, some animal protein daily, and some raw dairy.  Cook all vegetables.

              

17. Everyone needs at least a few food supplements.  Dr. Price did not recommend many food supplements other than cod liver oil.  However, please recall that at the time Dr. Price lived, the nutrient content of our food was much better, the average person’s digestion was hundreds of times more powerful, and the bodies were far healthier in terms of energy, mineral content and more.  Also, and very importantly, chelated minerals had not been developed, and many other food supplements were simply not available.

I wish supplements were not needed, but I find that they are always needed, by everyone today.  At least, I have not run into a single one of our clients or anyone else who I find is so well nourished that they would not benefit from a animal-derived digestive aid, kelp for iodine and minerals, and supplemental calcium, magnesium, zinc, often selenium, and fish oil and vitamin D in most cases. 

Most people need even more than this, for at least a few years to build up their digestion, to eliminate toxic metals and chemicals from the body, and for other reasons such as to balance the mineral ratios in the body.

 

18. Exercise caution with the recommendations found in any older books – even the great ones such as those of Dr. Price.  The situation in our food supply has changed so drastically in the past 50 years or so, and even more so in the past 25 years, that some older recommendations in books about acupuncture, macrobiotics, raw foods and other texts just don’t work as well.  It is true our genetics and basic nutritional requirements have not changed, so many of the lessons of Dr. Price still apply.

 

THE WESTON PRICE SYNDROME

 

This is a curious phenomenon that I am still researching.  It consists of a person going into four lows pattern and staying there when one follows a Weston Price type of diet.  For more, please read The Weston Price Syndrome [17].

 

 

This article is not intended to diminish in any way the amazing contribution of Dr. Weston Price or other researchers.  Nor is it intended to oppose the excellent work that is being done by the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation and the Weston Price Foundation to educate the public, bring back raw dairy products, and popularize the work of Dr. Weston Price.

We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Price.  I believe he would appreciate the updating of his work based on the drastic changes in our bodies and our food supply that have occurred in the past 100 years since he lived.