Low Carb Dietitian
  • Home
  • Book
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Research
  • Links
  • My KetoDiet Articles

In Praise of the Weston A. Price Foundation

11/11/2011

5 Comments

 
This weekend, November 11-14, the Weston A. Price Foundation  (WAPF)  is holding its 12th Annual Wise Traditions Conference in Dallas. As has become my pattern with events I'd love to attend, I learned about this one too late.  After taking a look at the  list of distinguished speakers scheduled to present, I'm wishing more than ever that I were there. Anyone who has seen the movie Fat Head (if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching it) will surely remember the discussion about the healthful aspects of fat and cholesterol by WAPF co-founders Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD.

For those unfamiliar with the WAPF, it is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the research of Weston A. Price, a dentist who in the 1930s-40s performed extensive studies of several diverse societies worldwide in an attempt to discover why some people thrived while others  in nearby regions suffered from various diseases. Not surprisingly, the healthfulness of one's diet was found to be the prevailing factor.  High intake of whole plant foods including fruits and vegetables rich in enzymes, unprocessed or raw animal foods, and liberal amounts of butterfat and other saturated fats were determined to be highly health promoting by Dr. Price. He photographed families who were isolated from civilization and consumed traditional diets as well as nearby "civilized" groups who consumed "modern" ( processed) foods, and the differences in the quality of their teeth and facial bone structure were striking. Dr. Price discovered that cavities and crooked or crowded teeth were due to nutrient deficiencies and that the state of one's teeth closely mirrored the health of the rest of the body.

Now, I know this website is called Low Carb Dietitian. The WAPF is not really advocating a low-carbohydrate for most people, although they certainly advise against consuming all refined sugar and processed grains and suggest that people people with diabetes or sensitivity to carbohydrates cut down on them.  But I feel the emphasis on whole, unprocessed, sustainably raised  foods rich in vital nutrients is ultimately the most important factor in achieving optimal health for all of us. It's very easy to follow WAPF principles and continue a low-carb lifestyle by simply foregoing any problem foods (these are different for each of us depending on our unique genetic makeup, physiology, and presence of various disease states).

Below are ten WAPF  recommendations I feel we can all benefit from:

1.  Daily use of cod liver oil as a rich source of vitamins A and D
2. Choosing butter instead of margarine (even "healthy" spreads)
3.  Using small amounts of natural  sweeteners (if at all)  rather than artificial sweeteners
4.  Eating fermented foods
5.  Consuming grass-fed meat and pastured eggs
6.  Eliminating  soy 
7.  Consuming bone broth regularly
8.  Eating organ meats
9.  Consuming  raw and/or organic dairy
10. Limiting or eliminating caffeine


So am I doing all of these things?  Not quite, but I am close.  I haven't yet embraced organ meats. I only recently began eating meat again, and I've never liked liver (and have never even tried any other organ meats), so I'm not in a hurry to try this, although the health benefits are huge. I also haven't tried raw dairy yet, mostly because it's difficult to find.  As far as caffeine, I drink one weak cup of green tea every morning.  

For those interested in learning more about Weston A. Price and his foundation, please check out the WAPF  website. Also, I just finished one of the best books I've read all year, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, Ph.D.  It's  more than 10 years old, but it's packed with highly relevant information about the benefits of traditional diets and contains hundreds of recipes along with interesting sidebars by some of the leading authors and researchers on whole foods and traditional diets.

On a final note, there are a number of  registered dietitians who belong to a WAPF  Yahoo group  that is trying to promote change within the American Dietetic Association. One of the group's primary goals is to sever ties with  sponsors like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mars, Hershey, and General Mills, and get back to recommending real, nutrient-dense foods like butter, eggs, meat, cheese, etc. I'm very happy to say that I'm a member of this group of RDs and am hopeful that our ranks will continue to grow so that we can ultimately provide education that leads to better health for our own society.
5 Comments
Caitlin Weeks link
11/11/2011 01:45:51 pm

I have found some great ways to incorporate organ meats! I make my own pate because I love dips.My pate is full of grass fed butter. Also you can chop it into ground beef. Also dice it up into chili or stew, no one will ever know there are organ meats inside.

Reply
Franziska
11/11/2011 08:38:20 pm

Thanks for the tips, Caitlin!

Reply
Natalie
11/12/2011 10:26:44 am

We've been experimenting with organ meats, too. Veal liver was NOT a hit, but beef heart was great; I made it into kebabs and cooked it medium rare and it tasted like good steak. I definitely recommend it.

Reply
Jill Nienhiser link
11/17/2011 11:30:00 pm

I'm lucky to be able to get mixed ground grass-fed beef organ meats from my Amish farmer and I mix a pound of this with a pound of ground beef. It's great for tacos, chili, Bolognese sauce, lasagna...anything spicy. I don't notice any "organ" taste at all when it's done this way.

See my Chili with Organ Meats recipe on my blog. http://farmfoodblog.com/2011/06/22/chili-with-organ-meat/

Also, sweetbreads are a good "gateway" organ meat. French restaurants often do them well. They have a texture kind of like a portobello mushroom, and they are often served with mushrooms in a rich sauce. They don't seem to have a whole lot of flavor, or it's mild, and the mushrooms and sauce are more prominent.

Heart is also good. It has a dense texture and tastes like steak, though with a stronger flavor. It needs a good long soak in an intensely flavored marinade. Sally Fallon has a good recipe in Nourishing Traditions.

Be sure to become a member of WAPF so you get the info-packed quarterly journal and plenty of advance notice via email of the annual conference. Next year in Santa Clara, CA over Veterans Day weekend, November 9-12.
Join at http://www.westonaprice.org (click the big Join button!)

Reply
Franziska
11/18/2011 08:13:08 am

Thanks so much for all the info, Jill! You've made organ meats sound pretty appetizing. I'm planning to attend next year's WAPF conference and look forward to seeing you there!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author 

    Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE

    Categories

    All
    Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics
    American Diabetes Association
    Answers.com Articles
    Authority Nutrition Articles
    Bone-health
    Bpa
    Calories
    Cardiovascular Disease
    Dairy
    Diabetes
    Dietetic Associations
    Fiber
    High Fat
    Hyperinsulinemia
    Inflammation
    Insulin Resistance
    Introduction
    Ketogenic Diets
    Low Carb
    Muscle Mass
    Net Carbs
    Paleo
    PCOS
    Primal
    Protein
    Quick Low Carb Treats
    Quick Low-Carb Treats
    Recommended Reading
    Restaurants
    Reviews
    Saturated Fat
    Seafood
    Sugar Addiction
    Thanksgiving
    Thyroid
    Veganism
    Weight Management
    Weston A. Price Foundation

    Archives

    July 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Book
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Research
  • Links
  • My KetoDiet Articles