What is a Traditional Foods Diet?

...and how it could save your health.

With the wealth of nutrition information available to us today from doctors, natural health practitioners, scholarly articles, books, magazines, and of course the internet, it is no wonder most people are confused as to what healthy eating really looks like. You've heard me mention the Nourishing Traditions cookbook a lot. This book is all about traditional foods - the traditions that nourished our ancestors and could do the same for us today. Because of my interest in history and my experience living in Africa as a missionary, I have determined that a traditional foods diet is the way to go. 

What exactly is traditional food?

 Here's my definition:

Traditional food is unprocessed, whole food as God or nature made it, that takes into account ancient methods of preparation. With such conflicting information regarding nutrition, a traditional foods diet looks at history to determine wherein lies the truth. It overlooks fads and instead examines what foods were eaten and considered healthy by our great-great-grandparents or by tribal people of the past and today. It has a big emphasis on foods that are nutrient dense, like eggs, butter, and fish, making the most of each bite consumed.

Why traditional food in this day and age?

Today the United States is overwhelmed with modern diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of autoimmune and mental disorders. These are often called diseases of civilization. These illnesses were very rare or nonexistent in the 1800's before modern food preparation had developed. Did you know that heart disease is now the number one killer in the United States, with some research indicating it kills up to 1 in 3 people (source), followed closely by cancer? (source) Though there's been some confusion in the past as to the cause of heart disease, the truth is becoming more well-known.

"What the research really shows is that both refined carbohydrates and vegetable oils cause imbalances in the blood and at the cellular level that lead to an increased tendency to form blood clots, leading to myocardial infarction (definition). This kind of heart disease was virtually unknown in America in 1900. Today it has reached epidemic levels." Sally Fallon Morell from her article Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children.

Or in other words, the harm of eating refined carbs and vegetable oils is inflammation to the arteries.

"...If we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called chronic inflammation...What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully. The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats [modern vegetable oils] and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity. Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine. 

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods. "

(Be sure to take the time to read the rest of this eye opening article by Dr. Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon; Heart Surgen Speaks Out on What Really Causes Heart Disease.)

Modern vegetable oils like soybean, corn, sunflower, and even canola oil, with hydrogenated version of these oils being the worst culprits, and processed starches like high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and refined flour, are the leading cause of the inflamation of the arteries and countless other illnesses.

Some will argue that these disease have been around for hundreds of years but they were just not being diagnosed, or that because people used to die of other diseases early in life, they were not living long enough to develop heart disease or cancer. But it does not take much research to learn that this is not the case. It's true that modern medicine and hygiene practices have created an environment where people are not getting diseases like polio, or dying from infections like pneumonia due to a lack of antibiotics. But while our medical advancements are among the very best in the world, our health is far from the top of the charts (source).

Evidence indicates that good nutrition is the key to preventing many of the health problems prevalent today. What kind of foods does this include? Well, let's take a look at history; If historically people were healthy 150 plus years ago (aside from getting ill from now-preventable diseases), then I assume what they ate was probably pretty nutritious. If the Africans I know are healthy (again, aside from illnesses due to lack of good medical care), and they live in the jungle and don't have access to processed foods and modern vegetable oils , then I can assume the food the are eating is healthy. If God created a plant or animal, and in the Bible he says we can eat all things (see Genesis 1:29,  Mark 7:1-22, esp. verse 15, and Acts 10:9-16), then I can assume a loving God would not create a myriad of delicious and edible things, and specifically say "eat", if they would harm us. 

How does one determine if a food is traditional? 

Here are some key questions to ask:

Did my great-great grandma cook with this?

If she did, then it's probably a healthy food. Lard would be an example of this (natural lard, not the hydrogenated stuff you can get at Wal-Mart). How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of "It calls for lard, which I know is terrible, but my grandma cooked with it and she lived to 97!" 

Is the food mentioned historically?

My favorite books growing up were the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. I love history and years later I see how even those books have shaped my view on nutrition. Ma cooked with butter, served her family bacon, and made delicious sourdough biscuits. I dreamed of living in those times where one lived off the land, made their meals only from what they grew and the animals they raised, and used creativity and ingenuity to present nutritious and interesting meals to their families.

Is the food eaten by tribal peoples today or in the past? 

My photo of Liberian woman preparing okra sauce for a large feast.

I had the privilege of growing up in the West African countries of Liberia and the Ivory Coast. As an adult I also worked several years in Liberia as a missionary. I have first hand experience of how tribal people eat in remote areas of the West African rainforest. Though people living in the cities unfortunately consume a lot of imported and processed foods, those in the villages eat very nutritiously. These people rely on their own farms and trading in the local market places for food. Tropical fruit, palm oil, dark leafy greens, assorted vegetables, coconuts, brown rice, fish, wild game, and various roots make up the majority of what they consume.

How is the food found in nature?

If it grows naturally and does not have to be extracted by modern machinery to exist, then it's probably good for you. So for example, olive oil has been around for millennia and can be pressed with a few stones (healthy!). Corn oil needs chemical solvents and advanced technology to be extracted (unhealthy!).

Traditional foods include: eggs, meat, dairy (most of it was consumed raw), fish, bone broth, a large variety of fruits and vegetables, oils and fats like butter, lard, tallow, palm oil and coconut oil - even cod liver oil, sourdough breads, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, root vegetables and tubers, lacto-fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and pickles, and natural sweeteners like real maple syrup and honey. Purists insist on pasture raised meat, eggs, and dairy, plus organic everything else. 

Modern foods are: deli meats, processed cheeses, low-fat dairy (low-fat anything), ultra-pasteurized diary, boxed dinners, canned dinners, frozen dinners, fast food, vegetable oils like corn, soy, and canola, hydrogenated oils like shortening and margarine (also called trans fat), conventional breads, crackers, pastries, cakes, frosting, breakfast cereal, especially flakes and puffed cereals (made from  the modern process of extrusion), artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Splenda, soft drinks, most juices, chips, candy and most packaged snack foods.

Old Versions Versus the New Versions

Here's a closer look at some traditional foods that have been replaced by modern foods, and what we are missing with the new items.

Sauerkraut and pickles: Traditionally these and other vegetables were made with a brine and over the passage of time the natural beneficial bacteria, in a process called lacto-fermentation, created the sour flavor and extended the life of these highly perishable food items. Today these foods are all canned and it is almost impossible to find the old-fashioned version in stores.  So what happens when we no longer eat pickled vegetables the old fashioned way? 

Well, canned sauerkraut has virtually no nutritional value. On the other hand, lacto-fermented sauerkraut is rich with vitamins and minerals and teaming with beneficial bacteria. These little guys aid digestion and help fight bad bacteria, yeast, and the effects of the unhealthy foods we consume. They replenish the good bacteria that is killed from antibiotics, and antibacterial soaps and cleaners. When we stopped eating pickled things the traditional way, we lost a lot of immune support and nutrition. Traditionally even ketchup and mustard were lacto-fermented!

Sourdough bread: Before baker's yeast was isolated and marketed, almost all baking was done with a natural sourdough starter. All around us there is yeast that live in the air. With a little flour and water these guys can be caught and anyone can create their own natural yeast starter. Also growing in the sourdough starter are beneficial bacteria. When mixed with flour to make bread, the yeast and bacteria work to break down the starches in the bread, making it low glycemic. They break down the gluten (a very difficult protein to digest, even among healthy people) and phytic acid (a nutrient blocker), and significantly enhance the bioavailability of the vitamins and minerals found in the grains. Since it takes 12 to 24 hours to make sourdough bread (most is hands-off time), the advent of baker's yeast was welcomed in many kitchens as the lives of our forefathers became more urbanized and busy. With the advance of modern technology, bread recipes were experimented with and adapted using sometimes toxic ingredients with the single purpose of financial gain in mind. It wasn't until more recently that concerns began to be raised about the condition of our bread and that's when companies started trying to make healthier options. So what happens when we no longer eat bread the old fashioned way? 

Naturally we are missing out on all the vitamins and such, but modern bread is so far from traditional bread, some believe it shouldn't even bare the same name. Store-bought modern bread, even things labeled "whole grain" are filled with unnatural ingredients like inflammatory vegetable oils, sometimes even hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives. Unlike the bread of our ancestors, modern bread is a dead food that is difficult to digest (most people don't even recognize the bloating that accompanies modern bread as they are so used to the feeling), and the gluten is not being broken down so it's causing intolerances and serious illnesses like Celiac. Modern bread has virtiually no vitamins or minerals (don't be fooled by the synthetic ones tossed in to make people feel better about all the other junk in the bread), and is a waste of energy to consume as it is not putting nutrition back into the body. (Note: modern sourdough bread is not made with the historical process and is no more nutritious than any other kind of bread you might buy.) 

For more fascinating information on healthy, traditional bread, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread is a must read. It litreally revolutionized the way I view bread and my understanding of the whole gluten issue. 

For those of you who are overwhelmed by this, I have learned that it is far better to make your own bread at home than to buy bread from the store (with the exception of arm-and-a-leg healthy breads made from sprouted wheat), even if you are not making your own real sourdough bread (which is not nearly as complicated as it might seem).

Oils and fats: 

Traditionally the fats that were easily assessable were those that were used. Butter comes from milk, lard and tallow are easily rendered from fatty portions of pigs and cows, and olive, coconut and palm oils do not require modern machinery to be extracted. These oils (with the exception of olive oil) are rich in saturated fat. In the past, and in traditional villages today, people ate these oils liberally. Corn, soybean, canola, cottonseed, and sunflower seed oils all require modern machinery and chemical solvents to be extracted.  Ironically it was with the advent of modern vegetable oils that heart disease rates sky-rocketed, not decreased. It turns out the right kind of fat is not bad for you, and even saturated fat is essential for proper cellular function from our brains to our skin.

"Renowned authority on fats, Dr Mary Enig PhD, says saturated fats and cholesterol are not the causes of heart disease. She attributes the cause to the modern diet, which includes excessive consumption of refined vegetable oils, refined carbohydrates and a deficiency in vitamin C, which is crucial for integrity of blood vessel walls, a lack of antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium which scavenge harmful disease causing free radicals, and a reduction of saturated fats in the diet. Saturated fats from grass fed organic meats and tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil have antimicrobial properties which protect you from pathogens and bacteria, which are associated with the build up of arterial plaque that cause heart disease and stroke." (Read the rest of this informative article here.)

Traditional Food, Whole Food, and Paleo

A traditional foods diet is comparable to two other diets that I know of: a whole foods diet and the paleolithic or primal diet.

It's slightly different than a whole foods diet in that it doesn't just look at the food, it also looks at the way our ancestors would have prepared it. Studies are finding that certain traditional preparations of foods, like grains for example, enhance the availability of nutrients and make the foods more digestible. An example is sourdough bread, which I mentioned above. Another would be oatmeal. A hundred and fifty years ago granny soaked oatmeal overnight before making porridge with it in the morning. A whole food-ist would simply make homemade oatmeal and call it good. A traditional food-ist would mimic what our ancestors used to do and soak it overnight. Both are good for you, but some would argue the traditional preparation of whole foods is always better and sometimes essential. 

The paleo diet, also called the cave-man diet, compares in some ways to a traditional foods diet, though in a sense the paleo diet is reaching farther back into history, to when our ancestors lived as hunger-gatherers. Food and its preparation is viewed through this lens. Because the paleo diet does not include grains, dairy, or beans, it is ideal for people with allergies to these things. Though it has an evolutionary premise (which goes against the teachings of the Bible), there are many tribal hunter-gatherers, even today, that eat nutritiously without access to dairy and grains.

Traditional food, whole food, or paleo foods are all going to be healthy. Choose the one that works for you and your allergy concerns and preferences. I love the historical side of traditional foods diet and I feel great when I am eating this way. 

Conclusion

It's no secret that the typical American diet is very unhealthy. Even those who "know it's not good for me" still eat fast food multiple times a week, still eat processed foods, and are still consuming toxic food substances like hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, most without their knowledge. With heart disease and cancer our leading killers in the United States, I have chosen to take control of my nutrition and that which I feed my family. I believe a traditional foods diet may create the best possible scenario to avoid these and a host of other illnesses.  

The more research I do I am learning of case after case of illnesses and diseases that are being cured by a traditional foods diet. Illnesses like celiac, asthma, fybromyalgia, and Crohn's are being healed. Others who thought they'd always have acne, always be overweight, or always have high blood pressure are finding true health, some for the first time. People with good health now can change their eating habits right away to a traditional foods diet. Those with illnesses or health concerns, especially unexplainable or undiagnosed issues, can jump-start their healing by going on a special diet like the GAPS diet.

We can't control a lot of what happens in our lives, but we can control the majority of what we eat.

I will close with what Dr. Lundell, the heart surgeon says at the end of his article,

"What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet."

Learn More

For more details on traditional foods, see the following articles:

Traditional Foods in a Nutshell by the Nourished Kitchen.

What are Traditional Foods? by the Agriculture Society.

Scientific research regarding heart disease and other modern illnesses, and how traditional foods are the answer to restoring our health:

Heart Surgen Speaks Out on What Really Causes Heart Disease by Dr. Dwight Lundell

Principles of a Healthy Diet, a web version of a 28-page informational booklet by the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children by Sally Fallon Morell

Dietary Recomendations for Children; A Recipe for Future Heart Disease? by Mary G. Enig, Phd.

Why Everyone is Talking About the GAPS Diet, Plus 5 Resources to Get Started, by the Nourished Kitchen.
More Physicians are Believing Cholesterol is NOT the Main Culprit of Heart Disease, a report on the 700 Club.
Gut and Psychology, the official GAPS website.

Other Traditional Foods Blogs:

Nourished Kitchen

Organic Spark

Cooking Traditional Foods

Keeper of the Home

(All photos except my Liberia photo are from freedigitalphotos.net.)

{This post is linked up at Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Teach Me Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Fight Back Friday.}

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