When people come to see me for weight loss I always ask them if they’ve tried anything in the past.  The typical answer is, “Oh I’ve tried everything!”

They then proceed to rattle off a long list of popular diets.  The most frequently mentioned is Weight Watchers.

And I always ask, “How did you do?”

The answer is fairly universal.

“I lost weight.”

I then ask, “Why do you think you put the weight back on?”

The answer is again, fairly universal.

“I got tired of counting points.”

This is what people do on Weight Watchers.  Different foods are given different point values and those point values are meant to keep you from overeating.  Essentially, it’s about portion control and restricting calories.

It works for most people.

But most people relapse.  Now not everyone, I know.  Some people do keep the weight off.  But in my experience, these folks are few and far between.

Why?

In my opinion the biggest reason is that Weight Watchers doesn’t teach people about real food.  I could say this about any program that revolves around counting calories.

For example take a look at this picture:

Who do you know who eats foods like these everyday?

These are standard items in the kitchen cupboards of most Americans.  These are not real foods.  Forget the flashy health claims on the front.  Take a look at the ingredients on the back.  You’ll see the standard list of chemicals that are the realm of processed foods -sugar, hydrogenated oils, more sugar, soy byproducts, more sugar, MSG and of course, more sugar.  These products don’t come directly from farms.  They come from factories.

And it’s amazing that we’ve become so divorced from our foods that most people have been conditioned to think that some of them are actually healthy!  For example, I posted the above pic on my Facebook page a few weeks ago.  A friend commented, “What’s wrong with Cheerios?!”

Cheerios, like most boxed cereals go through an industrial process called extrusion which creates the flakes and in the case of Cheerios, the O-shapes.  Extrusion uses high heats and pressure to do this.  It damages all the nutrients and in the process creates potentially toxic proteins.

Of course, the foods shown in the above pic are all fine on diets that count calories as long as they fit within a certain daily calorie limit.

But remember, calories are a measurement of energy not nutrients.  You can eat two thousand calories a day of nutrient rich foods or two thousand calories a day of nutrient deficient foods.  The former will keep you satisfied and nourished. The latter will keep you hungry and malnourished.

You can lose weight on both approaches.

But the essence of good nutrition in not caloric content.  It’s nutrient content.

Duh!

And this is the problem with Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers never educates anyone about real food.  In fact, they’ve recently decided to partner with McDonald’s in Australia and New Zealand.  Furthermore, their list of sponsors are big names from the processed food industry – Eggbeaters, Tyson and Progresso to name a few.

And then there’s their own line of products full of processed ingredients.

Yes, you can lose weight by eating less processed foods than more processed foods, but does this really promote long term health?

When I work with clients both individually and in my group weight loss program I educate people about real food that promotes long term health.

For example, there is a tremendous difference in the meat, milk and eggs of animals that are raised on pasture and those that is are raised in a factory farms.   A good way to tell is to look at the color of an egg yolk.  Color equates nutrient density. Pastured egg yolks will have a beautiful bright orange color.  Non-pastured eggs will be more yellow.   And in some cases (like with the photo I took above), they lack any color whatsoever.

A similar example is wild salmon compared to farmed salmon.  Wild salmon have a nautral deep reddish hue.   Farmed salmon have no color and are fed dyes to turn their flesh pink.  Next time you’re in a seafood department, if both wild and farmed are on display, compare the difference in color.  It’s shockingly obvious.

There is also a tremendous  difference between fruits and vegetables grown in nutrient rich soils and those grown in nutrient deficient soils.  A good way to tell is to use your taste buds, especially with fruit.   Ripeness is a good indicator of peak nutrient density.  Most fruit in supermarkets is picked from large farms grown in nutrient deficient soils.  It then sits on trucks and shelves for long periods and loses further nutrient value.  This is why most fruit in supermarkets tastes horrible!

On my weight loss program I educate people about these differences.  I also connect class members to local farms in my area, farms that are growing their food sustainably, farms that give back to the earth what they take, farms that care for their animals and allow them to roam and graze.

I know not everyone is ready to fully embrace this and that’s OK.  I give them options for healthier choices in their supermarkets and how to transition slowly to a more real food-based diet.

Regardless, once people learn that it’s NOT how much you eat but WHAT you eat, they are shocked when they start losing weight without restricting calories.  They’re also thrilled.

Throughout the course we learn about other underlying issues that can impede weight loss such as digestive issues, hidden food sensitivities, yeast overgrowth, toxins and hormonal imbalances.

If you’re in western MA and would like to lose weight (or just feel better) by learning about real food, check out my 12 week Get At The Roots weight loss classes.  Truth be told, they’re really more about wellness than weight loss.  But that’s what weight loss should really be about anyway!

Classes start January 26^th in downtown Northampton.  There is also a free info session on Thursday, January 19^th at 7pm to learn more.   Classes are held at Clinic: Alternative Medicines, Northampton’s newest wellness center at 98 Main St.

Details and costs as well as a short video explaining the program can be found on my website, www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com/weight-loss

Welcome back to part 4 in my continuing blog series about the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference. 

To salt or not to salt, that is the question.

According to your doctor, your government, just about every major health organization, and probably your mother (at least mine) salt will raise your blood pressure.  This thinking is so pervasive that it’s taken as a fact by just about everyone.

It also sells A LOT of drugs. 

I ended last week’s blog about bone broths with four tips to ensure a good supply of minerals in the diet.  My last tip was to consume salt liberally.  I then proclaimed that there is no connection to salt intake and high blood pressure.

OK, I lied.

I admit it. There is a connection. 

But it’s not nearly as much as you think. 

Let me explain why in a somewhat roundabout way.

Carbs and water weight

As part of my nutrition practice I teach a 12 week group weight loss class.  The program is called “Get at the Roots” because each week we discuss a different underlying cause of weight gain with steps to correct it.  Class members learn to address their digestive issues.  They learn to identify hidden food sensitivities.  They learn how to correct fatty acid deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, brain chemistry deficiencies and many others. 

However, the most important underlying issue is addressed in week 1.  This is the ultimate foundation. Everything is predicated on this.  And that is carbohydrate restriction.  More specifically, refined carbohydrate restriction (notice I did not say calorie restriction).  Class members learn right from the start that it is not how much they eat but what they eat that is most important.

In week 1 we discuss the science of carbs and see how they’re broken down into sugar in the body.  We then see how too much sugar in the blood is dangerous and how the body converts and stores sugar as fat.

We take a historical look at the evolution of the American diet in the 20^th century and see the clear influence of industry with the rise of refined carbohydrates.  We see a clear connection to this trend and the rise of chronic diseases in industrialized countries. 

We explore the bad science that has led to the idea that fat is bad.  We dismantle the myth that fat makes us fat and we learn how vital it is to our body’s functioning.  And we learn how fat and protein switch the body’s metabolism from fat storing to fat burning.

 “Yeah yeah yeah, so what does this have to do with salt?!” you ask.

Generally speaking most class members lose the most weight in the first two weeks of the 12 week class.  But they’re not really losing fat.  They’re losing water.  Why?

Carbohydrates cause the body to hold on to water.  When the water volume increases in our blood, the pressure in our blood vessels increase. 

The same can happen when we consume salt. 

However, only one of these will cause chronically elevated blood pressure.  Let’s see which one is the true culprit.

Understanding Salt

Salt is composed mostly of sodium and chloride.  We can’t live without either.  Our blood, sweat and tears are salty.  Sodium and chloride play vital roles in nerve conduction, muscle contraction (including the heart), digestion and blood pressure, to name a few.

 As with everything, our body regulates their concentrations so they don’t get too high or too low. 

Sodium’s concentration in our blood is maintained by water.  The kidneys job is to maintain this concentration.  Consume more salt and your kidneys will excrete it into the urine along with water to flush it out.  Consume less salt and the kidneys will hold on to water to maintain the concentration. 

So when we consume salt, the blood pressure goes up slightly as the kidneys work to maintain the right concentration.  And vice versa.  This has given us the belief that reducing salt in our diet will lower our blood pressure.  Of course it does, but here’s the million dollar question:

Does it drop our blood pressure enough to resolve chronically high blood pressure?

And the answer is a resounding NO!

Reducing salt in your diet has a minimal effect on lowering your blood pressure.   Because salt is so vital to your health, your body will hold on to it in your bloodstream so it doesn’t get too diluted.  If you have high blood pressure, study after study has shown that a significant reduction of salt in your diet will only drop it 2-5 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). 

Hypertension is defined as having a systolic pressure (top number) of at least 20 mmHg over normal and a diastolic pressure (bottom number) at least 10 mmHG over normal.  Normal is considered 120/80 mmHg so hypertension is defined as being above 140/90 (Prehypertension is the range between normal and hypertension).  Therefore, reducing hypertension by 2-5 mmHg via salt restriction when you’re already at least 20 mmHg over what is considered normal just gets you slightly less hypertension.   This does not resolve hypertension.

To put it in perspective let’s visit re-visit the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference.

The History of Salt

On Saturday at the conference I saw Morton Satin speak.  Morton is known as the Salt Guru and is the Vice President of Science and Research for the Salt Institute.  Morton’s talk, “Salt Myths,” took on the concept that salt is bad for us and will raise our blood pressure.

Dissecting flawed study after flawed study, Morton reminded everyone that before the advent of refrigeration, foods were preserved and cured in salt and that contrary to popular belief salt has dramatically decreased in our diet since WWII.  In fact, ‘sal’ is Latin for the word salt. In Roman times, sal-ad was traditionally meant to be vegetables and salt or a salty dressing.  Similarly the word ‘salary’ also comes from the Latin ‘sal’ as Roman soldiers were paid in salt.

Go to the “history of salt” page on Wikipedia.  Here’s what the first sentence reads:  “Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization.”  If you read further, you’ll see that humans have gone to great lengths throughout history to secure salt.  Empires have risen and fallen due to salt trade routes and salt production.

Furthermore, salt’s use as a healing remedy dates back thousands of years.  Cultures throughout the world have found healing properties to salt water.  Could this possibly be a reason so many of us are drawn to the ocean?

In fact, salt is so vital to your health, that not getting enough can have adverse health consequences including an increase in your likelihood of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the very conditions we’re told are related to too much salt.

The True Culprit

So if it’s not salt, what is it?

It seems like in everything I write, in all my public talks, in all my discussions about nutrition, I somehow find my way to this statistic:

The average American consumes 150 pounds of refined sugar per year. 

We are so used to it in our diet that we don’t realize it’s relatively new historically speaking.   Prior to industrialization, making refined sugar from sugar cane was a long and laborious process.   The sugar industry was built on the back of the slave trade.  Initially, only wealthy Europeans could afford it. This is also the first evidence we see of diabetes.

With the advent of industrialization in the 19^th century, industry took over for slave labor and made the manufacturing more efficient.  Throughout the 20^th century, sugar became increasingly available to everyone as the food industry put it in everything.  

This is without question the root reason to our type II diabetes epidemic (chronically elevated blood sugar). This is the root reason to our obesity epidemic as the body stores excess sugar as fat.  And yes, it’s the root reason to hypertension. 

Hypertension is a condition of industrialized societies.  Countless researchers including Dr. Price did not find hypertension in non-industrialized societies despite many cultures liberally consuming salt in the form of sea salt, sea vegetables and salt-preserved foods.  Nor did they find rampant sugar consumption.

We know that hypertension goes along with obesity, heart disease and diabetes, the so called diseases of civilization.

Again, too many refined carbohydrates increase water in the blood thus increasing blood pressure. Refined carbs have no nutrients. The nutrients are stripped out in the refining process.  As we’ve seen the body must maintain sodium in the bloodstream or significant health problems will ensue.  Consider that an intravenous solution of salt water is the first thing given to ER patients.

So if the body is not getting sodium through the diet it must retain it.  It will do this by retaining water in the blood vessels to maintain the concentration of sodium.  Thus, blood pressure rises and thus we get hypertension.

And this is why most people lose the most weight in the form of water in the first two weeks on carbohydrate-restricted diets.  This is exactly what happens in the weight loss program I teach.

And of course, class members blood pressure drops as well.  Many stop their blood pressure medications. 

This is just one of the many benefits that come with restricting sugar and processed carbohydrates.  For others cholesterol comes down, creaky joints feel better, mood improves and so on. 

What about the studies?

You would be surprised just how many studies exist that shows no connection to salt and hypertension. So forget the studies.  Study it in yourself.  If you have hypertension, reduce your salt intake for two weeks and do nothing else (you’re probably already doing this). See if that brings down your blood pressure significantly.  If not, eliminate all sugar intake in the form of refined sugar and refined carbs for two weeks.  See what happens. 

Please note there are some medical conditions that are can be exacerbated by increased salt intake such as kidney failure and congestive heart failure.  Consult your doctor if you have a serious medical condition. 

Sources of salt

Of course not all salt is created equal.  Most Americans use processed salt which is stripped of trace minerals and full of anti-caking chemicals such as aluminum which make salt easier to sift. 

God forbid we might have to use real salt that doesn’t come out of matching porcelain salt and pepper shakers.  Oh, the inconvenience.

Yes, Nature’s true salt, sea salt, forms clumps.  It is also offers a wonderful supply of trace minerals which the body needs for so many biochemical processes.

There are many healthy sources of sea salt in health food stores.   Many people have favorite brands for different reasons.  I like Redmond Sea Salt which is mined from ancient sea beds in Utah.  Others prefer Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt. 

Finally, the last question I get from many people.

How much salt is too much salt?

Dr. David Brownstein, a holistic doctor who specializes in treating thyroid issues and the author of Salt Your Way to Health recommends at least a teaspoon per day of unrefined salt.

But don’t discount your innate intelligence!   Innate intelligence communicates to you through your taste buds.  If you’re craving salt, salt your food.  You’ll know when you’ve overdone it. 

Photo credit: Salt Shakers by TheGiantVermin, on Flickr

Welcome back to part three in my continuing series about the annual Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference.

Last time I discussed the remarkable accomplishment of cooking for 1500 people without the use of industrial vegetable oils.  I discussed what I termed the “Quadruple Bypass,” namely corn, cottonseed, canola and soybean oil.  Remember, if you see any of those oils in anything, bypass them!

This time, we’ll look at another common industrial “food” that has insidiously crept into our food supply.

Once again, let me start out by asking you some questions.

Question #1: When was the last time you saw this?

Question #2:  Why are the rates of osteoporosis skyrocketing?

Question #3: What does question #2 have to do with question #1?

OK, let’s dig in (pun intended if you see where I’m going).

I took the above picture at the morning breakfast buffet at the conference.  A little pricey I know!  But it was also a fundraiser for a good cause, the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Besides the straight up version seen in the picture, another wonderful thing about the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions conference was that real bone stocks were used at every meal.  They were a part of all the soups, the stews and the sauces.

This blows my mind about as much as cooking without industrial vegetable oils.  This is because real bone stocks take time to cook.  Most commercial kitchens don’t have the time or space to simmer stocks all day long, much less do it for a conference of 1500 people.

Most Americans don’t make traditional bone stocks at home anymore either.

Instead they use this:

Bouillon cubes.

Yes, they are convenient.  One cube in some boiling water gets you an instant quasi-stock.  But have you ever seen the ingredients label for most bouillon cubes?  Let’s take a look:

Yikes!  I don’t even know where to begin.  Let’s just hit on a few of these nasty ingredients.

Let’s start with the trans fats I discussed last time.  At the top you’ll see partially hydrogenated soy and corn oil, two of the “Quadruple Bypass.” Again, hydrogenated fats equates to trans fats and trans fats equates to all sorts of health problems, namely heart disease.  If you missed my last blog, check it out for a thorough review of this important topic.

Next you’ll see “hydrolyzed soy protein” which is a soy byproduct that acts as a filler and flavor enhancer.  It contains monosodium glutamate (MSG) which has been linked to migraines, nausea and heart palpitations to name a few.

Moving down you’ll see the ubiquitous “natural flavors.” “Natural flavors” are made in labs with chemicals. According to the FDA, since chemicals are derived from previously naturally occurring substances (whether they’re harmful to human health or not) they can be legally termed “natural.”  The purpose of natural flavors is flavoring, not nutrition.

Next you’ll see the ingredient, “Spice.” Hello?!  What spice? No one really knows except the food manufacturer.  By law food companies can use “spice” or “spices” in the same way it uses the term “natural flavors” to disguise a whole host of chemicals.  Food companies do this to not only hide their chemical concoctions from the public but also from their competitors.

Make no mistake about it, these chemical formulas are big business.  Really big business.  And the food industry wants to keep their formulas a secret as much as possible.  Deceptive labeling is the way they do this.  In fact, 60 Minutes did a story about this a few weeks ago.  They aptly titled the piece, “The Flavorists: Tweaking tastes and creating cravings.”

Moving down we see more, well, chemicals.  What the heck is disodium inositate and disodium guanylate?  I really don’t know.

And the last one, and my personal favorite, “No MSG added (contains naturally occurring glutamates).”

Here’s a good explanation about the term “naturally occurring” from the website www.truthinlabeling.org:

“By FDA definition, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is ‘naturally occurring,’ because the basic ingredients are found in nature. ‘Naturally occurring’ does not mean that a food additive is being used in its natural state. ‘Naturally occurring’ only means that the food additive began with something found in nature. By FDA definition, the ingredient ‘monosodium glutamate’ is natural. So is hydrochloric acid. So is arsenic. ‘Natural’ doesn’t mean ‘safe.’”

And MSG can be hidden in many other sources, like say, hydrolyzed soy protein.

Of course it doesn’t end with just bouillon cubes.  Canned soups are just as bad and contain many of the same things to mimic the flavors found in real stocks and soups.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients for Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup:

There’s the “Quadruple Bypass” at the top, all four of them all together.

Moving down we see monosodium glutamate (MSG).  At least Campbell’s doesn’t say it’s “naturally occuring.”

My favorite though is the “flavoring” ingredient.  Could that be any less vague?  I’m guessing it’s “natural.”

Again, there’s no denying canned soups and bouillon cubes are convenient.  One of my favorite authors on real food even admits to using them every now and then when she’s in a pinch.  Luckily, cooking real stocks is one of the most convenient, simple traditional foods you can prepare at home.  Once you get into a habit of making them, the flavor, the versatility and the health benefits will keep you from using the fake stuff except on the rarest of occasions.

One of my favorite presentations at the Wise Traditions conference was “Broth-Based Soups and Stews” by author and chef, Jessica Prentice.  Jessica pointed out from the start that every culture on this planet has traditionally used bone stocks as a basis for soups and stews in their cuisines.  She cited numerous examples from around the world such as the curries of Asia, the tagines of North Africa, osso bucco from Italy and numerous seafood-based staples such as bouillabaisses, gumbos and cioppinos.  And don’t forget, Dr. Price found bone stocks to be staple in every culture he studied.

At the top of the list of the many health benefits to real bone stocks is that they’re packed with minerals.  As the bones cook in the water, the minerals leach out and are easily absorbed in the body.  The first stage of the GAPS Diet is all about bone broths for this very reason.

Now I’m sure you see where I’m going with question #2 from above.

1/3 of all American women will have diagnosable osteoporosis in their lifetime.  This number is expected to skyrocket.  Some say 50% of all Americans will have osteopenia or osteoporosis by 2020.

“Diagnosable” means a 30% loss of bone mass.   Minerals make up about half your bone mass and 99% of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones.

Dr. Price couldn’t study bone density but he observed universally good bone structure in the cultures he studied.  He did not find anyone needing their knees or hips replaced, even those well into old age.

And he always found excellent dental presentations with minimal evidence of tooth decay.

Remember, Dr. Price found the mineral content of native diets to be on average 4 times higher than American diets.  And this was back in the 1930s.

Furthermore, studies of bone records of pre-agricultural people show little evidence of osteoporosis or tooth decay.  And these groups were not drinking milk or taking calcium supplements.

Then why the modern epidemic?

In my opinion, there are two culprits.  The first is modern agricultural methods that deplete the soil of minerals.

In The Healing Power of Minerals author Paul Bergner details USDA records of the mineral content in our food.  They show a steady decline throughout the 20^th century.

The second culprit is processed foods that deplete the body of minerals, in particular, sugar.  Sugar is acidifying to the body.  To compensate the body will pull minerals from our bones to re-establish proper acidity.  The phosphoric acid in soda has been shown to have  the same effect.  The average American consumes over 150 pounds of refined sugar per year with much of that coming from soda.

The body cannot make minerals on its own.  We must ingest them.  So how do we insure a healthy supply?

I bet you think I’m going to say that all you need to do is make homemade bone stocks?

Well, sort of.

Sometimes I think we fall prey to this very 1 + 1 = 2 mentality when it comes to nutrition.  For example, it seems logical to think that eating more fat (one) equals more fat in our body (plus one) equals weight gain (equals two).  Or that eating cholesterol (one) equals higher levels of blood cholesterol (plus one) equals cholesterol deposits in our arteries (equals two).  But we know this is not true. The science of nutrition is never as simple as 1 + 1 = 2!

And the same with minerals.  We tend to think that if we eat more minerals (one), we’ll have more minerals floating around in us (plus one) and we’ll thus prevent osteoporosis (equals two).  Kinda makes intuitive sense. This is the formula that millions of women follow, namely drinking more milk and supplementing with minerals, in particular calcium.  Shouldn’t we then see a decrease in the rates of osteoporosis?  Obviously, it’s not working.

Will adding in more bone stocks help?  Yes, but it’s not that simple.

For minerals to work in our bodies, they require many co-factors for uptake and utilization.  For example, we need the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K to help us absorb minerals.  Minerals also needs to be in balance with other minerals to work correctly.  Calcium and magnesium and sodium and potassium are two examples.  We also need good hormone production and healthy gut flora for strong bones too.

The nutrient deficient modern diet contributes to deficiencies in all of these co-factors. So while bone stocks are an excellent example a high-mineral traditional food, they still need to be combined with other healthy foods for them to be truly effective in building healthy bones.

So on that note, here’s my four step formula for getting an ample supply of healthy minerals in your diet to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis:

1. Buy food that is grown sustainably.

Sustainable methods of agriculture give back to the earth what it takes.  These methods nurture the soil and know it is a living, breathing ecosystem that must be kept healthy thus ensuring a rich supply of minerals. This includes animal products as animals that graze and forage uptake the minerals from the plants and insects. Furthermore, healthy animal fats will help us assimilate minerals, form our hormones and insure good digestion.  All of those things are necessary for healthy bones.  Of course, buying sustainable also implies not buying processed, sugar-laden foods!  So in other words, eat real food.

2. Don’t drink pasteurized milk.

“OK, but I drink my milk everyday” you say.  No doubt, milk is an excellent source of calcium and minerals.  But not modern milk.  Pasteurization and homogenization destroy vital nutrients.  America has the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world and the highest rates of milk consumption.  And god forbid, don’t drink low-fat milk!  If you’re going to drink milk, drink raw milk with its full complement of fats, protein, enzymes and minerals.

3. Make broth-based soups and stews!

You knew I’d get there eventually.  Here’s a simple recipe for chicken stock which you can then use as a base for chicken soup and so many others.  Be sure to use a good crockpot.  It will make things a lot easier.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken or chicken parts, cut up.  If possible, use the feet which provide a rich source of gelatin.
Vegetables, diced – carrots, celery, onions, leeks
Apple cider vinegar

Directions
Chop veggies and place in crockpot with chicken.  Cover with water, add vinegar and let sit for 30 mins.
The vinegar aids in leaching the minerals from the bones.
Turn crockpot to low and cook for 12-24 hours. That’s it!
Strain broth from bones and veggies.
Store in fridge for up to 7 days.  Freeze whatever you won’t use within a week.

Note: You can remove the chicken after 3-4 hours and remove the meat from the bones.  It should be well cooked and very tender.  Reserve the meat for chicken salad or for a wonderful chicken soup.  Return bones to water and continue simmering for 12-24 hours.

4. Consume salt liberally.

I can hear the collective outcry of the medical establishment already.  But your bones require many of the minerals found in salt, more specifically, sea salt.

“But what about the connection to salt and high blood pressure?” you say.

What if I were to tell you there’s no connection at all?

Stay tuned.  That is next week’s topic.

See you then.

Last time I asked the questions, “Who was Weston Price?” and “Why does he have a conference named after him?” I hope you enjoyed it and learned about the remarkable research of Dr. Price and the foundation that bears his name.

Today and in the next several blogs I want to bring you inside the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions annual conference and highlight some things about it that can perhaps change the way you look at food on a more practical, every day level.

So just like last time I’ll premise this blog with another two questions.

Question #1: When you go out to eat, do you know what oils are being used in the food?

Question #2:  Why does this matter?

The reason I’m asking this is because one of the great things about the conference was the complete lack of industrial oils in the food.  And when you’re cooking for 1500 people this is nothing short of a remarkable accomplishment.  Let me explain why.

Traditionally, cultures used animal fats in their cooking – tallow (beef fat), lard (pig fat), chicken fat, bacon grease, duck fat, etc.  Other fats and oils traditionally used in cooking included palm and coconut oils and good old fashioned butter.

Those fats are saturated and when you’re cooking, contrary to popular belief, this is not only a good thing, it’s vitally important.  The reason is because saturated fats are very stable at high heat, meaning they hold their chemical structure.  Without getting too technical this basically means they don’t form free radicals which are unstable molecules that promote disease and aging in your body.

Unsaturated fats from plant sources also have health benefits, but not when heated.  Their chemical bonds are not stable at high heat.

To see this process with the naked eye take an apple and cut it open. Turns brown pretty quickly, right?  It’s a process called oxidation (free radical formation).  This is what happens to any fruit, nut or seed when you break it open and expose the inner contents.

To extract the oils, they are pressed in mechanical processes which creates friction and thus heat, thereby increasing oxidation.  However, done under the right conditions, the integrity of many oils can be maintained.  Oils termed ‘cold-pressed’ are done so at temperatures that prevent damage.  After pressing, these delicate oils should be stored away from light, heat and moisture. This is why you’ll see good quality oils stored in dark glass bottles.

Unfortunately, to the food industry cold-pressing oils is not profitable.  So they press them at high heats and pressures to extract them quicker and in greater quantities.  This damages the oils and in turn, damages your body.

These refined oils have been a part of our food supply for over a hundred years! Crisco was introduced in 1911 and it was the first shortening made entirely of vegetable oil. This is the time when the rates of heart disease started to dramatically escalate in industrialized countries.

Right now, take a look at the products in your fridge and kitchen cabinets.  Unless you’re aware of this I can almost guarantee you’ll see corn, cottonseed, canola and/or soybean oil in almost everything  – your salad dressings, mayonnaise, cookies, potato chips, canned goods and even things like bread.

These four oils have risen dramatically in our food supply since World War II.  I call these four the “Quadruple Bypass” not just for their association with heart disease but also because anytime you see these four oils in anything, bypass them!

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to avoid them because they’re in almost all packaged foods. That includes Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. To avoid them completely you have to cook! I mostly use coconut oil and butter in my cooking.  And when I roast a chicken, I’ll save the chicken fat.  I’ll also save some of the fat when I make a stock.  And it’s not hard to render your own lard if you find a good source of pig fat.  All these fats are traditional fats and acceptable for cooking.

However, it’s virtually impossible to do this when you go out to eat. Go ahead and ask your waiter what oils are being used.  I’d almost recommend you don’t.  You’ll be horrified.

Having waited tables for many years in restaurants I can tell you that industrial oils are in just about everything you eat.  I don’t care if your favorite restaurant is sourcing their food locally.  That’s great.  But they’re still not using good oils.

The reason is they can’t.  It’s just not cost efficient because they use so much of them.  They use these oils in all their sauces.  They use them in their salad dressings.  They use them on their grills, saute pans and sandwich presses to keep food from sticking.   They usually coat their meats with them right before they put them on heating surfaces as well.  They usually do the same with the breads of hot sandwiches.  Simply put, they use A LOT of these oils.

Here’s an example:

This is something restaurants buy in bulk.  My picture doesn’t convey it well but inside that box is a huge 35 pound plastic container of soybean oil.   Most restaurants will go through this rather quickly.

Here are two more commonly used products:

See how they both have the label of “Og Trans Fat” with a deceptively small “per serving” underneath?

This means they have trans fats. That is not a misprint.  Let me repeat it to be clear.  If you see “0 grams trans fat per serving” on a label, it means it has trans fats.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients on the back of the Wesson shortening product shown above:

There you see “hydrogenated soybean oil” in the ingredients.  Hydrogenation is a process that creates trans fats. So how can they claim 0 grams trans fats per serving?

Due to intense lobbying by the food industry, companies are allowed by law to claim 0 grams trans fats per serving if the serving size is 0.49 grams or less.  So companies boost the serving sizes so they can get under the 0.49.  That’s why the words “per serving” are always in tiny print.

Are you shaking your head in disbelief yet?

If not, you would be if you knew that the research connecting trans fats to chronic disease is about as solid as the research connecting cigarette smoking to lung cancer.  Fortunately, most people know today that trans fats are devastating to human health.  Some places are even trying to ban them.  New York City did so a few years ago.  This of course is met with huge resistance by the food industry.

So what exactly are trans fats?

As I mentioned above, trans fats are formed in a high tech process called hydrogenation.  This process turns liquid oils into solid fats.

Hydrogenation does two things to food.  Number one it increases shelf life.   And two, it makes it useful in baking.  Traditional fats like lard and butter give substance to things like cakes, pies and cookies.  Try using soybean oil instead of butter when making cookies.  You’ll get a flat, greasy cookie.

But if you use hydrogenated soybean oil, you now have a solid fat.  You can now mass-produce baked goods since hydrogenated oils are so much cheaper than real, traditional fats. Take a look at almost any Hostess product – Twinkies, Ding Dongs, etc.  You’ll see them there.  Take a look at the labels of most big name snack/junk food companies. You’ll see them there.

And finally, there’s another reason restaurants can’t use good quality oils.  It’s because we’ve been collectively brainwashed into thinking saturated fats will clog our arteries.  A chef or restaurant owner who wanted to use say, lard in the fryer instead of canola oil, would have to deal with the headache of constant complaints from his/her patrons on doctor-prescribed low-fat diets and statin drugs.

How many people do you know on low-fat diets and stating drugs?  I’m guessing more than a few.

So what can you do?

Well, other than never eating out again, not much.  But here are two tips.  First, most restaurants have olive oil and balsamic vinegar you can use instead of their salad dressings.

Second, when you go out for breakfast, ask your waiter to make sure the chef cooks your eggs or pancakes in butter.   Same goes for any hot sandwiches.  They’ll give you a quizzical look for sure.  In fact, once you start incorporating more traditional foods in your diet, you’ll get a lot of strange looks.  Get used to it.

Some of my Nutritional Therapist friends even bring their own oils and politely ask the kitchen to use them.  Most are happy to oblige.  A curious waiter/waitress or even a curious cook might even ask you why. This is your chance to educate them!

And this is why cooking for 1500 people for 3 days in a commercial kitchen operation without the use of industrial oils is a truly incredible feat.

Not a speck of canola oil.  Not a drip of soybean oil.  No cottonseed oil.  No Mazzola corn oil.  No Wesson.  No Pam cooking sprays.

This is not convenient.  It’s not efficient.  And it’s not easy.

One of the more touching moments of the conference was during the Saturday night banquet when Sally Fallon brought out all the chefs who spent the weekend preparing and cooking the foods in traditional methods for 1500 people.  As they came out on stage they got a standing ovation.

OK, one more picture. I bet you don’t see this everyday:

Do you have a quizzical look on your face?

You won’t after the next blog!  So I’ll leave you with that image until next time.

Two weekends ago I attended my first Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference in Dallas.  This conference is becoming the premier nutrition conference in the country.  It brings together a varied and passionate group of scientists, doctors, researchers, alternative healers, chefs, farmers, activists and concerned parents and citizens.  We are all united in supporting the recovery of our damaged food system by returning to real, traditional foods.

I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to be around 1500 like-minded folks who really get it.  I didn’t have to debate anyone on why saturated fat and cholesterol are vital for health.  I didn’t get strange looks when I discussed the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (otherwise known as a SCOBY or kombucha mushroom) fermenting in my kitchen.  And I didn’t get a bunch of drama queen (and king) reactions at the sheer mention of fermented cod liver oil.  It’s like I’ve come home to my people!!

As soon as I got back I raced to a late night coffee joint where I was determined to blog the whole experience out of my over inspired and over stimulated brain.   Over 3000 words of caffeinated, disjointed thought blurbs later, I decided to let the experience settle a little.

Two weeks later, I am no less inspired from the experience.  However, I am able to process my thoughts more clearly.  And what I’ve decided to do is to spread out my thoughts in a series of blogs.  Each one will highlight aspects of the conference that I hope will change the way you think about food.  In the process, I will give you simple, practical tips to bring more traditional foods into your diet.

But first things first.

Who is this Weston A. Price dude and why does he have a conference?

Weston A. Price was a prominent dentist in his day.  He lived from 1870-1948.  He practiced in Cleveland, Ohio and became well known for his research on the relationship between nutrition and dental health.

Like many other dentists of his time, Price became concerned about the increasing rates of dental problems he was seeing in his patients, in particular, children.  Today, we take for granted that we need cavities, root canals and braces to straighten our crooked teeth.  But let me ask you an interesting question.

What do you think traditional cultures did before the advent of modern dentistry?

Hold that thought.

Like others of his time, Price believed these changes in dental health stemmed from processed foods, particularly refined grains and sugar which were becoming a part of the standard American diet in the early part of the 20^th century.

The genius of Dr. Price was that he saw the world as his laboratory and he set out to prove it through an exhaustive, decade long journey around planet Earth.

In the 1930s, Price traveled the globe seeking out isolated traditional cultures.  Some of the groups Prices studied included villagers in the remote mountains of Switzerland, Hebrides Islanders, African tribes, New Zealand Maori, South Sea Islanders, Native American Indians, South American Indians and Australian Aboriginals.

Price conducted his research just before the spread of industrialization would reach almost every corner of our planet.  The priceless (no pun intended) nature of Price’s work was that through his writing and photographs he captured these cultures still living their traditional ways.

Specifically, Price’s curiosity affords us a glimpse of their traditional diets.

He summarized his findings in a book called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration which he published in 1939.  Despite finding a huge variety in these traditional diets he nonetheless found many unifying principles.

So what are these principles?

First, he found no processed foods, obviously.

He found no evidence of chronic disease either.  And while he didn’t have the medical technology to study bone density or arterial plaque formations or cancer growth, he found nothing remotely near the rates of osteoporosis, heart disease or cancer seen in industrialized countries.  And minus the sugary staples of most Americans’ diets: soda, sweets or white flour products, Price found no type II diabetes.

But this is where it gets even more interesting.  Dr. Price the dentist found incredibly low rates of dental decay.  He found little evidence of tooth crowding and thus no need for all the fancy dental procedures we take as routine.

So to answer the question regarding what traditional cultures did before the advent of modern dentistry – they had no need for modern dentistry!

Other unifying principles were a great respect for the soil, a great respect for the animals, the use of bone broths, the use of fermented foods, soaking and sprouting of grains and the use of raw milk if they kept milk-producing animals.

And while he found a great variety in the ratios of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in traditional diets, unlike today he did not find a fear of fat anywhere. There were no fat-phobic cultures.   He never found anyone drinking skim milk or eating anything low fat.  In fact, these cultures valued fat as a life-giving force be it in the form of milk in many African tribes, butter and cream in Switzerland or the fats from marine mammals and fish in coastal dwelling cultures.

Unfortunately, Dr. Price’s research stayed on the fringes for many decades after his death.

In 1995, Sally Fallon published a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions based on the principles of Dr. Price’s work.

In our collective, oftentimes contentious search for the best diet for humans, Fallon’s book struck a chord.  It did so for two reasons.  First, it emphasized a return to small scale, sustainably grown foods.  Second, it goes in depth into the science of nutrition dispelling many myths that perpetuate today such as low fat, low cholesterol and low sodium diets.  Dr. Price found none of these things in the cultures he studied.

Sally co-founded the non-profit Weston Price Foundation in 1999. It has grown into an international movement with about 550 chapters educating their communities and connecting them to sustainably and locally produced foods.

Our chapter here in Northampton is growing and we hold monthly potlucks.  Almost all of us are new to traditional foods, including myself.

We’ve all grown up on the Standard American Diet (the SAD diet) full of processed carbohydrates, pasteurized milk, toxic vegetables oils and all manner of “frankenfoods.”  And we have all been affected by it to some degree.  Some of us have overcome chronic fatigue.  Some have overcome severe digestive issues.  One of our members has lost over 100 pounds in two years and stabilized his MS by eating a strict Weston Price style diet.  He’s done this without exercise.   Stories like this are not uncommon amidst Weston Price circles.

And in our quest to regain our health and support our local food economy, we share our recipes and our successes and failures with foods like bone broths and fermented vegetables.  We share kombucha SCOBYs.  We learn from each other.  We also share our favorite farmers and farmers markets and help each other access more local food.

If you’re in western MA you can find us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/125650110778864/

Or you can join our Google group listserv by sending an email to northamptonwapf@googlegroups.com

So to sum it up, Weston Price was a nutritional prophet, a man ahead of his time who warned of the physical degeneration that would occur if we continued eating what he called “the foods of commerce.”  That warning has come to fruition.  The rates of chronic disease continue to escalate and continue to plague each generation at younger and younger ages.  Mental health issues are off the charts. Autism rates are now at around 1 in 150. Diabetes, cancer and heart disease continue to escalate. Our health care system is a sick care system.  It is bankrupting us financially, physically and spiritually.

People are waking up to what’s going on with our food, they’re searching for answers and they’re finding them in the return to traditional, whole foods.

At the forefront of this movement is the Weston A. Price Foundation helping us all find the way back.

And this is why Weston A. Price has a conference.

Stay tuned for conference highlights.

In the meantime, I encourage you to find a chapter in your area, join the foundation and educate yourself.  And then, share it with others.

You can find all this info on the foundation’s website:

www.westonaprice.org

“I’ve been searching my whole life for a diet that can explain and reverse all manner of chronic health problems including serious mental health problems.  This is as close as it gets.”

I can’t remember who said it.   It could’ve been a medical doctor, could’ve been a naturopathic doctor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, nutritional therapist or the many psychotherapists that were in the room.   It was during a break, over a casual conversation that someone said it and it stuck with me because it’s a sentiment that a growing number of health practitioners express when they come across the GAPS diet.

A few weekends back I became a certified GAPS practitioner at a weekend long training in New York taught by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, a British physician who developed the GAPS diet.  GAPS is an acronym that stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome.  It’s a nutritional program that is gaining worldwide attention for its ability to improve and in some cases completely reverse autism and other serious psychological problems such as depression, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, schizophrenia and behavioral problems in children.

GAPS is designed to heal the gut.  You may ask, “What does that have to deal with mental health?”

Turns out, a lot.

Talk to anyone with serious depression and ask them about their gut health.  I can almost guarantee you will hear some form of digestive complaints as well.  You probably won’t even have to ask.  Whether it’s the bottle of Tums or Prilosec they’re carrying around, the frequent trips to the bathroom or the complaints of intestinal pain, it probably won’t be hard to notice.

Dr. Natasha (as she’s referred to) has found the same thing in the thousands of patients that have come to her through the years seeking help for serious health issues.  That includes the parents of children suffering with all manner of mental health issues including autism.

Dr. Natasha realized early on that when she questioned parents about their children’s digestive status they would almost universally complain of severe diarrhea and/or constipation, discolored stools, foul smelling stools and stools with undigested food.  She found that conventional doctors were not connecting the digestive problems to the mental health problems.   They either didn’t know what to do or simply excused them away as “normal”.

In the Introduction to her book, Dr. Natasha states, “I have yet to meet a child with autism, ADHD, asthma, eczema, allergies, dyspraxia or dyslexia, who does not have digestive abnormalities.”

The purpose of this blog isn’t to delve into the inner workings of the digestive system and explain how it’s connected to our mental health.  The purpose is to make you aware that if you or someone you know is suffering with a chronic, debilitating health condition, in particular a severe digestive problem or a severe mental health challenge, that there is hope.

Start with the book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome.  It’s a simple, down to earth read.  It will explain how when our digestive system suffers, our body and mind suffer as well.  It will explain why millions of Americans, in particular children our dealing with psychological issues at epidemic levels.

Let’s just touch on this real quick.

It wasn’t long ago that autism was diagnosed in 1 out of about 10,000 children.  Today, that number stands at about 1 out 150.  Why?

Many like to excuse this away as genetics.  But genetics doesn’t work like that.  This is environmental.  In fact, the latest field of genetics, called epigenetics, has proven that our environment affects our genes.  It has proven that our thoughts and emotions can affect our genes and that yes, the very food we put in our body affects our genes as well.

And if you’ve been paying attention lately, you know that our food supply is toxic.   It’s been toxic for the better part of the last 100 years and it’s catching up to us.  Each generation is getting sicker.  This is not hard to see anymore.  The rates of chronic disease are always higher in industrialized countries.  The frankenfoods that line our supermarket shelves, replete with sugar, preservatives and chemicals do not support health.  These foods when eaten regularly destroy health.  We have an entire generation of children growing up on these foods.  We are slowly waking up to this now due to the well-publicized and much needed grassroots movement back to real, sustainably grown foods.

And this is a central theme of the GAPS diet.  The GAPS diet is not just about a gimmicky low carb or low fat approach.  It’s about food as nourishment.  It’s about real food with all the minerals, vitamins, healthy fats and all the basic building blocks our body needs to heal, replenish and nourish itself.

Those who follow the GAPS diet must seek out the best quality food they can.  Organic produce, grass fed animal products, pastured eggs and wild fish form the foundation.

All damaging, refined and processed foods must be removed.  All grains must be removed as well.  And yes, even whole grains.  The frequently repeated nutritional mantra to “eat more whole grains” can be quite damaging for many people.  Yes, whole grains are nutritionally superior to refined ones.  But whole grains are hard on the human digestive system.  There’s a reason every supermarket now has a gluten-free section.  Gluten, the main protein in wheat, rye and barley is difficult for the human body to digest.  For those with already compromised digestion, they need to be removed to give the digestive lining a chance to heal.

Grains are also quite overrated nutritionally speaking. There is nothing in grains that you can’t get more efficiently from other foods.  Fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy (if no sensitivity exists) and meats supply everything grains do but in a much more digestible form.

Obviously, removing grains from one’s diet is not easy as the standard American diet revolves around grains.  It means removing breakfast cereals, bagels, pastries, cake, cookies, breads, pasta and so on.  So yes, the GAPS diet is difficult to follow.  But not impossible.  Those that commit to it report remarkable results.  It just takes a little more planning and preparation.

And this is why as a newly certified GAPS practitioner I have decided NOT to work with people with the GAPS diet…yet.  It’s because I have not tried it for myself.  If I’m going to help people with it, I know I need to do it for myself so that I can more skillfully guide people through its challenges.

So for the next several months I will be following it so I can better help and guide those in the future.

I will keep you posted, but in the meantime, you can check out more about the GAPS diet on Dr. Natasha’s website, www.gaps.me as well as her blog, www.doctor-natasha.com.

Do you someone suffering from mental health issues?  Chances are you do.  Over the past twenty years the rise in things like depression, ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities and behavioral problems is nothing short of staggering.  And the rise in pharmaceuticals to treat these issues is equally staggering.  About one in five Americans are on some form of anti-depressant.

A few weeks ago I asked one of the members of my GET AT THE ROOTS 12 week weight loss program to shoot a little video.  We were on week 11 at the time and the topic for week 11 is Brain Chemistry Deficiencies (Mental Health Issues would be an equally suitable name).  It was a bit off the cuff but I think we captured a good testimonial to the power of nutrition when working with these issues.

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wkwR2A3IAQ

I am confident that if you know someone struggling with a mental health issue that nutrition can play a huge role in recovery.  I’m also confident that the GET AT THE ROOTS 12 week program can create a foundation for good mental health.

For starters we learn to identify and remove foods that deplete brain chemistry.  This may sound obvious but you’d be surprised how many toxic foods people eat on an everyday basis that damage their brain chemistry.

Next we learn to choose foods that nourish brain chemistry.  I know, this also sounds obvious.  But did you know that about 60% of your brain is made of fat.  This is one of the dozens of reasons that low fat diets are damaging.  We dispel the low fat myth right away on week 1 and we learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats (and I promise you there’s a lot more to it than eating more avocados and olive oil).

But beyond diet we address underling issues that create mental imbalances.  Probably the most important one is digestion.  Guess where your neurotransmitters are made?  That’s right, your gut.  Poor digestion often equals poor mental health. One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Alan Gaby.

He says, “Big Mac + Zantac = Prozac.”

In other words, bad food + bad digestion = poor mental health.

This is why weeks 2, 3 and 4 on the program work to correct underlying digestive imbalances.

Finally, today is the last day to take advantage of the early bird discount for the new 12 week GET AT THE ROOTS classes that will be starting at the end of September.  All the details are on the weight loss link on my website:

http://www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com/weight-loss/

Please share with someone you know who may be interested.

And don’t forget, I can certainly work with anyone individually regarding mental health issues as well.  In fact, next month I will be heading to New York City to become a certified GAPS practitioner.  What is GAPS?

GAPS stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome.  It’s a diet developed by a British physician, Dr. Natasha Campbell Mcbride, that addresses severe mental health issues such as autism by healing the digestive tract and it’s slowly gaining worldwide attention.  I’m sure I’ll write about it in a little more detail in the next few weeks.  But in the meantime, if you know someone with a child struggling with mental health and/or behavioral issues, check out www.gapsdiet.com.

Summer sure seems to fly by here in the northeast.   Seems like one minute it’s the Fourth of July and the next it’s Labor Day.  I hope you enjoyed yours and were able to get away for a little bit.

Other than a few glorious days on Cape Cod I spent much of my summer teaching three weight loss classes around the Pioneer Valley.  It was my first time teaching them and I spent tons of time hunkered over my computer preparing for each week’s class.  That’s OK though because I enjoyed teaching them and now that I’ve taught my first round of classes, I feel a lot more confident, prepared and excited to teach them again. I’m also excited to announce the new Fall dates!  And to offer an early bird sign up discount.

But first let me explain very briefly what makes this program different from others.

It’s a new 12 week program called GET AT THE ROOTS and it’s truly different from any other program out there.  Because at its core, it’s not so much about weight loss as it is about getting the body healthy.  When the body becomes healthy, weight comes off naturally and easily.  It does this in two ways:

1) Via food. Class members learn the difference between real food and processed food.  Most Americans have become so disconnected from real food that they don’t know what it is anymore.  For example, breakfast cereal is not real food.  Neither is skim milk, margarine and most vegetable oils.  And then of course there’s the obvious junk that comes out of a box, a can or a drive through window.

There is no calorie restriction.  No counting points. No weighing food.  No pre-packaged meals. No synthetic shakes. No gimmicks. We simply learn what foods to choose that switch the body’s metabolism from fat storing to fat burning.

Exercise is encouraged but not absolutely essential.

Here’s what John Devries, who lost 20 pounds had to say,  “I’ve been exercising regularly for years but couldn’t understand why I wasn’t  losing weight.  With Craig’s program, it became clear and more importantly, easy.  I never went hungry, never felt deprived or bored with my meals.   I will continue to follow these common sense dietary principles for the rest of my life.”

2) Via education. Class members learn to address their underlying issues that prevent both weight loss and good health.  For example, the first four weeks of the program are spent on various aspects of the digestive system and learning how to correct things like heartburn, bloating, IBS, food sensitivities, constipation and yeast overgrowth.   Further modules address fatty acid deficiencies, stress and mental health challenges like depression and anxiety.  For that reason, anyone with a chronic health challenge can do this program.

Here’s what Carol Anderson had to say, “I wanted to lose a little weight but I did this program more to learn more about the connection between diet and health.   Diabetes and heart disease are in my family and I’ve seen the toll it’s taken on my loved ones.  After 12 weeks I lost 6 pounds, my blood pressure went down and I’ve stopped taking my cholesterol meds.  Most importantly, I feel better.  I don’t feel that need for a sugar or caffeine fix in the mid-afternoon anymore.  I’m even sleeping better.”

New classes will start again at the end of September.  The dates, times and locations are listed on the link below.

As for the early bird discount, starting today, September 6^th and ending next Monday night, September 12^th, anyone who signs up in that time will get one week free on the program.

Space is limited so don’t delay!

All the details are included here:

http://www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com/weight-loss/

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

A few weeks ago I wrote a series of blogs on the three resources I use most to convince and inspire people to shop for real, local foods.  The first was Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, the second was the documentary Food Inc. and the third was the experience of shopping at farmers markets compared to supermarkets .

Now when it comes to farmers markets in America, there’s good news and there’s bad news.  The bad news is that many places in our country still have little access to fresh, real foods.  I call these real food deserts.

I grew up on Long Island, the classic example of a real food desert.  There are still some farms here and there but they’ve mostly been converted to parking lots, condos, golf courses, shopping malls and suburbs with lawns that soak up chemicals instead of the roots of real food.  We’re all familiar with these real food deserts.  If you live in a real food desert, this blog is for you.  And if you don’t, I bet you know someone who does.

The good news is that as the awareness of our broken, toxic food system grows more and more people are looking for ways to opt out of the conventional system.  Many businesses and farms are becoming savvier by using the internet and online ordering systems to reach concerned consumers who are seeking organic, non-GMO, pastured, grass fed foods.

One such local business here in the Pioneer Valley is Valley Green Feast.  Valley Green Feast is a local, organic foods delivery service.  All you have to do is go to their website, www.valleygreenfeast.com, order from a wide variety of foods from a variety of small farms in the area and they bring it right to your door.  How great is that?!  Literally, the farmer’s market at your doorstep.  No check-out lines, more time at home, smaller gas bills and of course, great quality food!

More than that, Valley Green Feast is a worker-owned collective that supports local farms by expanding their consumer base.  They are working to make real, healthy food more accessible to more people.

I think there’s a huge market for this sort of thing out there and I hope more services will be offered like this around the country.

In fact, the last year I lived on Long Island I was part of a food co-op that received weekly shipments of food from Amish country.  A number of Amish farms had partnered together and set up an online ordering system.  Once a week they would deliver to various locations around the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area.  It was absolutely fantastic.  I had dozens of amazing choices right on my computer screen – pastured eggs, cultured vegetables, raw cheeses, yogurt, butter, soup bones, soup stocks and an amazing variety of grass fed meat products.   It was a one stop real food shopping heaven and saved me tons of time.

Certainly setting up these online systems and having the capacity to ship and truck fresh food around to different locations is no small task for many farms.  But I see a huge potential in this sort of thing.  And hey, if the Amish can do it, I think others can too.

Regardless of where you live though, many farms are starting to do this.  This is great if you live in a real food desert with no access to healthy local foods.

A fantastic online resource is www.eatwild.com .  They have a state by state directory of over 1300 pasture based farms.  In particular, check out their “Farms that Ship ” link.

Here are two such sources that are quite popular online:

www.uswellnessmeats.com
www.vitalchoice.com

Another great resource for finding these farms is the Wise Traditions quarterly publication put out by the Weston Price Foundation .  It’s included with your membership to the foundation which is only $40 per year for individuals and $25 if you’re a student or senior.  At the back of the publication you’ll find a section called “The Shop Heard ‘Round the World” with dozens of businesses and cottage industries selling various nutrient dense foods.  In recent years I’ve noticed this section keeps growing and growing.

So if you know someone who lives in a real food desert, please help me spread the word about these wonderful online resources.  In particular, if you know someone who lives in the southern Pioneer Valley where’s there’s less access to the farms of the upper Valley, please help me make them aware of Valley Green Feast. They’re a very new business and many people could really use their services.

Finally, I know what you may be thinking, “Yeah but this is all so expensive!”  Maybe.  But maybe not. As I’ve said repeatedly in previous emails, what is the cost of your health?  Even if your health insurance can cover the costs of medications, doctors visits and even hospitalization, what’s the cost of living with sickness?  What is the cost to not develop the lifestyle diseases of type II diabetes, obesity and heart disease?  I can only answer that question for myself which is to say that for me personally, the extra money I spend each month on real food is well worth it to me.  Most importantly, I feel better.

And I think you will too.

When people come to see me we go over a handout called The Blood Sugar Control Diet.  It helps get sugars out of the diet and thus is useful for a myriad of chronic health issues.  This handout details what to eat for proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  It further differentiates the good carbohydrates from the bad carbohydrates and thus has further sections for grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy.  I’ll tweak things depending on what I think each person can or cannot handle.  For example, some people are more ready than others to give up all sugar, refined grain products or say, diet coke.

Regardless, there’s one thing I underline on this handout that is essential for everyone and it has nothing to do with specific dietary changes.  It’s so important that I always have a red pen on hand to underline it for emphasis.  As I’m underlining I always say this, “This is absolutely the most important thing on this handout.  None of this is possible unless you do this one thing.”

This is exactly what I underline:

This way of eating does take a little planning, but is well worth the effort.

In other words, you have to cook a little more to eat healthier.   It’s hard to get around the fact that to minimize processed foods, to stop eating sugar and to start making real changes, that you have to spend a little more time in your kitchen.  This doesn’t mean you have to be Julia Child!  As I like to say, “You don’t have to be a chef, but you do have to be a cook.” Big difference.

This can be intimidating for many people, especially those with full time jobs.  But with a little planning and a little preparation it’s amazing how quick and simple it can be to eat well at home.

I have yet to find a fish or a vegetable that does not work beautifully with a simple sauce of butter and lemon.  Olive oil, salt, pepper and an herb or two work equally well.   Soy sauce, ginger and garlic are pure magic in my book for red meats and green vegetables as well.  And as far as I’m concerned, the crock pot is one of the greatest inventions of all time.

I always try to help my clients with simple strategies for eating well in a way that isn’t completely overwhelming.   Trust me I’m certainly no chef myself.  But I am a cook.  I’ve realized that I have to be in order to nourish myself and feel well.  With a little practice, patience and persistence, you can have quite the repertoire of delicious home cooked meals within a very short time.

There are so many great cookbooks and websites that can turn almost anyone from a microwaving, hot pocket eating, processed food junkie into a real food cook.  As I’ve mentioned previously, Nourishing Traditions is a personal favorite of mine.

However, there’s nothing quite like learning from others in person.  And it’s a heck of a lot more fun.

On that note I’d like to give a shout out to my friend Molly Merrett.  Molly is very active in the local food movement here in the Pioneer Valley and she has recently started a series of cooking classes using local foods.  I’ve taken a few of them and they’re really great.  I always learn something new from Molly’s classes be it a recipe, a new technique for chopping vegetables or a new way to hold a knife so that I don’t slice my finger off!  Trust me that last one is an important skill to learn.

Check out this short video of Molly and myself at her last class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9OChvWBuCg

If you’re in the Pioneer Valley, Molly’s next class is this Saturday, August 20^th from 2-5pm at the Friends Meeting House in downtown Northampton.  You can find out more about her classes at www.localfeastcookingclasses.blogspot.com .

If you’re not in the Pioneer Valley, I bet if you google your town name with “cooking classes” you might find more options than you realized.   It’s a great way to learn some new recipes and meet some people as well.