Someone this week rightly pointed out to me that Sally Fallon, in the Fall 2012 issue of Wise Traditions, the WAPF journal, gave a reluctant thumbs down to Shanahan's book with a lengthy critique. I've read Fallon's critique and I do agree with some of her concerns, but not all. When I read Deep Nutrition
, I certainly didn't agree with every point or assertion Shanahan made, but I don't agree with everything Fallon says, either. Few of us will agree with 100% of what we read, no matter the source. That's why we need to read many books on a topic to build a body of knowledge, rather than relying on one or two sources. Overall, I think both WAPF and Shanahan (and other traditional nutrition authors) have wonderful information to share with the public about how to nourish ourselves and be well.I do just want to address one flaw in Shanahan's book that Fallon points out...Shanahan recommends that if you cannot get raw grass-fed milk, it's OK to drink pasteurized commercial milk. This is absolutely bad advice. But then, even Fallon says in Nourishing Traditions
that if you can't get raw grass-fed milk that it's OK to buy pasteurized milk for culturing or whole milk yogurt. I can't agree with that wholeheartedly. (More on that below.) If you do not have access to raw grass-fed milk, you should not drink any milk at all. Commercial dairy is dangerous for health and development. More than any other food, cow's milk is highly sensitizing and leads to autoimmune and hormonal disorders. Industrial pasteurized milk is deleterious; aside from the major problems with its calcium and protein content, commercial milk sources will be coming from drugged, grain-fed cows and is full of synthetic vitamins (like liver toxin D2) and deodorizers; the milk fat is destroyed and rendered indigestible by homogenization. Commercial dairy cows are not fed a healthy, natural diet, nor always treated humanely. We should not in any way support the industry. Commercial dairy, even Organic, is bad news and should be avoided. (Remember, most Organic milk comes from grain-fed confinement operations and is ultra-pasteurized, making it ultra-dead and ultra-indigestible.)I also agree with Fallon that Shanahan shouldn't be including soy as part of a healthy diet, and that some of her nutrient information seems contradictory or incomplete. I think Fallon's criticism of the images used in Shanahan's book is a bit too picky. The pictures help to illustrate the points that are being made and I feel they do it well. Not every photo was of a celebrity, and Shanahan is a young woman appealing to a crowd familiar with pop culture, so the choices didn't seem too odd. Also, to the criticism that Shanahan should have used Price's photos to illustrate her points and mentioned Price and his work more, I want to offer a conjecture. As a fellow writer, and I'm really just guessing here, I can imagine that Shanahan wanted to put a unique spin on the material...to make Deep Nutrition her own fresh work. It seems to me that she does build upon Price's foundation and others who have helped to pioneer the truth about traditional nutrition, but she doesn't speak extensively about them, nor copy them.
I do not necessarily agree with Fallon's criticism of Shanahan's genetics assertions and her message that we can re-establish good health through traditional foods. I have experienced and witnessed many instances of correcting chronic illness and autoimmune disorders through significant lifestyle and dietary changes. I have personally experienced a mild version "second sibling syndrome" with my second child, but through a dedicated nourishing diet and toxin-free lifestyle, the trend was reversed with our third.
I will never claim to know how much of our genetics we can change, how many alterations we can make in our children's anatomy and physiology, and how quickly it can be done. But I am certain that none of us understands completely the potential of powerful traditional foods and herbs on our health and our future children's health. The human body is a wonderfully designed organism that has incredible rejuvenating powers when treated correctly. No scientist on earth understands all there is to know about our bodies. The more we think we understand all the "science," the more we realize we have much to learn.
No author, no scientist, no healer is perfect. We are always learning and growing. Perhaps Shanahan will rework her message and her advice in future writings. But in the end, she is a staunch supporter of the traditional foods movement, as is Fallon, and I think we can all benefit from reading and studying and sifting all these materials. Ultimately, we're on the same team and we need to work together.
Enough said, time to close. I will be taking some time away from the blog as I work through some personal needs. I may write sporadically or not at all for a little while. I hope you all enjoy a healthy and happy winter. It would be so nice to hibernate and awake to a world where truth was valued over PR and profit, where Monsanto was outlawed and people would stop believing the rubbish that GMOs are safe and needed to "feed the world," where vaccine pushers were jailed instead of raw milk sellers, and where armed thugs (aka government agents) no longer threaten good citizens with force (like Real Food farmers) yet tell the public we don't need the right to defend ourselves against aggression. [If you haven't done so yet, please watch Farmageddon
...it's a troubling eye opener.]Well, a girl can dream.
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Brief discussion on pasteurized yogurt and butter. I know that my position on milk seems hardcore, and I understand that people feel they need to compromise at times. Because I have repeatedly seen and studied the serious health detriments caused by commercial milk, I cannot emphasize enough that the milk you choose to drink and feed your children is the most important food decision you will make. When it comes to drinking milk, only raw grass-fed should be chosen, as discussed above (with links).
Butter and yogurt are a slightly different discussion, and deserve their own post, but not today, LOL.
Eating pasteurized butter is not quite as dangerous as drinking pasteurized milk, but source matters. Butter is almost entirely fat, which negates the problem of industrial milk proteins. But beware commercial butter made from homogenized milk (call companies and ask about the process), which greatly reduces the nutrients in the fat and its digestibility. If you cannot buy raw grass-fed butter (California residents can mail order from Organic Pastures), just be sure to purchase pastured butter (such as Kerrygold or Organic Valley pastured). Kerrygold butter claims that it is not homogenized and is minimally pasteurized. Organic Valley also sells non-homogenized products. If you are eating typical grocery store butter that is pale to nearly white, you are not consuming nutrients and are probably not consuming good fats.
Yogurt is another potential can of worms. Again, source and process matters. Storebought yogurts are notorious for being bereft of live active probiotic cultures. Most brands pasteurize after "culturing" (and even that process is questionable as to its efficacy), killing any beneficial bacteria. We cannot rely on commercial yogurts to contain viable probiotics. Any "benefit" you hope to achieve from cultured flora that may lessen the deleterious effects of the adulterated milk is nil. Your best bet is to culture your own yogurt, particularly using a non-heat method. You can purchase cultures from Cultures for Health; I recommend the Villi culture for raw yogurt. Again, using industrial milk to make your yogurt will subject you to all the same problems that exist with that milk, so be aware of the potential downsides. If you choose to purchase yogurt, avoid the low fat variety, and try to contact the company to get information on their probiotic culture source and their yogurt culturing process; only live active cultures will do you any good. Even if your purchased yogurt carries that claim, call the company and do some homework. Also, never eat yogurt (or any food) that contains added flavorings and colors...that's not food at all.
