One of the most fascinating books I have read in the past ten years is a book entitled Nourishing Traditions, recommended to me by a Naturopath and MD. Although the book contains hundreds of recipes, it also includes tons of interesting information about food; which ones to enjoy with abundance, and which ones to avoid; all backed by scientific research.

What I find most fascinating about the book is how it holds in highest esteem many foods that we have been told for decades to avoid. The subtitle of the book says it all, The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.

Eat Your Meat

Nourishing Traditions is based on the research of Dr. Weston Price, a dentist who traveled around the world in the 1930’s in search of isolated traditional communities who enjoyed superb health, generation after generation. He found fourteen groups in countries including Africa, Ireland, Switzerland, and Alaska, USA. Almost without exception, the isolated tribes valued animal fat as essential for good health, and included meat and dairy in their diets.

Dr. Price’s research compares the isolated traditional communities to their “civilized” neighbors; those who had abandoned the diet of their ancestors and turned to “refined grains, canned food, pasteurized milk and sugar.”  The “civilized” neighbors no longer enjoyed the perfect health of the isolated tribes and instead were plagued by deformities and medical problems.

Tribes Unite

Despite being spread around the globe, in addition to sharing similar ingredients, these various tribes also utilized common food preparation techniques. These included fermenting grains, dairy, meat, fruit and vegetables. The fermenting process not only preserves the food, but also makes the nutrients in the food more digestible, and improves the health of the digestive system.

Another important food preparation technique found universally among the traditional people was the creation of bone broth, which is rich in calcium and other minerals.

Nourishing Traditions brings us the recipes of our super-healthy ancestors, along with modern scientific research to encourage us to leave the new, processed food on the grocery shelves and return to a simpler and more natural way of cooking.

Perfect Supplements proudly offers many of the superfoods recommended in Nourishing Traditions in our product line. 

Have you read Nourishing Traditions? Did it change your life? Please share your thoughts.