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What a Healthy Traditional Diet Looks Like

You should live to at least 75 years of age without suffering along the way. This is not the story for many. Few people are getting to their golden years without an ailment that prevents them from enjoying this time. Many are beginning the suffering at a younger age. Why is this the case with so many people? I believe the quality of our food is a large part of the problem.

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Traditional diets consisted of food grown on fertile soil with traditional seeds and open pollination which produced food with natural vitamins and minerals absorbed from the earth. Our animals were raised in pastures and we consumed animal fats, raw or fermented dairy products. We ate organ meats like liver, heart, tongue, brain, and marrow over muscle meats. We used unrefined sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. Our salt was also unrefined. We used traditional cooking methods and consumed bone broths, lacto-fermented vegetables, grains and legumes either soaked or fermented. Our foods were restorative and rejuvenating to the body and we were healthier.

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Modern diets consist of foods grown on depleted soils with hybrid or GMO seeds and produce food that is so nutrient deficient that we add synthetic vitamins to them. Our animals are raised in confinement and are feed GMO grains, hormones, antibiotics, other drugs. We now eat more muscle meats like steak, chops, roasts, and almost no organ meats . We use vegetable oils and refined sweeteners and salt. Our cooking methods involve the use of microwaves, irradiation, and addition of artificial colorings and MSG. Our grains are refined and processed to the point there is little nutritional value. Our dairy products are homogenized and pasteurized destroying vital nutrients and properties.

So what can we do to improve our health in this fast-food society so that we do not have to suffer in our golden years? Here are some things to think about to ensure you have a healthy life filled with nutritious food..

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1.Eat whole, unprocessed foods

2.Eat beef, lamb, organ meats, poultry and eggs from pasture – fed animals

3.Eat wild (not farm raised) fish, shellfish, and fish roe from unpolluted waters

4.Eat full fat milk products from pasture –fed cows, preferably raw and or fermented, such as raw milk, whole yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, whole raw cheese, and fresh and sour cream

5.Use animal fats, especially butter, liberally

6.Use traditional vegetable oils only – extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame oil, small amount of expeller-expressed flax seed oil, and tropical oils – coconut and palm oil

7.Eat fresh fruits and vegetables- preferably organic – in salads, soups, and lightly steamed with butter

8.Use whole grains, legumes, and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting, or sour leavening.

9.Include enzyme enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, and condiments

10.Prepare homemade meat stocks form the bones of chicken, beef, lamb, and fish to use in soups, stews, and sauces.

11.Use filtered water for cooking and drinking

12.Use unrefined salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation

13.Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar and natural, traditional oils

14.Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar, dehydrated cane sugar(sold as Rapadura or sucanat), and stevia powder or liquids

15.If you drink alcohol, use only unpasteurized wine or beer very moderately with meals

16.Cook online in stainless-steel, cast-iron, glass, or good-quality enamel, no aluminum cookware

17.Do not use a microwave oven for anything, remove it from the home

18.Use only natural, wholefood based supplements

19.Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and natural sunlight

20.Think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness especially toward oneself

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Much of this research has been validated by the Weston A. Price Foundation. The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated non-industrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Price's research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats. For more information see Dr. Weston A. Price’s book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, see www.westonaprice.org.

Wellness is a choice…Be Well

By Dr. Susan Duvé, DC, ND, FIAMA, ACN, Acup. Orthopedics, Detox Specialist


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