Aug
A traditional diet provides the vital foundation for excellent health. For most of human history, we ate nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods. Modern changes have reduced food quality, negatively impacting health. For further insights, see Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine by Ronald F. Schmid, N.D.
A century ago, people ate wholesome, nourishing foods from small farms with rich, fertile soil. Animals were raised on natural forage, including grass, wildflowers, and native plants. They were fed vegetables, scraps, and bugs. People also relied on clean oceans, rivers, and lakes for fish, and hunted for wild game. Foods were not treated with hormones or antibiotics.
With foraged farm animals, milk, eggs, and meat were rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Cheese, butter, yogurt, and kefir came from raw milk. Foods supply vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and enzymes. Water from creeks or wells was mineral-rich, and air quality was better.
Humans primarily ate locally grown seasonal food that was fermented for the winter. Eating seasonal foods helps attune the body to the present and next season. Traditional Chinese Medicine categorized food into 5 ‘flavors’:
Bitter flavors, such as those found in dandelion greens, burdock root, and celery, aid digestion and support heart health. Pungent flavors such as ginger, cayenne, garlic, onion, and cinnamon aid digestion and circulation.
Our bodies follow a circadian rhythm, an internal clock that is synced with the organs and glands.
Digestion, fueled by nutrient-rich whole foods, is the core of health. Calm, mindful eating ensures optimal assimilation and elimination. Without these nutritional foundations, the body’s systems weaken, accelerating aging and disease.
The most important nutrients necessary for maintaining a strong body and mind are:
- Bitter-Summer
- Sour-Spring
- Pungent-Autumn
- Salty-Winter
- Sweet-Late Summer
For example, Bitter flavors which include dandelion greens and root, burdock root and celery aid in digestion and supports heart health. Pungent flavor ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion and cinnamon aid in digestion and supports circulation.
Our body has a rhythm known as the circadian rhythm, which is our internal clock and is in sync with our organs and glands.
Digestion is the foundation for receiving nourishment which feeds our organs, brain and keeps our systems functioning optimally. Before and while eating a calm relaxed state is necessary for food to be assimilated and eliminated efficiently. Without proper nutrition our body’s nutrient reserves become depleted and we start to see early aging, inflammation, brain fog and eventually dis-ease.
The key nutrients that support a strong body and mind include the following:
- B vitamins,
- Anti-oxidants (A, C, D, E, and K,
- Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc,
- Trace minerals selenium and iodine,
- Amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein,
- Essential fatty acids, omega-3 & 6,
- Enzymes: protease, lipase, and amylase,
- Hydrochloric Acid Secretion for the digestion of CARBS/PROTEIN/FATS,
- Probiotics are necessary for maintaining a healthy microbiome,
- Prebiotics are necessary for maintaining a healthy microbiome,
Fermented foods are rich in many nutrients, such as B vitamins, antioxidants, and a full spectrum of minerals, which is why probiotic-rich foods are eaten all over the world!
Fermenting/culturing food is easily achieved with foods such as apples, which ferment into apple cider vinegar; cabbage, which ferments into sauerkraut and kimchi; and milk, which is cultured into yogurt, kefir, and quark. These foods are consumed daily because they are rich in microbes that help keep our digestive system functioning optimally.
There are six Essential nutrients
- Water
- Carbohydrates
- Protein/Amino Acids
- Fat/Essential Fatty Acids
- Vitamins
- Minerals & Trace Minerals
Soft boiled or raw egg yolk
Animal Fat
Vegetable Fat
There are so
many reasons for eating wholesome food!
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are powerful nutrients that protect our cells and the body’s systems by binding to harmful oxygen molecules. Antioxidants are selective against unwanted oxygen reactions, not against the oxygen we require. Oxygen is necessary for our body’s functions, but excess or insufficient oxygen can create a toxic by-product called free radicals.
Glutathione
The most important and potent antioxidant for neutralizing free radicals is glutathione, which is made in the liver. Maintaining liver health is extremely important because it is the organ that produces the body’s most powerful antioxidant. Food rich in antioxidants is very important for many functions, especially for clearing toxins and keeping our cells strong and vibrant. Glutathione, the ‘Master Antioxidant,’ is produced from three amino acids.
- Cysteine
- Glutamic acid
- Glycine
Read more on the liver and glutathione in my article Liver Health and Glutathione the “Master Antioxidant”
The importance of Glutathione:
- Anti-aging
- Important for memory and the ability to think clearly
- Clear toxins
- Anti-inflammatory
- Support the immune system
- Nerve health
Vitamin A
According to Dr. Weston Price, the body cannot utilize protein, minerals, or water-soluble vitamins without Vitamin A, and without these nutrients, we cannot lead a strong, healthy life.
Vitamin A is essential for:
- Utilization of protein, minerals and water-soluble vitamins
- Cell protection (antioxidant)
- Stimulating the secretion of digestive juices needed for protein assimilation
- For strong bones
- For healthy rich blood
Vitamin A Retinol comes from: Butterfat, egg yolk, organ meat, seafood, and fish liver oil (especially cod liver oil).
Beta carotene comes from: yellow-orange fruits and vegetables and seaweeds; kelp, dulse, hijiki, and wakame.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a major antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage. Very important for the immune system! Foods rich in Vitamin C include uncooked fruits and berries, such as acerola berries, rosehips, blueberries, raspberries, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, red peppers, orange peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, parsley, dark leafy greens, cabbage, and sauerkraut.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that plays a crucial role in the immune system and works synergistically with selenium. Vitamin E is plentiful in butter, nuts, seeds, cold-pressed oils, and eggs.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral that protects the body from heavy metals and free radicals. Selenium is also a component of glutathione. Found in broccoli, Brazil nuts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, garlic, mushrooms, onions, quinoa, brown rice, and rye.
Most important trace minerals: chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc
CoQ10
CoQ10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant that is a necessary enzyme carrier for the foundation of cellular energy. CoQ10 is produced in the liver and is abundant in the liver, heart, meat, poultry, and fish. Some CoQ10 is found in eggs, nuts, raw dairy products, vegetables, and fruits.
Essential Fatty Acids for overall wellness
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) we most need are the Omega 3s (alpha-linolenic acid), which are necessary for:
- Balanced endocrine system (hormonal system)
- Digestion
- The immune system
- Healthy cardiovascular system
- Nourishing the nervous system
- Healthy brain and mind (emotions)
- Nervous system
Oils are essential for lubricating our joints, nourishing our brain, and keeping our skin soft and supple. Food and herbs that best aid in the digestion of fats are bitter, pungent, and sour.