By: Kimberly Roberto, Holistic Nutritionist
I talk a lot about ancestral nutrition and how far away we have moved
away from it in our current society. I often make the point that instead
of there being a “natural food” section in the grocery stores, there
should be a section for “processed, unhealthy food” instead. The
natural foods should take up the bulk of the store and the man-made,
processed foods should be the smallest section. Real food, whole food,
food that has not been altered by man should be the default! After all,
at one point in time, ALL food was organic.
What do I mean by ancestral nutrition? If you look at the chart below, I
have listed what ancestral or traditional diets typically look like and
how it compares to today’s modern diets.
TRADITIONAL DIETS
– Food grown in fertile soil
– Natural, pollinated seeds
– Pure, clean, spring or filtered water
– Organic, local fruits/vegetables
– Whole, sprouted, cracked, or soaked/fermented grains
– Fats extracted from natural plant and animal sources
– Naturally raised animals (pastured, grass-fed beef, free range chicken, etc.)
– Full fat raw dairy (milk, cheese, butter)/ fermented dairy (kefir, amasai)
– Vitamins/Minerals found naturally in food (Nutrient Communion)
– Minimal use of _natural_ sweeteners
– Lacto-fermented vegetables (kimchi, sauerkraut, relish, etc)
– Unrefined salt (sea salt, mined salt)
– Natural herbs, spices
– Generous amounts of raw, living foods
– Cook with fire, oven, stove, smokehouse
– Food used for sustenance, little waste
– Moderate to high physical activity
MODERN DIETS
– Food grown in depleted soil
– GMO/Hybridized Seeds
– Chlorinated, polluted, tap water
– Pesticide-laden produce shipped from hundreds/thousands of miles
– Refined grains
– Fats unnaturally extracted (vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, etc.)
– Unnaturally raised animals (confinement, unnatural feed, vaccines, antibiotics, etc)
– Skimmed, Industrialized dairy (pasteurized, homogenized, antibiotics, steroids, hormones) + margarine (man-made, synthetic)
– Synthetic vitamins/minerals added to foods.
– Overuse of all sweeteners, especially refined sweeteners/artificial sweeteners
– Canned or frozen vegetables
– Refined, iodized salt
– MSG, artificial flavors, additives
– Overabundance of ultra-processed, non-nutritious, dead food
– Cook with microwave, fry in damaged oils
– Food overeaten, and overindulged in
– Little to no physical activity
I always mention the work of Weston Price – Nutrition Explorer when
discussing this topic. Weston Price was a dentist from Cleveland. He
embarked on a quest to investigate the health of isolated people,
untouched by western civilization in the 1930’s.
He traveled for 10 years looking to discover the secrets to dental
health. One of his discoveries was that nutritional deficiencies were
the root cause of deformed dental arches and crowded, crooked teeth and
not due to genetic defects. He traveled to villages in Switzerland,
Gaelic communities in the Outer Hebrides, indigenous peoples of North
and South America, Melanesian and Polynesian South Sea Islanders,
African tribes, Australian Aborigines and New Zealand Maori. His
observations were that these people had beautiful, white, straight teeth
but there was more…they also had good physiques and were void of disease.
One of his most dramatic discoveries was that, when compared to the
Standard American Diet, the diets of these groups of people provided at
least four times the amount of water-soluble vitamins, calcium and other
minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, from animal
foods such as butter, fish eggs, organ meats, eggs and animal fats.
Remarkably, these are the very foods that are constantly under attack by
many western nutrition “experts”. As these people were acting
innately, it has been proven that these fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins
A, D, and K2 (Dr. Price called it “Activator X) act as catalysts with
regard to mineral absorption and protein utilization. In other words,
minerals cannot be absorbed properly without them. Without them, we
cannot absorb minerals, no matter how abundant they may be in our food.
Other observations:
* No refined sugars or corn syrup, white flour, canned foods,
pasteurized, homogenized skim or low-fat milk, hydrogenated oils, or
additives/colorings
* Consume animal protein and fats
* Some animal products are eaten raw
* Have a high enzyme content in food
* Seeds and grains are soaked, sprouted, fermented to neutralize
naturally occurring anti-nutrients in these foods, such as phytic acid,
enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates.
* Fat content ranges from 30-80% and mostly saturated fats.
* Equal balance of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.
* Diets contain some salt.
* Consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone
broths.
The Weston Price Foundation has been at the helm when it comes to
promoting the consumption of saturated fats, raw milk and discouraging
the use of soy products.
“Every creed today vaguely seeks a utopia; all have visualized a
common controlling force or deity as the most potent force in all human
affairs. Yes, man’s place is most exalted when he obeys Mother
Nature’s laws.”_ –Weston A. Price, DDS
I also have to refer to the work of Sally Fallon who wrote one of my
favorite nutrition books of all time, Nourishing Traditions [3] because
it gives great insight into ancestral nutrition and contains a plethora
of recipes. This book was my first motivation to write my own nutrition
and recipe book, and to start my own recipe blog at www.eatsmartmeals.com [4].
In her book, Sally Fallon states, _“Twentieth-century men and women,
faced with a dazzling array of modern food products, are naturally
tempted by their convenience and glitz. They would prefer not to worry
about how their foods are processed or what they contain; they would
prefer not to spend time in food preparation the way their ancestors
did. But the inevitable consequence of this insouciance is the host of
the debilitating diseases now endemic in our society. With traditions
forgotten, the tool that allows modern men and women to regain their
health and vitality is knowledge-knowledge of the fruits of honest
scientific inquiry as well as renewed familiarity with culinary customs
of times past. The cook, the food provider and parents of young children
can no longer afford to be misled by what passes for nutritional wisdom
in the popular press, especially as so much orthodox advice-magnified,
simplified and twisted by publicity for processed foods- is partially or
totally wrong. We urge you to keep abreast of research conducted by
independent researchers and holistic doctors, especially as it sheds
light on the nourishing traditions of our ancestors”.
This excerpt is so full of wisdom and truth. It brings to mind another
favorite quote of mine:
“Our ancestors had one invaluable aid in their diets: the absence of
choice.” – S. Subramanian [5]
It is time to take back our food supply, to take back our health and to
glorify God by choosing to fuel our bodies which are the temple of the
holy spirit. Adopt this mantra, – “Start Eating to LIVE rather than Living to Eat” .
Kimberly Roberto
Holistic Nutritionist & Vice President
West Cobb Chiropractic
a MaxLiving Health Clinic
5041 Dallas Highway, Suite 500
Powder Springs, GA 30127
www.westcobbchiropractic.com [6]
www.facebook.com/westcobbchiropractic [7]
Recipe Blog: www.eatsmartmeals.com [4]
Links:
——
[1] https://eatsmartmeals.com/2021/10/08/ancestral-nutrition/
[2] https://smartmeals.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/screen-shot-2021-10-08-at-9.24.29-am.png
[3] https://amzn.to/3uSMemQ
[4] http://www.eatsmartmeals.com
[5] https://www.macleans.ca/author/ssubramanian/
[6] http://www.westcobbchiropractic.com
[7] http://www.facebook.com/westcobbchiropractic
