Elements & Principles of Traditional Foods Diets
The High-Fat, Dairy and Meat Based Eating Style of Weston A Price
Nov 5, 2009
The movement began when Weston A Price, a dentist and anthropologist, studied the diets of a number of pre-industrial or “traditional” societies worldwide and discovered the people’s health to be surprisingly good compared to their Western counterparts, even though their diets flouted Western wisdom about nutrition. As a result, Price developed a theory of diet which is now promoted by the Weston A Price foundation and authors such as Sally Fallon. While many TF eaters adapt the diet according to their health conditions or lifestyles, these are the basic principles Price espoused.
Avoiding Vegetable Fats in Favour of Animal Fats
Traditional food recipes make liberal use of coconut oil and some olive oil; however, they typically call for animal fats such as butter and lard rather than vegetable oils. Vegetable oils such as canola and sunflower oil are highly processed and refined; as such, they are not considered “living” or “real” foods by Traditional Foodists. Vegetable oils are also high in omega-6 fatty acids, which when consumed out of proportion to omega-3 fatty acids (found principally in fish oil) may increase breast cancer risk.
Eating a High-Fat Diet
Weston Price’s research into traditional cultures revealed that a low-fat diet is by no means the norm. Many traditional cultures actively sought to consume fat, adding animal fat to lean cuts of meat and in some cases consuming fat by itself. Price found that these high-fat diets did not lead to obesity or heart disease; as a result, Traditional Foodists consume high quantities of animal fats and some other fats such as coconut oil. Many people report losing weight and gaining energy on these diets, as well as losing their cravings for sweet and carbohydrate-laden foods.
Soaking Grains Before Cooking
Price agreed with conventional dietary wisdom that whole grains are an important part of diet, although he believed some people enjoy better health with low-grain or no-grain diets. Where grains are consumed, TF eaters recommend soaking them first to remove the phytates – compounds with interfere with the absorption of minerals. Fermented and sourdough grain products often appear in Traditional Foods diets.
Eating Fermented Foods
Fermentation and lacto-fermentation are traditional ways of preparing vegetables which render them easier to digest, increase their nutritional properties and promote healthy gut flora. Traditional Foodists try to consume some form of fermented food regularly: sauerkraut, kombucha and pickles being popular choices.
Eating Organic Raw Dairy
Today, most milk is sold in pasteurised, homogenised form. The Weston A Price foundation hosts a project called the Campaign for Real Milk – that is, allowing farmers to sell raw milk directly to customers, which is currently illegal in some areas.
Traditional Foodists believe that many of the health risks associated with dairy are not the fault of the dairy itself, but of pasteurisation and processing of milk. This destroys many of the nutritional and immunological benefits of milk. Skimming the milk further removes the nutrients found in the butterfat. Therefore, Traditional Food advocates recommend eating only whole, raw dairy from grass-fed cows. Cultured milk products such as yoghurt and kefir are also important components of the Weston A Price diet.
Eating Bone Broth and Grass-Fed Beef
Weston A Price’s original observation of the peoples of traditional societies was that their teeth and bone structures were impressively healthy and well-formed. He attributed this largely to a calcium-rich diet. Those societies who consumed no dairy products also had calcium-rich diets, largely from consuming the marrow of bones and/or gelatin-rich broths made from bones. Organic, free-range, grass-fed beef and bone broths are valued components of a Weston A Price diet. The broth may be used for soups, sauces or even puddings.
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