One of my favorite books on nutrition is Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Weston Price.  I encourage all of my clients to read it, but due to the length and oftentimes dry nature of the book it often goes unread.  So, I thought I would do a little book review on it in hopes that it may inspire you to take a serious look at the link between the foods we eat and the current health situation in our country.

About the author

 Dr. Weston price was a dentist by trade, after losing a child to illness he made it his life’s work to study health from one end of the world to the other.  He studied Irish fishermen, tribal Africans, Pacific Islanders, Eskimos, North and South American Indians, Australian Aborigines and many others.  As you can see he studied people with a wide variety of both genetic make up and environmental conditions.

What he found

Dr. Price discovered two major things.  First he discovered that vastly different ratios of macronutrients all produced healthy bodies.  For instance the South American Indians ate primarily vegetables with small amounts of lean protein.  On the other hand the Eskimos ate upwards of 90% saturated fat.  Despite the differences in what they ate both cultures showed robust health with no cavities, tuberculosis or genetic deformities in the subsequent generations.  This information proves that there is no one universal diet that works for everyone.  We each have our own Metabolic Type based on our heritage and our environment.  If you are interested in learning your Metabolic Type let me know.

The second thing Dr. Price discovered occurred while studying the members of the various tribes who had moved to the ports and cities where processed foods were available.  He discovered that the more sugar, white flour, and processed grains people consumed the less robust they became.  They were rife with cavities, tuberculosis, and sadly, malformations of the subsequent generations.  Many of the cultures were sterile after three generations of eating processed foods!

Conclusion

Living in the melting pot that is America foods from cultures around the world are readily available, unfortunately many of theses foods are not right for your metabolic individuality and sadly most them are heavily processed.  If you are looking for more energy and less body fat take a serious look at what you are consuming 3-5 times per day.  If what you eat is not right for your metabolic type you will continue to be malnourished and have trouble losing fat.  To the degree a food is processed is the degree it will leach minerals from your body in order to metabolize itself leading to……malnourishment.  We live in the paradox of plenty, plenty of calories with minimal nutrients equals a society marred with obesity and medical drugs.  Eat unprocessed organic foods that coincide with your metabolic type and you are well on your way to improving your health and vitality.

As always questions and comments are encouraged.

Train Intelligently!

TJ Pierce

BS Exercise Science, CHEK 2, MTA