Beyond Paleo: 11 Ways to Eat Indigenously

In the early 20th century, Dr. Weston A. Price wondered why so many of his dental patients had rotting and crooked teeth when animals, particularly wild ones, had such healthy mouths. Price believed dental health was a reflection of the health of the whole being, and he suspected the state of his patients’ teeth must have to do with their diets.

The Spanish Conquistadors had written accounts of the indigenous Americans they had encountered on their travels and remarked on those peoples’ teeth—straight and white, “like piano keys.” Intrigued, Price began a worldwide study of isolated communities. He studied individuals personally, examining everyone’s mouths, asking about diseases, deaths, maternal mortality, miscarriages, and birth defects.

Price found many examples of communities without modern dental and medical care that were far more vital, fit, and healthy than his own. The people in these communities ate locally and seasonally, and their diets were more nutrient-rich than a typical American diet—some with four times more water soluble vitamins (like B and C) and 10 times more fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).

Depending on where they lived, the indigenous communities Price studied ate a variety of foods. Here are the commonalities, boiled down to a CliffsNotes’ version.

WHAT THEY ATE

Fermented Foods

Foods whose sugars and starches have undergone fermentation, like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, sourdough, some cheeses, olives, and kombucha, are rich in beneficial bacteria and high in enzymes that make them easier to digest and metabolize. LINK to gut health brain health connection.

Soaked and Sprouted Grains, Nuts, and Legumes

Soaking grains before cooking them neutralizes anti-nutrients, enzyme-inhibitors, tannins, and phytic acid, all of which interfere with our ability to absorb nutrients. The process works by activating phytase, a natural enzyme that helps to release beneficial nutrients, making those nutrients easier to digest.

New to soaking? Here’s a guide and a video tutorial.

Unrefined Salt

Table salt, like Morton’s, is a manufactured form of sodium called sodium chloride that have had synthetic chemicals added to them: solo-co-aluminate, iodide, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, anti-caking agents, potassium iodide, and aluminium derivatives. (To read about the history of adding iodine to salt, click here).

Season your food with natural, unprocessed salt like Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, and Real Salt.

The Whole Animal

The indigenous communities Price studied did not let much go to waste. Expand your protein intake by eating organs and bone marrow and making bone broth.

Bonus: Chicken liver pate is delicious.

Lots of Good Fats

Of the communities Price studied, 30-80% of the calories they consumed came from fat, saturated and monounsaturated fats in particular.

New research is dismantling the decades-old belief that a diet high in fat leads to heart disease. Good fats are crucial to proper functioning of the kidneys, important for brain health, and have been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease.

Healthy fats:

• Coconut oil
• Responsibly harvested palm oil
• Extra virgin olive oil, sourced wisely
• Raw butter from grass-fed cows or goats
• Sesame oil
• Avocados
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Cheeses

For more on healthy fats, read the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) Guide to butter and cholesterol.

Cod Liver Oil

Hugely anti-inflammatory, a great brain food, and a good source of A and D vitamins, cod liver oil can be taken daily for a more vital cognitive, reproductive, cardiovascular, and immune systems. If possible, use a fermented variety.

Raw, Grass-Fed Dairy

Pasteurization, a heating process intended to kill pathogens, became common practice in the 1920s in response to infected water supplies and substandard production methods that led to contaminated milk. It also kills off most of what makes milk a nutritional powerhouse.

Benefits of raw, unpasteurized milk from grass-fed cows:

• Rich in vital enzymes that boost immunity
• High in vitamins A, D, E and K2
• Easily digestible, even for people with lactose intolerance
• Has been linked to protecting kids against asthma, allergies, and eczema [LINK: https://www.westonaprice.org/raw-milk-and-allergies/].

For more on the history of pasteurization and the benefits and safety of raw milk, read the WAPF guide to raw dairy.

WHAT THEY DIDN’T EAT

Refined, denatured foods

This includes anything packaged, processed, or shelf-stabilized like:

• Dehydrated or pasteurized milk
• Skim or low fat milk
• Protein powders
• Refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners
• Iodized, refined salt

Vegetable Oils

Trans fats are the ones we want to skip, and vegetable oils—like cottonseed, canola, soy, corn, and safflower—are high in them. Unlike butter or coconut oil, vegetable oils must be chemically removed, deodorized, and altered in order to be used.

To turn these oils into solids, they have to be hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, so steer clear of anything bearing that distinction, which includes anything that imitates butter.

Soy

Soy and soy products contains enzyme inhibitors, anti-nutrients, and phytoestrogens, a plant-produced estrogen that can throw our estrogen levels (present in both men and women) out of alignment.

Industrial Meat, Eggs and Dairy

Livestock raised in unhealthy, inhumane conditions contains concentrated toxins from a diet heavy on pesticide-ridden feed and regular doses of antibiotics.

Price’s findings champion a diet centered around whole, unprocessed foods. His studies eventually blossomed into a full blown nutritional theory and a traditional Foodways movement, Wise Traditions, which is an especially great resource for women’s sexual health, fertility, and children’s health.

For more on Price’s findings read Principles of Healthy Diets and visit www.westonaprice.org to learn more about Wise Traditions.

For cooking inspiration, the Nourishing Traditions cookbook is a great resource.