As a doctor or naturopathy, my patients’ concerns range from serious chronic disease to aging. I am fortunate that the majority of my practice is comprised of intelligent consumers that look for wellness through natural healing modalities. 

                        

When asked what wellness means, many define this concept as looking good and feeling positive about themselves. Nonetheless, whether I talk to a woman concerned about gracefully navigating mid-life or a teenager who doesn’t want to go to school because her face is riddled with acne, my focus is the same:

                           

Those who seek positive body image are really hunting for their genuine self, rooted in real health. A positive body image is the end result of a deeper interior balance of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual selves. Our interior climate directly impacts our exterior appearances. We are what we eat, feel, think and believe.

 

While there are a plethora of remedies designed to assist us in our quest for better versions of ourselves, there is simply no shortcut to a positive body image.  It is the end product of going back to the basics.

                       

One of the major contributors to real whole body health is a nutrient-dense diet. I work to guide patients to avoid modern day dietary practices and return to traditional menus. The basis of this direction is the research and life work of Weston A. Price, D.D.S.  Dr. Price conducted the only long-term study of its kind when he tracked the health of traditional, non-industrialized cultures.  His research demonstrated that those who achieved perfect physical health and bone structure consumed nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and animal fats. He discovered that all traditional diets had the same components:

                                       

  1. An absence of refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar, corn syrup, white flour, canned foods, pasteurized or homogenized milk, protein powders or artificial vitamins;
  2. Animal protein and fat from fish, fowl, land animals, eggs and milk;
  3. Significant sources of fat-soluble vitamins from animal fat:  A, D and K;
  4. Raw animal products;
  5. Enzyme-rich foods:  raw dairy, raw honey, wine, unpasteurized beer, lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits and beverages;
  6. Bone broths;
  7. Salt;
  8. Significant sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids;
  9. Fresh fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides or herbicides;
  10. Moderate portions consumed with a spirit of gratitude.

                 

As a recovering vegetarian, the concept of animal foods (much less fats!) was extremely difficult for me to support until I witnessed how my patients grew healthier on the inside and began to look terrific on the outside. As their interior health improved, skin conditions cleared, hair grew back, nails became stronger, they lost weight and enjoyed brighter outlooks. Most interesting was that as patients got back to basics, so did their outlooks on life. They put their energy into genuine health instead of exterior image, and as a result, their images beamed brighter than ever.

                       

            Price’s discoveries translate into the following dietary guidelines, proposed by the Weston A. Price Foundation:

                                                 

  1. Consume whole, natural foods that will spoil (eat them before they do);
  2. Consume pasture-raised animal products void of antibiotics and hormones;
  3. Consume raw or fermented milk products from pasture-raised cows;
  4. Use traditional fats and oils;
  5. Consume fresh or lightly-steamed organic fruits and vegetables;
  6. Consume whole grains after soaking or sprouting;
  7. Consume lacto-fermented fruits, vegetables, and beverages;
  8. Prepare bone broths (stocks) from pasture-raised animals;
  9. Consume filtered water;
  10. Use Celtic unrefined sea salt;
  11. Get adequate sleep, exercise and natural light;
  12. Think positive thoughts, minimize stress, celebrate your spiritual practices;
  13. Practice plentiful forgiveness.

                

            Image is just that. What matters and sustains a person is the ability to live a genuine life.  When we practice and consume what’s real, we emerge healthy. When we are healthy, image loses its importance.

            Check out the Weston A. Price Foundation website (www.westonaprice.org) for more information on why present-day nutritional guidelines that tell us to avoid saturated fats, limit cholesterol, use polyunsaturated oils, avoid red meat, cut back on eggs, drink low fat milk, restrict salt and consume more soy might not be as healthy as we once believed.

 

Resources:

 

Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality in the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda by Michael Barbee

 

The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine by Thomas S. Cowan

        

Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol by Mary G. Enig

                

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon