Wild tribes = healthy teeth. Civilization = caries

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

More than 60 years ago, a Cleveland dentist named Weston A. Price set out to conduct a series of unique studies. He decided to visit various isolated corners of the planet, whose inhabitants had no contact with the "civilized world", in order to study the state of health and physical development of the people inhabiting them.

In the course of his travels, he visited the isolated villages of Switzerland and the windswept islands off the Scottish coast. The objects of his study were the Eskimos living in their traditional conditions, Indian tribes of Canada and southern Florida, residents of the South Pacific region, Australian aborigines, New Zealand Maori, Peruvian and Amazonian Indians, as well as representatives of indigenous African tribes.

These studies were carried out at a time when there were still isolated foci of human habitation, not affected by modern inventions; however, one modern invention - the camera - allowed Price to permanently capture the people he studied. Price photographs, descriptions of what he saw, and his surprising findings are presented in his book Nutrition and Degeneration; Many nutritionists who have followed in Price's footsteps regard this book as a masterpiece. Nevertheless, this storehouse of wisdom of our ancestors is practically unknown to modern doctors and parents.

Nutrition and Degeneration is a book that changes the way people who read it look at the world around them. It is impossible to look at attractive images of the so-called "natives", to see their broad-cheeked faces with regular and noble features, and not to understand that serious problems are observed in the development of modern children. In every isolated region that Price visited, he found tribes or villages where virtually every inhabitant was characterized by genuine physical perfection.

These people's teeth rarely hurt, and the problems of too close-set and crooked teeth - the very problems that allow American orthodontists to buy yachts and expensive houses in resorts - were completely absent. Price filmed and filmed those white-toothed smiles, while noting that the locals were invariably cheerful and optimistic. These people were distinguished by “excellent physical development” and almost complete absence of diseases, even in those cases when they had to live in extremely difficult conditions.

Other researchers of that period were also aware of the fact that the "natives" were often distinguished by a high level of physical perfection, as well as beautiful, even white teeth. The generally accepted explanation for this was that these people retained “ racial purity ”And that unwanted changes in facial shape were the result of“race mixing”. Price found this theory untenable.

In very many cases, the groups of people studied lived in close proximity to racially similar groups who had contact with traders or missionaries and abandoned their traditional diet in favor of products that were sold in newly opened stores: sugar, fine flour, canned food, pasteurized milk and “diluted” fats and oils - that is, the very products that Price called "surrogate products of modern commerce."

Dental and infectious diseases were rampant among these groups, and signs of degeneration were also observed. Children of those parents who switched to a “civilized” diet were characterized by too close-set and crooked teeth, narrow faces, deformities of bone tissues, and weakened immunity.

Price concluded that race had nothing to do with these changes. He noted that signs of physical degeneration are observed in children of local residents who switched to the “white diet”, while children in mixed families, whose parents ate traditional food, had wide cheeked, attractive faces and straight teeth.

The foods of the healthy “natives” that Price studied varied greatly. The inhabitants of the Swiss village with which Price began his research ate highly nutritious dairy products, namely unpasteurized milk, butter, cream and cheese; in addition, they ate rye bread, sometimes meat, bone broth soups, and the few vegetables they managed to grow during the short summer months.

The children in this village never brushed their teeth (their teeth were covered in green mucus), but Price found signs of tooth decay in only one percent of the children he examined. When the weather forced Dr. Price and his wife to wear warm woolen coats, these children ran barefoot down the cold streams; nevertheless, they almost did not get sick, and in the village not a single case of tuberculosis was recorded.

The healthy Gallic fishermen who lived on the islands off the coast of Scotland did not consume dairy products. They mainly ate fish, as well as oatmeal and oatmeal pancakes. Fish heads stuffed with oatmeal and fish liver were a traditional dish that was considered extremely important for the nutrition of children. The diet of the Eskimos, which consisted mainly of fish, caviar and sea animals, including seal oil, allowed Eskimo mothers to produce numerous healthy offspring without suffering from tooth decay or other diseases.

Hunter-gatherers and strong muscular Indians who lived in Canada, Florida, the Amazon, as well as Australia and Africa, ate meat from wild animals, and especially those parts of them that their "civilized" brethren, as a rule, neglected (by-products, glands, blood, bone marrow and especially the adrenal glands), as well as a variety of cereals, roots, vegetables and fruits. African pastoralists (for example, from the Maasai tribe) did not consume plant foods at all, eating only meat, blood and milk.

South Pacific Islanders and New Zealand Maori ate a variety of seafood fish, shark, octopus, shellfish, sea worms, and pork and lard and a variety of plant foods, including coconuts, cassava and fruits. These people - including even the Indian tribes who lived high in the Andes - used every opportunity to include seafood in their diets. They highly appreciated fish roe, which was consumed in dried form in the most remote Andean villages. Insects were another common food in all regions, with the exception of the Arctic.

Regardless of race and climatic conditions, a person can be healthy only if the basis of his diet is not newfangled “delicacies” prepared with the use of refined sugar, highly refined flour, as well as rancid and chemically modified vegetable oils, but whole natural products: fatty meats, organ meats, whole dairy products, fish, insects, grains, root vegetables, vegetables and fruits.

Photos of Dr. Weston Price illustrate the difference between the structure of the face of people who eat traditional food for themselves, and people whose parents switched to a “civilized” diet, consisting of emasculated convenience foods. The Seminole "native" girl (left) and the Samoan boy (third photo from the left) have wide cheeked, attractive faces with normal dentition. The “modernized” Seminole girl (second photo from the left) and the Samoan boy (right photo) whose parents refused traditional food - narrow faces, too close-set teeth and weakened immunity.

Price took samples of local dishes with him to Cleveland and studied them in his laboratory. He found that the local diets contained at least four times the minerals and water-soluble vitamins - vitamin C and B vitamins - compared to the diet of Americans at the time.

If Price had done his research today, he would no doubt reveal an even greater difference for the reason depletion of our soil by industrial methods farming. In addition, the techniques used by local residents to prepare dishes from cereals and root crops contributed to an increase in the content of vitamins in them and an increase in the digestibility of minerals; these techniques included soaking, fermentation, germination and the use of yeast culture.

Price's real surprise was when he turned his attention to fat-soluble vitamins. The diet of healthy natives contained at least 10 times more vitamins A and D than the diet of Americans of the time! These vitamins are found exclusively in animal fats: butter, lard, egg yolks, fish oil, as well as in foods whose cell membranes are high in fat, including liver and other by-products, fish roe and shellfish.

Price called fat-soluble vitamins “catalysts” or “activators” that affect the absorption of other nutrients from proteins, minerals, and vitamins. In other words, without the nutritional ingredients found in animal fats, all other nutrients are usually not assimilated.

In addition, Price discovered another fat-soluble vitamin that is an even more powerful catalyst for nutrient absorption than vitamins A and D. He called it “activator X”. All the healthy groups that Price studied had the X factor in their diets. It was found in some special foods that these people considered sacred, including cod liver oil, fish roe, organ meats, and bright yellow butter, obtained in the spring and fall from the milk of cows that feed on green, fast-growing grass.

After the snow melted, when the cows went out to the rich pastures located above the village, the Swiss put a bowl of this oil on the church altar and lit the wick in it. The Maasai natives burned the yellowed grass in the fields so that new grass could grow to feed their cows. Hunting and gathering people always ate the meat of various internal organs of those wild animals that became their prey; they often ate this meat raw. Many African tribes even considered the liver to be sacred. Eskimos and many Indian tribes highly prized fish roe.

The medicinal value of X-factor-rich foods was recognized after World War II. Price found that "high-vitamin" spring and fall butter is truly miraculous, especially when small amounts of cod liver oil are also included in the diet. He has used a combination of high-vitamin butter and cod liver oil with great success to treat osteoporosis, tooth decay, arthritis, rickets and delayed child development.

Other researchers have used similar products with great success in treating respiratory conditions such as tuberculosis, asthma, allergic reactions, and emphysema. One of these researchers was Francis Pottenger, who opened a sanatorium in Monrovia, California, where recovering patients were fed large amounts of liver, butter, cream, and eggs. Patients suffering from physical exhaustion also received adrenal cortex supplements.

Dr. Price was constantly convinced that healthy natives, whose diets included adequate amounts of the nutrients contained in animal protein and fat, were characterized by a joyful, optimistic attitude towards life. He also noted that the majority of prisoners in prisons were characterized by deformities of the face, indicating a lack of nutrients during their intrauterine development.

The irony of the situation is this: as Price is forgotten more and more, more and more facts appear in the scientific literature to prove that he was right. We now know that vitamin A is key to preventing birth defects, newborns' growth and development, a healthy immune system, and the proper functioning of all glands.

Scientists have found that the precursors of vitamin A - the carotenoids found in plant foods - cannot be converted to vitamin A in infants and children. They must get this vital nutrient from animal fats. Nevertheless, doctors are now advocating a reduction in the proportion of fat in the diet of children. Diabetics and people with thyroid disorders also cannot convert carotenoids into the fat-soluble form of vitamin A; nevertheless, diabetics and people suffering from a lack of energy are advised to avoid animal fats.

In the scientific literature, we learn that vitamin D is needed not only for bone health, optimal growth and development, but also to prevent colon cancer, multiple sclerosis and reproductive problems

An excellent source of vitamin D is cod liver oil. This fat also contains special fatty acids called EPA and DHA. The body uses EPA to synthesize substances that prevent blood clots and regulate a wide variety of biochemical processes. Recent research suggests that DHA is key to the development of the brain and nervous system.

Adequate DHA in the diet of pregnant women is essential for the proper development of the fetal retina. The presence of DHA in human milk helps to avoid possible future problems with the absorption of educational materials. The inclusion of cod liver oil in the diet, as well as foods such as beef liver and egg yolks, ensures that this vital nutrient is absorbed into the baby's body during pregnancy, lactation and growth.

Butter contains vitamins A and D, as well as other beneficial substances. Conjugated linoleic acid in this oil is a powerful anti-cancer agent. Certain types of fats, called glycosphingolipids, aid in the digestion process. Butter is rich in rare minerals, while spring and autumn oils of natural bright yellow color contain “X factor”.

The saturated fat from animal sources, which is being labeled as our “enemies,” is an important component of cell membranes; they protect the immune system and aid in the absorption of essential fatty acids. They are also essential for the proper development of the brain and nervous system. Certain types of saturated fat can quickly replenish lost energy, and also provide protection against pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract; other types provide energy to the heart.

Cholesterol plays a key role in the development of the brain and nervous system of babies; its role in this process is so great that breast milk is not only very rich in this substance, but also contains special enzymes that promote the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract. Cholesterol is the body's “healing patch”; when arteries are damaged due to weakness or irritation, cholesterol is needed to repair the damage and prevent aneurysms.

Cholesterol is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from cancer; from it, bile salts are formed, which are necessary for the absorption of fats, as well as hormones produced by the adrenal glands that help us cope with stress and regulate sexual function.

Scientific evidence is equally clear about the dangers of polyunsaturated vegetable oils - the very ones that are supposed to be of benefit to us. Since polyunsaturated oils are susceptible to oxidation, they increase the body's need for vitamin E and other antioxidants (in particular, the use of rapeseed oil can lead to an acute vitamin E deficiency). Excessive use of vegetable oils is especially harmful to the reproductive organs and lungs.

In the course of experiments on experimental animals, the following was found: a high content of polyunsaturated vegetable oils in food reduces the ability to learn, especially under stress; these oils are toxic to the liver; they compromise the integrity of the immune system and slow down the mental and physical development of infants; increase the level of uric acid in the blood and cause abnormalities in the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue; they are associated with weakening of mental abilities and damage to chromosomes; finally, they accelerate the aging process.

Excessive consumption of polyunsaturated oils is associated with an increase in the number of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as obesity; The abuse of commercial vegetable oils negatively affects the production of prostaglandins (local tissue hormones), which in turn leads to a host of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, infertility and exacerbation of PMS. The toxicity of commercial vegetable oils increases when they are heated.

According to one study, in the intestine, polyunsaturated oils are converted into a substance similar to drying oil. A study by a plastic surgeon suggests that women who consume predominantly vegetable oils have significantly more wrinkles than women who consume traditional animal fats.

When polyunsaturated oils are converted to solid fats for margarine and baking powder through a process called “hydrogenation,” they become doubly dangerous and pose additional risks for cancer, reproductive problems, learning disorders, and growth problems in children. children.

Weston Price's critical studies continue to be hushed up for the reason that if his conclusions are accepted by the public, it will lead to the collapse of the modern food industry - and the three pillars on which it rests: refined sweeteners, white flour and vegetable oils.

The industry has done a lot of behind-the-scenes work to put up a huge curtain on the “lipid hypothesis,” the flawed theory that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease and cancer. In order to be convinced of the falsehood of this statement, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the statistics.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the annual consumption of butter per capita was about 8 kilograms; at the same time, vegetable oils were practically not used, and the spread of cancer and cardiovascular diseases was minimal. Today, the consumption of butter is just over 2 kilograms per person per year; consumption of vegetable oil has risen sharply, and cancer and cardiovascular diseases have become epidemic.

Dr. Weston Price found that in physically healthy tribes it was customary to feed parents before conception, as well as pregnant women, with special foods; these same foods were given to children during their growth period. His analysis showed that the food was extremely rich in fat-soluble nutrients found exclusively in animal fats such as butter, fish oil and marine oils.

Price also found that many tribes adopted the practice of giving birth to the same mother in order to replenish the mother's supply of nutrients and ensure that subsequent babies were born as healthy as the previous ones. This was achieved through the polygamy system and, in monogamous cultures, through conscious abstinence. The minimum necessary interval between the birth of children was considered a period of three years; more frequent childbirth was considered a shame for the parents and caused condemnation of other villagers.

The education of the youth in these tribes included learning from ancestors' nutritional experiences in order to ensure the health of future generations and the continued existence of the tribe in the face of the constant challenges of finding food and protecting from warlike neighbors

Parents of today, living in conditions of peace and abundance, face a very different problem that requires flair and resourcefulness. They must learn to distinguish myth from reality in matters related to the choice of food for themselves and their families. They must also be resourceful in shielding their children from those surrogate products of modern commerce that prevent them from optimally realizing their genetic potential.

We are talking about products made with sugar, white flour and emasculated vegetable oils, as well as “chameleon products” that mimic the nutritious food of our ancestors, including margarine, baking powder, egg replacers, meat fillers, surrogate broths, fake sour cream and cheese, industrially produced animal and plant products, protein powders and food bags that never go bad.