Nourishing Traditions

[Henrietta23]

I love squash soup. And it is so nice to have a partner to do these things with.

I'm excited to be back into this! They didn't have any creme fraiche (they carry it at the co-op but were out) so I got some nice local cream and will try to make my own using buttermilk. IF I can find any whole milk buttermilk around here..... It all seems to be low fat or fat free. Sigh.

 

[ToLiveToLaugh]

Nothing much to add. I love my NT book. I don't take every single word as truth, but it makes a dang lot of sense and I already hated soy, this is just another great reason!

My sauerkraut didn't turn out terribly well though. I mean, it tastes fine, but the color is really weird. Haha. SO doesn't care though. Whatever works! He is so tolerant of my cooking experiments.

 

[freemotion]

I love squash soup. And it is so nice to have a partner to do these things with.

I'm excited to be back into this! They didn't have any creme fraiche (they carry it at the co-op but were out) so I got some nice local cream and will try to make my own using buttermilk. IF I can find any whole milk buttermilk around here..... It all seems to be low fat or fat free. Sigh.

H23, it will probably work, as the cultures will still be there. It will be even better if you use that batch to innoculate the next quart of cream, as there will be hardly any icky lowfat buttermilk left.

 

[Lady Henevere]

This seems like such an interesting book, but I have a couple of questions. First, the terms "politically correct" and "diet dictocrats" in the subtitle screams "political cheap shots" to me. Is the book very political? Second, I am a vegetarian (no beef, pork, chicken, fish), but I don't eat much processed food (including soy products), and I do eat eggs, cheese, butter, etc. Is this one of those "you're an idiot if you're a vegetarian" books, or is there information that would be useful for vegetarians?

Thanks very much for your honest opinions! -LH

 

[ToLiveToLaugh]

This seems like such an interesting book, but I have a couple of questions. First, the terms "politically correct" and "diet dictocrats" in the subtitle screams "political cheap shots" to me. Is the book very political? Second, I am a vegetarian (no beef, pork, chicken, fish), but I don't eat much processed food (including soy products), and I do eat eggs, cheese, butter, etc. Is this one of those "you're an idiot if you're a vegetarian" books, or is there information that would be useful for vegetarians?

Thanks very much for your honest opinions! -LH

It's a little political, but it doesn't seem polarized to a party or anything. It's "counter-culture" in that she disagrees with what is now seen as mainstream knowledge. She asserts that animal fats are a key part of the diet, but there is no implications of idiocy. She says that anything in line with a tradition diet is valid, and several cultures have traditionally vegetarian diets. I would say a vegan may be offended by this book, but a vegetarian (so long as they don't have super thin skin (not that you do! ) lol) would be fine with it. There is still a lot in there, on fermentation and so forth, that is WELL worth the read. And soaking grains! lol.

For instance, my SO has been a vegetarian many years (though he very recently started eating fish again) and he's read parts and wasn't bothered.

 

[sylvie]

As a vegetarian, I have found some parts of the book aggravating, but overall quite useful.
I have also found some posters' comments way more obnoxious than the actual book, so it is up for some interpretation. Read it for yourself to decide.

It does remind me of the RAW books, where there is an unusually large mean time expenditure required to prepare certain ingredients before you can progress with the recipes. That aspect would put off new readers, vegetarian or other, unless they were committed to making improvements to their diets despite the time investment.

Regarding it being political; every new system has a introductory gimmick or hook. Remember the no fat "Stop the Insanity/ They are Lying to You" Susan Powter? Same thing, read past that stuff.

 

[freemotion]

The book is based on the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, who studied cultures around the world that were basically untouched by "modern" society and modern processed foods. He focused on the dietary habits of cultures that were extremely healthy and found 11 commonalities, even though the diets could be vastly different.

He found no vegan societies that were healthy, although when he began his research, that is what he expected to find. He did include vegetarian peoples, but they were slightly less healthy, only slightly. These peoples included animal products in their diets, such as eggs, raw dairy, fish, and/or insects.

The book is designed to help people in today's world get as close to those diets as possible, using things that we can get our hands on. I think the book is fantastic for ss-ers, as we have a major jumpstart since we are inclined to raise our own foods, prepare things ourselves, and forage or hunt. The book helps with hard-to-find instructions and recipes.

Yes, it was frustrating to me at first, since so many of the recipes call for ingredients that need to be made from another recipe. By the end of the first year or so, I had more of those ingredients in my house. To me, it is like sustainable farming practices, where everything leads to or supports everything else, and once all the practices are in place, it is easy and efficient. Well, I now have a sustainable kitchen, somewhat, and am heading towards an even more sustainable kitchen, based on my ever more sustainable farmlet.

Everything in the book can also be made from purchased ingredients, for those who might not have property or room to grow as many things.

LH, the political part has more to do with things like the USDA's food guides, and the push for more soy and corn in foods, and how unhealthy that is. It also uses a lot of science to debunk the myths that all foods containing cholesterol are bad (egg yolks, cream, etc.) and that all veg oils are good for you. That is part of the "diet dictocrat" part.

 

[Henrietta23]

I love squash soup. And it is so nice to have a partner to do these things with.

I'm excited to be back into this! They didn't have any creme fraiche (they carry it at the co-op but were out) so I got some nice local cream and will try to make my own using buttermilk. IF I can find any whole milk buttermilk around here..... It all seems to be low fat or fat free. Sigh.

H23, it will probably work, as the cultures will still be there. It will be even better if you use that batch to innoculate the next quart of cream, as there will be hardly any icky lowfat buttermilk left.

I'll be back at the co-op tomorrow hoping they've restock creme fraiche or have whole milk buttermilk. There was just something about taking my lovely little pint of local cream and adding nasty big dairy low fat buttermilk to it. If I can't get it I'll try it though. The grocery store had two choices, low fat or no fat.
I had some of the yogurt today with a little homemade apricot preserve and it was soooo good.

 

[Wifezilla]

the political part has more to do with things like the USDA's food guides, and the push for more soy and corn in foods, and how unhealthy that is. It also uses a lot of science to debunk the myths that all foods containing cholesterol are bad (egg yolks, cream, etc.) and that all veg oils are good for you. That is part of the "diet dictocrat" part.

Exactly. I would consider the book anti big agra, but not party affiliated.

As for cholesterol....your BRAIN is mostly cholesterol. Cutting cholesterol out of your diet just forces your body to make more.

Here is a great article on why the government seems to hate cholesterol...
http://nutrition-and-physical-regeneration.com/blog/182/government/why-the-state-hates-cholesterol/

The grocery store had two choices, low fat or no fat.

I HATE that! It has been happening more and more in the grocery store dairy departments. Low-fat, no-fat, reduced fat.....ARG! I am also having a hard time getting cream that isn't ultra-pasteurized. I used to be able to get it at Walmart. Now they no longer carry it. Even Vitamin Cottage and Whole Foods have nothing but UP cream. I WANT MY CREAM DAMMIT!!!!

I need a cow

 

[sylvie]

I read your link WZ.
My ex PC physician was unhappy with my 210 total cholesterol and talked me into a statin drug. Her sales pitch was : "it's so great that they want to put it into the water supply"! I kid you not- that was verbatim! I thought she made that up to convince me of the universal statin acceptance.
Went on the stupid drug and noticed within weeks that I wasn't able to run even a half mile from muscle weakness/fatigue. My liver values were fine, tested after I complained about it. She said to continue with the drug. I was running 5 miles per day for 15 years and less than 1/2 mile was disturbing so I didn't go back the on statin for a few months. I was able to run normally in a few weeks of stopping.
Next appointment PC insists that I resume the statin. Same darn thing happened again, but quicker.
I called her office to report and they accused me of being non- compliant. I ripped off a nasty letter of complaint and ended my relationship with that MD.
It was at that point that I switched to a Naturopathic doc.

I think exercise and its resultant stress relief outweighs designer drugs.

We are in agreement regarding statins and the cholesterol hype, WZ.