Some traditional diets had no plant foods.

Some contained few animal foods.

Some were mostly cooked foods.

Some had large amounts of raw foods.

Some contained milk products and others lacked them.

Some ate grains while others did not.

Some had fruits and some didn’t.

The underlying characteristics that these healthy traditional diets shared:

No refined or denatured foods

Every diet had some animal products

All diets were high in enzymes (and most contained fermented foods)

Seeds, grains, legumes, and nuts were soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened

Total fat content varied from 30% to 80% of calories, but only 4% of calories came from polyunsaturated oils

High amounts of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

All diets contained some salt

All traditional cultures made use of bones, usually as broth

When we examine the advent of canned, frozen, pasteurized, boxed, and increased “shelf-life,” what we see is a huge transition from “home-made” to “machine and factory-made,” as well as an emphasis on convenience and speed. The seasonal, local, hand-made and complex have been largely supplanted by supermarket brands that have homogenized our diets. Yes we gained ease and variety, but at a huge “unintended consequence” of a multitude of health problems.

If you had asked me back when I was a vegetarian (or vegan) I would have answered very differently that I do now. I was so sure I knew the answer. Now I am only sure that some folks are very healthy as vegetarians or vegans, and others are not. Especially at our high altitude and the intense cold during winter, many women I know who were once vegetarians are now eating some meat, and feeling better. Also, many of us ate WAY too much soy (especially if, like me, you ate it as “burgers and dogs,” i.e., processed and tricked out to look and feel and sorta taste like meat). Our low thyroid function is partly a legacy from all the soy consumption.

Dealing with this question could easily be a book! Next week I’ll talk about Weston Price and his research into traditional diets, which I think is a less biased way to deal with this question. As we look at what healthy groups of a variety of people in a diversity of environments actually ate (and usually over a very long period of time), we can base our conclusions on historical facts and observations of a scientifically trained dentist. We will find commonalities that are intriguing.

 There was and is no one way for a group of people to eat healthily. And there is quite a bit of evidence that some proteins are not very healthy at all (canned meats, deep-fried fish and other meat, animals fed in feedlots with food that is not their natural diet, and anything GMO).

One caveat for those who are strict vegetarians or vegans: B12 is very hard to get in those diets. A recent Mercola article puts it well:

Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal tissues, which vegans and vegetarians do not typically eat. The few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs, which blocks the uptake of true B12 and actually increases your need for it.

• B12 is stored in your liver, kidneys and other body tissues. As a result, a deficiency may not be apparent for about seven years.
• Initial symptoms of deficiency include: lack of motivation, apathy, mental fogginess, muscle weakness and fatigue. Chronic long-term B12 deficiency can lead to serious conditions such as depression, dementia, and fertility problems.

If you’d like to read the entire article, please go HERE.

The more I do research, the more I realize that in ANY field, including alternative health/herbs/nutrition, the “experts” (whether defined by letters after their names and/or experience in the field) DO NOT AGREE with each other on a regular basis. Unfortunately there is much internecine fighting around just about any topic you can name in this vast area of human understanding….and that goes double for how much and what kind of protein. And many of the so-called gold standard studies are not as comprehensive, well designed, or factual as we’ve been led to believe….sigh.

Given all the disagreement and conflicting theories, how does one navigate this nutritional minefield? I am finding that where several “authorities” from a diverse cross-section agree, there might be some valuable info. Add to this the actual clinical experience of folks with degrees, and we start to see some patterns, like the one I mentioned above about adequate protein for breakfast. The trick here is to define “adequate.” Women probably need from 46 to 90 grams a day, and men need from 56 to over a 100 grams per day. The amount varies due to age, size, type of work done, energy expenditure, metabolic type, constitution, and probably a few more arcane indicators, not to mention the belief system of the person or group advocating a number along this spectrum! What I find really telling in this is the tendency of folks to “err” at the extremes: either they eat fast food burgers with enough protein for an entire day in one meal, or they barely eat enough to prevent deficiency disease. There have been some studies done that show that as we age, we often neglect our protein intake. When this is due to poverty, that is a tragedy. When not eating enough protein is due to the influence of  experts who were wrong, or because we, over time, got comfortable with the overconsumption of carbohydrates….well, that too is a tragedy.

SAME GENES, DIFFERENT PEOPLE: Identical twins are born with the same DNA but can become surprisingly different as they grow older. A booming field called epigenetics is revealing how factors like stress and nutrition can cause this divergence by changing  how individual genes behave. “Things written in pen you can’t change: That’s DNA,” says geneticist Danielle Reed. “Things written in pencil you can change. That’s epigenetics.”

So it turns out that alternative health care advocates are correct when they say that how we eat and manage stress really matters. In the next few blogs I’ll explore this a bit, as well as start referring to some of the best nutritional research that is coming across my desk, so to speak.

And that is the point: we can’t really know what to do next if we don’t “objectively” look at where we are. Writing down EVERYTHING that goes in our mouth, and about how much and when often leads to a better understanding of our patterns, habits, what foods might be causing problems, macro and micronutrients that may be out of balance, etc. Let me say loud and clear: DO NOT JUDGE yourself, your choices, what you notice. This is also a spiritual exercise in gentle compassionate observation. We are witnessing ourselves nourishing ourselves, and change can occur more easily if we are amused rather than horrified.  We shall be talking about making small steps toward eating all real food without a lot of drama and lamenting poor choices in the past.

Beyond the general notion that eating well is “good for us,” I’ll be citing interesting current research, including the rather new field of epigenetics. Food (and that includes culinary herbs) really can be our medicine.

First: an extremely short explanation follows that shows us just how important this little known system of our body is to our overall health:

The lymphatic system has multiple interrelated functions:^[3]

• it is responsible for the removal of interstitial fluid from tissues

• it absorbs and transports fatty acids and fats as chyle from the digestive system

• it transports white blood cells to and from the lymph nodes into the bones

• The lymph transports antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells, to the lymph nodes where an immune response is stimulated.

First: limit sugar as much as humanly possible. Why? (other than we all know it’s not good for us, empty calories, mood swings, etc.) Because the nasty micro-organisms LOVE sugar, and our immune systems are compromised almost immediately after consuming sugar, and can take hours to rebound back to their robust selves….

Second: everyone needs to sleep WAY MORE than they realize, and children especially need sleep to be regular: same time every night; a dark room if possible (night lights may help anxiety, but if your child is a poor sleeper it may be too much light in the room); bedtime stories really work (for adults, too), and leave plenty of time to brush teeth, etc. so family members aren’t unduly stressed before bedtime.

Third: for children who get frequent ear infections, there is good research showing that prophylactic use of xylitol based nose sprays help prevent ear infections by destroying bacterial cell walls. Iris Herbal’s Mullein Garlic Oil really helps clear infection if used at the first sign of ear infection. Many folks (parents for their children, and adults for themselves) have found this combo safe, easy and effective. Mullein oil (made by infusing mullein flowers in olive oil) and garlic essential oil (a very strong anti-bacterial oil) together are quite potent; just don’t use if the eardrum is perforated.

Fourth: WASH YOUR HANDS, often. Before meals, after the bathroom, after blowing one’s nose, after being in a public space where folks are coughing and sneezing. Teaching children the hand washing habit really helps because kids touch their faces a lot (well, so do adults, but we’ve often curbed some of those tendencies…), and hands deliver germs to the eyes, ears, and mouth.

Fifth: in one of the latest AARP newsletters, a very simple remedy was mentioned: gargling! Although young children may not be able to do that yet, anyone of any age who can: do so several times a day with warm water. It really lessons the number of time folks get sick.

and Sixth: take a supplement to increase immunity. Some folks swear by Echinacea and/or Elder berry at the first signs or if exposed. Some people are helped by herbal immune adaptogens like Astragalus, Bacopa, Eleuthero, and/or Spikenard. But often children don’t like the taste. So I recommend a supplement called Epicor (easily found on the web) which really does have good science (and my clients’ experience) to back it up. You can order this from me through my supplement buying club, whose next order is this coming Monday morning (and happens every month around the 15th). Just call (toll-free 877-286-2970) or email (irisherbal@yahoo.com) me this weekend and I can order you either adult strength or kid strength at a more affordable price that just about anywhere on the web.

pS: it’s also good to drink water…and if plain water is too boring, then add the juice of lemon or lime: tasty and helpful both!

2012 marks Iris Herbal Product’s 30th anniversary. Holy guacamole, have I really been this focused, fortunate, and yes it’s been a wild ride and more to come. Stay tuned to this blog for “blog -reader-only” specials and sales. I will also be offering deals to those who receive my (sort of) monthly newsletter. You can go HERE to visit my homepage and see what’s new, what’s on sale, and to register for my newsletter.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to focus more on “good news” and positive ways we can make a difference. The following comes from Good News Network:

Top 10 Good News Stories of the Week 1500 Employees Skip Holiday Party to Transform Local Farm In place of a holiday party, computer technology company NVIDIA conducted one of Silicon Valley’s largest-ever employee volunteer events, with 1,500 employees and family members building structures that transformed a local community farm, donating services and materials totaling $380,000. Secret Santa Inspires Addict’s Clean Up Remember the businessman who gave away hundred dollar bills to strangers in December? One of the people this Secret Santa gave money to is 30-year-old Thomas Coates, a deadbeat by most accounts, including his own. But when the stranger called him a good man, pushing hundreds of dollars into his hand even when he said he didn’t deserve it, a prayer was answered. (Video) ‘Christmas Miracle’ for Lonely Endangered Rhino Conservationists in Malaysia airlifted a young Sumatran Rhinoceros — one of the world’s most endangered animals — from an area where she had no hope of ever seeing another rhinoceros. After monitoring her isolation since 2007, the Sabah Wildlife Department and Borneo Rhino Alliance flew the female rhino, named Puntung to a forest where she would encounter a potential partner. Chelsea Clinton Files First Good News Report: Hero for Rural Kids Annette Dove had no idea that an NBC Nightly News segment would cause an avalanche of donations for her Pine Bluff program that feeds and tutors hundreds of Arkansas children after school. It was Chelsea Clinton’s debut as a “Making A Difference” reporter, when she returned to her home state and found this inspiring story. (Video) Girl Sends Wish to Santa on 2 Pink Balloons, Answered 700 Miles Away Just eight months ago, a one-acre plot at a Denver public school was an unused athletic field, but now that land has come to life with food-bearing vegetation producing 3,000 pounds of food for the cafeteria. Teen’s Video About Death Inspires Millions a Week After His Passing Millions know his name now. After cheating death three times, Ben Breedlove, 18, finally lost his life on Christmas day, but not before leaving a moving last message recorded for YouTube telling of his three near-death experiences and how at peace he finally felt with his fatal heart condition and the life he would likely soon leave behind. After Katrina, a Promise Kept: 101 New Homes Built, Donated by CEO After watching the devastation of neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina, Borders CEO Louise Riggio promised to give away new homes to 100 displaced families. At the dedication of the final home, a gospel choir sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” while 55-year-old Corliss Gaines’ eyes swelled with tears. The Surprisingly Upbeat State of the World: Trends are Strikingly Positive Regular readers of the Good News Network know about these four major areas where global progress is heartening: War is on the decline, poverty is shrinking, women around the world find their lot improving and democracy is spreading. The leading indicators in these four areas cannot be denied. Woman Loses Wedding Ring, Finds it Growing on Carrot 16 years Later A Swedish woman who lost her wedding ring 16 years ago was flabbergasted when she found it again, around a carrot growing in her garden, media reported Saturday. (BBC) Missouri Woman Gets $6.1 Mil From State’s Unclaimed Property Office A Kansas City woman got an early Christmas present when she received a state record $6.1 million from the Missouri unclaimed property fund, which works to return stocks, bonds, bank balances and safe deposit box contents to unknown owners. (KC Star)

My point being that as a culture, we show love and holiday joy through food, and a major part of that is the traditional (fill in your family’s) homemade cookies. To say no is to refuse love! A New Year’s party is coming up and I feel guilty because I’m taking all the uneaten cookies to inflict them upon others with less will power or more iron constitutions….

Hope your Holy Day / holiday celebrations were sweet (couldn’t resist!) and healthy. May you take good care of yourself as we witness the light returning and the new year approaching.