Tag: regenerative
Doing your bit for the NHS
by Georgia Wingfield-Hayes
Part 1 of a 2 part series
Have you ever tried eating only one of two types of foods, day after day? Your favourite food perhaps? Avocado on toast or chocolate? Soon you become so sick of those foods, that you can’t stand the sight of them. This is because our bodies are full of intelligent feedback mechanisms that tell us that we need something else, we need variety. If you’ve been overloading your liver with rich foods, for example, you will, if attuned, crave dark green leafy vegetables and other bitter foods that help the liver decongest.
Animals are exactly the same. Animals that grow up on a wild diet, learning what to forage from their mothers, are highly attuned to the foods in their environment and know what they require to maintain optimal health; they also self medicate with specific foods when necessary. Plants high in tannins like willow, for example, help combat intestinal worms.
Feedlots v 100% Grass-Fed
It is easy to assume that because we see cows and sheep in fields, that these animals spend their entire lives outside. But almost all cattle and sheep, unless certified 100% grass-fed, are fattened on grains before going to market. This change in diet might only be for a few months, but it dramatically changes the nutritional profile of the meat.
When herbivores (sheep, cattle, etc.) are fed 100% on wildflower rich meadows with access to hedge and tree fodder, their meat mirrors the complex nutrient profile of their forage. When we eat this meat we receive these nutrients, densely packed in muscle and organs.
Omega 3 and 6, for example, are two very important fats or lipids in the human diet. Omega 3 makes up around 35% of the human brain, a lack of which causes depression and impairs cognitive wellbeing. While both these omegas are essential to health, what is key is their ratio to each other. Too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3 leads to inflammation in the body – the precursor to chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease and all else that falls under the umbrella term – metabolic syndrome.
A healthy ratio of Omega 3 to 6 is deemed to be between 1:3 and 1:4. The same ratio is found in 100% grass-fed meat. Grain-fattened meat, on the other hand, contains a ratio of between 1:15 and 1:55. The higher ratios being seen in beef animals fattened on dried distillers grains.
Omega’s: the tip of the iceberg
A herbivore’s gut microbiome adjusts to its diet from an early age, so one can only imagine the shock that it, and the animal’s digestive system, liver, etc. receive when shifting from grass to grain. Animals lose their freedom of dietary choice, and movement both of which can cause a deterioration in the nutritional quality of the meat. Expert in ecological medicine, Dr Jenny Goodman is of the opinion that such animals will verge on pre-diabetes and be more prone to infection.
The problem in part, is that meat generally has never been considered much more than a source of protein, iron and vitamin B12. All meat still gets lumped together on our supermarket shelf and in our consciousness. But grass-fed beef and lamb take meat as a food, to a whole other level. Apart from omegas 3 and 6, there are much greater levels of the health-giving conjugated linoleic acid (CLA); long chain saturated fats; vitamins C, E, K, niacin, folate, and B12; and finally, phytonutrients.
Phytonutrients compose of a vast array of compounds that are directly acquired from plants and absorbed into the body. These have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and are essential in preventing and fighting chronic diseases including: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, all types of infections and neurological diseases. When we eat the meat of animals fed on a diverse, natural diet then we receive these health-giving properties in a highly absorbable form.
The 3 leading causes of death in the UK are: dementia, heart disease and stroke. All strongly linked to diet, in particular the omega 3:6 ratio and phytonutrients, both essential in preventing these diseases.
Joining up the Dots
Addressing our environmental crises; our society’s physical and mental health; the cost-of-living crises and the struggling NHS, requires us to join up the dots between these issues. Healthy eating is about enabling passionate small producers to reach customers, in order that people get back in touch with where food comes from, and the fantastic taste and quality of food produced in non-intensive farming systems. Health is a by-product of such a relationship.
Countries like Finland and Brazil see feeding their children a free school lunch made from wholesome produce every day, not as a cost, but an investment. Food habits, be they in humans or herbivores, are developed when we are young. Our microbiome is shaped to fit the foods it meets in its development. If those foods are highly processed and high in sugar, then that is what we will crave. Whole foods, made into delicious meals on the other hand, create a health-giving relationship between body, microbiome and food, and we will crave what we need, rather than what we have become addicted to.
The cost-of-living crisis and the NHS would be greatly alleviated if the British government made free, wholesome school meals a priority. What’s more, if they followed the Brazilian model, 30% of that food would be sourced from local small farms.
Alleviating the stress of the cost-of-living crisis might also help save the NHS on its current biggest cost – mental health and stress-related illness. Connecting small producers with consumers, creating more intimate relationships between land, food and people would do much to aid the epidemic of loneliness. Nearly 4 million people in the UK are reported to experience chronic loneliness. Social isolation, loneliness and poor social relationships are understood to create a 50% increase in the risk of developing dementia, a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke. Add into this equation the nutritional quality of food, and it’s no wonder we have the health crises we see today.
While politicians might be slow to join up these dots, here at Primal Meats we are doing what we can to bring the super-nutritious grass-fed meats of passionate small producers to conscious consumers such as you. Please check out our individual farm pages to learn more about our producers and THANK YOU for your support!
References
Health-Promoting Phytonutrients Are Higher in Grass-Fed Meat and Milk
Nutritional Comparisons Between Grass-Fed Beef and Conventional Grain-Fed Beef
Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Brain Functions: A Systematic Review
Is Grassfed Meat and Dairy Better for Human and Environmental Health?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6434678
Loneliness and Social Isolation Linked to Serious Health Conditions
Facts and statistics about loneliness
Stress-related illness the biggest health expenditure in the UK
School Lunches in Brazil: From Local Farms to Children’s Plates
The Power of Muscle
Regenerative agriculture emerged from a paradigm of regeneration that applies to a range of other disciplines such as leadership, economics, business, design and, most importantly, how we live and behave as empowered citizens – regenerative living
Vaca Vieja
Regenerative agriculture emerged from a paradigm of regeneration that applies to a range of other disciplines such as leadership, economics, business, design and, most importantly, how we live and behave as empowered citizens – regenerative living
Real Changemakers
Regenerative agriculture emerged from a paradigm of regeneration that applies to a range of other disciplines such as leadership, economics, business, design and, most importantly, how we live and behave as empowered citizens – regenerative living
Nourishing Our Children
With Nutrient Dense Foods This Summer
By Teri Clayton
Summer holidays enable us to spend quality time with our children. Whether going away for a week of sun, sea and sand, or remaining on home turf, it’s a time to treasure the time we have available with one another.
The holiday period also offers us the perfect opportunity to ensure our families eat the best quality nutrition. We can load up their stores of fat soluble vitamins and nutrients, whilst we have a little more say about what they eat.
Many parents dread the sudden extra workload of children being out of school for an extended period. However – with the right mindset and approach – it can be reframed as an opportunity to invest in a healthy and happy future for the family.
Yes it might involve proactive planning and a decent amount of extra work, but the long term rewards will definitely be worth it. This kind of work travels down through generations.
Your family will still benefit from the nourishment you put into them long after you have gone.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to support personal education and offer individuals the opportunity to research a range of approaches to achieving wellbeing. A Primal living or ancestral approach to wellbeing is a path that some people choose for themselves and is in no way intended to replace professional medical, healthcare, dietary or wellbeing advice. Consult your healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle, especially if you take prescribed medications.
Building Upon the Good
Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride MD reinvigorated forgotten cultural knowledge in the world of nutrition after permanently reversing her son’s autistic symptoms through diet.
Now considered a leading light in reviving a truly rooted and wise approach to diet, Dr Campbell-McBride has written several books, dedicated to empowering people to heal naturally through nutrient dense foods, gut health and supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
Her latest book ‘Gut and Physiology Syndrome’ (GAPS), is a refresh and re-titled version of her previous revolutionary book – ‘Gut and Psychology Syndrome’.
GAPS offers a natural treatment approach for auto-immune illnesses, allergies, arthritis, fatigue, gut problems, hormonal issues and neurological disease, (including ADHD and autism).
To have good health we need to eat foods created by Mother Nature, not man. Mother Nature took billions of years to design our bodies, while at the same time designing all the foods suitable for our bodies to use. How arrogant it is for humans to think that they know better than Mother Nature after having tinkered in their laboratories for a few decades!’
Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, MMedSci (Neurology), MMedSci (Nutrition)
Dr Campbell-McBride’s approach focuses on feeding children nutrient dense foods, grown by loving farmers taking good care of their soil and animals, prepared in time honoured ways that maximally enhance their digestibility. Through this approach Dr Campbell-McBride has helped many families turn the tide on severe chronic illness and restored children back to a picture of health.
Dr Campbell-McBride’s work should have been making headlines, given that it offers hope for reversing what Dr Martin Blaser terms the ‘Modern Plagues’ in his brilliant book ‘Missing Microbes’.
‘Man is the only species clever enough to make his own food and the only one stupid enough to eat it’
Zoe Harcombe
These modern plagues according to Dr Blaser are the result of something going terribly wrong within the past few decades. Despite the medical advances, we appear to be getting sicker. He goes on to say that the incidence of autism continues to soar. The disorder was first described in 1943 by Dr Leo Kanner and was uncommon, but according to Dr Blaser, in his book published in 2014, the incidence of autism underwent a three to fourfold increase since the 1960s. This many in part be due to a growing awareness and change in diagnostic criteria.
Dr Campbell-McBride has been reversing these ‘modern plagues’ yet many parents are still enduring the torment of witnessing their children suffering from them.
It seems that we have lots of profitable solutions available to us for suppressing the symptoms of disease that do not address root causes. Why are natural, non profitable solutions – rooted in optimal nourishment – being ignored?
‘There are many theories attempting to explain the cause of this increase in autism cases, including toxins in food, water and air; exposure to chemicals and pesticides during pregnancy; and particular characteristics of fathers. But no-one knows’.
Martin Blaser, Missing Microbes.
Creating a Better Future
A groundswell of parents can be the ones to turn the tide on the destruction of children’s health…..not scientists, or healthcare professionals, or experts.
Parents do not have to wait for ways forward to be decided in the lab, or through statistical analysis on paper, when their children are suffering and need them urgently…NOW. At least, not when the solutions can be simple, time tested and rooted in real food from healthy soil.
There are parents all over the globe who are learning how to restore their children’s health, inspired by those who have been courageous enough to break away from the mainstream train, now veering way off track. Following on from healing her own child, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride left her career as a neurosurgeon behind and has now become a regenerative farmer alongside working to expand the reach of the GAPS approach.
There comes a point when adhering to outdated beliefs becomes more destructive than stabilising – and that’s where we are right now, when it comes to dealing with chronic disease.
The evidence for the health restoring power of nutrient dense foods and wise traditions is now mounting up behind a dam that WILL inevitably burst. The word incurable will be forced to shrink back to its appropriate size, as it has no place being attached to many of the man made ‘modern plagues’ we are experiencing today.
Introducing Hilary Boynton
Hilary Boynton is a parent that is leading the way, inspired by such people as Dr Campbell-McBride, Sally Fallon Morrell, Dr Weston A Price, Dr Thomas Cowan and pioneering scientist Elaine Gottschall. Hilary is a mother of five who refused to accept chronic ill health in her own children and the continuation of poor nutrition in schools.
Upon healing her family using the GAPS diet, Hilary went on to publish a cookbook with Mary G Brackett entitled ‘The Heal your Gut Cookbook – Nutrient Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS diet’.
Hilary became the ‘Lunch Lady’ in her local school, transforming the nutrition of hundreds of children and has now founded the School of Lunch (SOL), with a mission to:
‘joyfully give the ancestral knowledge, wisdom and nourishing benefits of our culinary and lifestyle philosophies to the maximum number of human beings possible’.
Hilary has joined the ranks of those who have gone beyond the current paradigm. Having learned and experienced for herself how the right food, grown and prepared in the right way has the power to restore wellbeing and vitality to our children.
Find out what Hilary has been doing in schools, here:
https://www.schooloflunch.com/education
Hilary will be joining us in our private social platform – Primal Web, introducing her work to restore children’s health through real food and taking part in live webinars where you get the chance to ask your own questions.
To attend and participate in the conversations, webinars and events join HERE
So how can we nourish our children and find out more about the return of traditional food wisdom?
First and foremost we do not need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to feeding our children. This would be foolish and ignorant, given the experiential wisdom our ancestors have already amassed.
We do however need to draw forward forgotten nourishing traditions and build upon them, with our own real life learnings. When it comes to offering our families the deepest nourishment, the best knowledge we have is that which has endured the harshest of all tests…time.
Only that which is useful, valuable and has real substance endures the test of time and becomes embedded as a tradition, anything surplus is thankfully discarded by the wayside.
Sandeep Agarwal in conversation with Hilary Boynton about valuable traditional knowledge remarks:
‘Before we learn from each other, we learn from traditions’
Sandeep is the fifth generation to take on his family business creating traditional foods using time tested wisdom. Sandeep remarked that his mother used to say that ‘no knowledge is lost’, that knowledge is like sunlight. Knowledge is there, just as sunlight is there. You only need an open mind to receive it.
There are no shortage of way showers to hold the hands of worried parents as they embark on a journey back towards solid nutritional ground once more. As the months and years go by, there will be many more walking this path together, connected by their mutual desire to offer their children truly nourishing food.
There are others too, leaving their mark upon the path less travelled. Perhaps one of the most significant contributions is from Sally Fallon Morrell. One of her books; Nourishing Traditions – The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats – is truly a life saving and changing book. A book that has surely earned its place on every parent’s books shelves through bringing nourishing traditions back into our homes.
Remarkable Forgotten Discoveries
Many people reading this will perhaps have already heard about the remarkable work of Weston A Price, a dentist who travelled the world with an open, curious mind, attempting to uncover the secrets to good dental health. As is always the case with profound discoveries, what he ‘noticed’ took him well beyond his initial line of enquiry.
He noticed that what led to good dental health, also held the key to impeccable overall health and longevity. All the populations that experienced immaculate dental health, also appeared to enjoy perfect physical health.
The common thread that ran through Dr Weston A Price’s observations was the decline in dental and overall health after processed western foods were introduced to the diet.
Very quickly – within one generation – of consuming processed foods, children developed overcrowded teeth, their nostrils became more pinched (making breathing more difficult) and their skeletal and sinus structures began to degenerate into lesser functional forms.
Of course, there are many factors at play, including ones that led to western foods being available and chosen in the first place, but the correlation is certainly an interesting one. These findings open us up to many more questions and discoveries.
What is truly astounding is that most dentists today are not even aware of the life’s work of Dr Weston A Price. Dr Steven Lin, a disenchanted dentist experiencing somewhat of a crisis of meaning in his career, discovered the work of Dr Weston A Price by chance whilst travelling.
The ah-ha moments triggered by Weston A Price’s work led to Dr Steven Linn writing his ground-breaking book ‘The Dental Diet’.
This book – filled with a revival of ancestral wisdom – offers parents hope for ensuring their children can enjoy great lifelong dental health, instead of expecting dental degeneration with age.
So how (practically speaking) can we use this knowledge to better nourish our children this summer?
According to the holistic dentist – Dr Steven Lin – we should not be focused on the right amounts of food, but the right kinds of food that are rich in the nutrients your body needs most. He explains that every meal should contain sources of fat soluble vitamins A, D and K2 as well as the support elements that work alongside them in the body including magnesium, zinc and dietary fat
He lists the following foods that are a source of these fat soluble vitamins:
- Whole, full fat animal products, including the skin: beef, chicken, lamb and duck
- Organ meats
- Whole fish and shellfish
- Milk, butter, yoghurt and cheese
- Eggs
- Natto
- Colourful vegetables and salads cooked or dressed in fat.
The bottom line is that a healthy diet necessarily includes animal products with gelatin rich skin, bone marrow, collagenous joints and slow cooked stocks and broths.
Dr Steven Lin
Dr Lin’s summarised guidance is a really helpful place to start when planning meals that are truly nourishing for our children.
When it comes to taking practical action to better nourish your children this summer, start with the simplest most impactful next steps. Without a doubt the quickest win here is through incorporating one of the most nourishing foods available into your child’s diet – bone broths.
Bone Broth
Nutrient dense staple
Bone broth can be consumed as a meal in its own right, but it can also be served as a starter, or used as a base for other dishes or sauces (like stir fry or gravy) to enhance the nutritional profile of various meals .
In its simplest form bone broth can be consumed as a cup-a-soup to top up hungry bellies.
Although the summer holidays may be full of fresh vibrant salads, fruits and BBQs, to truly optimise nourishment, the slow cooker should still be in action on a regular basis!
Why start with Bone broths?
Benefits of Bone Broth
- High in collagen which turns to gelatin when dissolved
- Potential source of bio-available minerals complexes
- Source of anti-inflammatory amino acids arginine and glutamine
- May support the health of the gut lining
- High levels of collagen may have an anti-aging effect and support healthy skin, hair and nails
- Great post workout recovery drink to support muscle repair
For those who want to try bone broths, but haven’t got the time to make it. Why not try our ready made broths.
If you would like to attend our live webinars with Hilary and other inspiring advocates for nourishing traditions and nutrient dense foods, then join our Primal Web platform HERE
Meet and train with Hilary:
For those who want to meet and learn from Hilary in person and have enough passion to travel to California, you can book a space on her SOL training academy here: https://www.schooloflunch.com/TrainingAcademy
Sample recipe from Hilary and Mary’s ‘The Heal Your Gut Cookbook, Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet’
Scrumptious Chicken in a Crock-Pot
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 onions
1 whole chicken
Animal fat or ghee
Combine the dried spices in a small bowl. Place the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove any giblets from the chicken, wash it and pat it dry. Rub the spice mixture all over it. Pop some spices under the skin and in the cavity if you can manage it. Rub some fat over the chicken. Put the chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, breast-side down, cover it and turn it on high. There is no need to add any liquid. Cook for 3-4hours on high or 6-8hours on low (for a 3-4lb chicken) or until the meat is falling off the bone.
Further reading/listening:
Ancestral cooking for schools
Hilary Boynton: How to Feed Your Family with Real Food
https://boldjourney.com/meet-hilary-boynton/
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Lamb, Celeriac and Mint Bone Broth
Find out how to support your immunity through connection, lifestyle and bone broths.
Chicken Bone Broth
Find out how to support your immunity through connection, lifestyle and bone broths.
Immunity and Connection
Find out how to support your immunity through connection, lifestyle and bone broths.
Regenerative Agriculture
The hottest trend of 2023?
By Caroline Grindrod
Firstly, if you have been hiding under a rock and haven’t yet heard of regenerative agriculture, here’s a quick description and a great explainer video.
What is regenerative agriculture?
‘Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services. By capturing carbon in soil and biomass, regenerative agriculture aims to reverse current trends of atmospheric accumulation. At the same time, it offers increased yields, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farming communities.’
Terra Genisis
A different paradigm
Regenerative agriculture comes from a different paradigm to conventional agriculture and is a huge step change in how we produce our food. Think about how Airbnb revolutionised the hospitality industry or Uber changed how we get around, then 10X it to get a sense of how exciting and revolutionary regenerative agriculture is for the farming industry. And boy, do we need this revolution on food and farming if we are to survive in the volatile and uncertain decades to come!
The regenerative agriculture movement has been a slow and arduous building of decades of pioneering work in the face of ridicule and resistance from those with an invested interest in the status quo.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
originated with Mahatma Gandhi
Pioneers such as Allan Savory, Gabe Brown and the understanding AG team, Vandana Shiva, the Regrarians, the Permaculture movement and many others (including Roots of nature, 3LM, Rob Havard, Wilderculture and others here in the UK) have done the excruciatingly hard work of rolling the boulder up the very steep hill to reach the tipping point that is about to crash down on us.
Collectively these pioneers have demonstrated success with practical examples on millions of acres and scientifically collected indisputable evidence that regenerative agriculture works.
Let’s also not forget the indigenous and traditional peoples who have applied ecological thinking to their highly sustainable methods of growing food in harmony with nature for longer than anyone. The wisdom and knowledge of these people has been overlooked and marginalised in the global race to the bottom, fueled by the companies and methods of the green revolution.
Regenerative agriculture – reaching a tipping point
This is a movement whose time has come.
During the turbulent last few years filled with rapidly rising costs, disrupted supply chains, biodiversity collapse and climate derangement, regenerative agriculture seems to be the only serious contender for a more resilient and healthy future for people and the planet – unless, of course, you have been seduced by George Monbiot’s depressing dystopian future of factory formed fake food!
So regardless of whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, omnivore or carnivore or flex between, regenerative agriculture is how our food should be grown. We need to unite behind this exciting movement if we stand a chance of out-competing the vast and powerful vested interests in chemical and industrial agriculture.
So buckle up over Christmas and January and get up to speed with what we think will be the hottest trend for 2023 by watching these fantastic movies, documentaries and TV series exploring the hopeful solutions regenerative agriculture offers.
Instead of the 12 days of Christmas, we give you the 12 days of regeneration!
And here’s an idea for a new year’s resolution. What about, in addition to your noble commitment to bike to work or reduce your plastic packaging, you do something that will not just reduce your impact but actively drive change for the better?
If you are a meat eater or know someone who eats meat, then you can join our stake club. It’s free with no obligation to buy. As part of this regenerative initiative, we actively train and support farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture. We offer them a simple, no-obligation, fair way to sell their amazing nutrient-dense produce.
Join – HERE and share the opportunity with family and friends by sending them this link. We launch at the end of January.
We have also created a free course for any interested citizen who wants to know more about regenerative agriculture on our social media platform dedicated to regeneration and primal living – Primal Web. Take the course HERE!
Let’s make 2023 the year that regenerative agriculture goes mainstream. We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a regenerative new year.
Healthy Teeth, Healthy Heart
Can grass fed produce restore our dental and cardiovascular health?
By Teri Clayton
It is now well established that our dental health has powerful effects on our overall well-being, especially on our cardiovascular system (1,2,3). Taking care of our teeth, gums and mouths is absolutely mission critical if we want to live long and – more importantly – healthy lives. Yet when it comes to dental health, many people just assume that cutting down on sugary food, twice daily brushing, once daily flossing and regular hygienist and dental check-ups are the only requirements.
Despite people following all the dentist’s orders many are still left struggling with deteriorating dental health (4). This includes a variety of issues such as gum disease, worsening enamel erosion, halitosis, cavity formation, jaw pain, impacted wisdom teeth, oral infections and painful sensitivity. People are not finding the healing answers they need. Despite all the knowledge, technical advances and expertise, poor dental health is still contributing to a lot of disease and suffering both in the developed and developing world.
Whilst many people could easily blame their lack of discipline with flossing, or eating too many sugary, or refined foods for their dental issues, it is becoming increasingly obvious that moderate lifestyles with occasional slip-ups cannot be solely to blame. Dental health is as much a product of the health of our inner physiology and nutritional status, as it is about outer hygiene practices. Since the introduction of processed foods, the warning bells have been sounding loud and clear when it comes to our dentition – but is anyone listening?
We are in the midst of an epidemic of dental health issues and these cannot be explained by a lack of good dental care and maintenance. Since the Industrial revolution began there has been a worrying trend towards poor dental development, at a basic developmental and structural level. Malocclusion, impacted wisdom teeth, misaligned jaws and issues with poor palate and maxillary and mandible bone development are now commonplace. The mouths of large numbers of children in the western world are unable to offer sufficient room for the healthy eruption of wisdom teeth and compromised brain oxygenation through mouth breathing, (due to pinched and congested nasal passages) is now becoming the norm.
‘The numbers representing oral disease are simply staggering and reveal a modern health epidemic in our society that starts in childhood and spans our entire adult lives. The pervasiveness of dental disease has given us the idea that, as part of growing up, we will inevitably experience decay, need braces or have wisdom teeth removed’ Dentist – Dr Steven Lin (5)
Whilst dentists and dental surgeons are busily fitting braces, pulling teeth, lifting sinuses, adjusting jaw bone alignments, removing impacted teeth and drilling and filling cavity after cavity – who is trying to find and address the root causes?
Years ago in the 1930’s a very forward thinking Dentist – Dr Weston Price- noticed these worrying trends emerging. He set off on a mission to explore other cultures around the globe to discover what factors contributed to the development of healthy teeth and the degeneration into disease.
The book in which his field notes and findings have been published, complete with ample images of good and bad dental health in other cultures, is called ‘Nutrition and Physical Degeneration’. This is a thought provoking and, for many, a life changing book that ought to be on every healthcare professionals reading lists, (in my not so humble opinion).
Dr Weston Price made discoveries that could have turned the tide on dental degradation by now and reduced the chronic suffering of millions (perhaps billions) of children and adults, (perhaps it will in time). It is disappointing that so far his findings have not been explored more formally, to allow them to be further developed and brought forward into mainstream research, nutrition, medical and dental training.
It is refreshing to see a change in this trend however as more ‘ahead of the curve’ nutritionists, doctors and dentists adopt a holistic approach to their own branch of healthcare. One such dentist is speaker and author Dr Steven Lin, he brings Weston A Price’s research into the spotlight in his industry leading book ‘The Dental Diet’. What a relief!
Another leader who has combined her own findings and experiences with Dr Weston Price’s work and that of other leading edge thinkers and do-ers is Dr Natasha Campbell-Mcbride. Her books Gut and Physiology Syndrome and its previous version ‘Gut and Psychology Syndrome’, offer us a far more complete picture of how to improve our overall health. Her genius level work combines the benefits of a nutrient dense diet, with key understandings about the microbiome and the contributing factors that lead to gut dysbiosis. These people don’t just discuss lofty theories, or observe test tube phenomena in a lab, they practise what they preach and have seen the results for themselves, in real people, as did Dr Weston price. Following in their footsteps would see many people following a much more appropriate path for their wellbeing, but as with all discoveries that are ahead of their time, it takes courage and self responsibility to explore them.
Dr Weston Price discovered that although cavities began to affect the general population during the agricultural revolution, it was not until the industrial revolution that severe issues such as underdeveloped jaws and impacted wisdom teeth began. He noted that wherever a culture stopped using traditional foods and began to rely upon modern day processed foods, such as white flours, tinned goods and vegetable oils, the dental issues really began to take hold. He noticed that cultures which retained their traditional diet and consumed animal fat and rich sources of fat soluble vitamins (such as butter, milk, organ meats or cod liver oil), did not experience any issues with dental health. It is remarkable to note that these cultures not only retained impeccable dental structure, but some barely, (if ever) suffered with cavities and neither did they use toothbrushes. I’m willing to bet fluoride toothpaste and antiseptic mouthwashes were definitely not in their bathroom cabinets!
Though we cannot jump to the conclusion that introducing greater amounts of animal fats and fat soluble vitamins to everyone’s diets will rectify our issues – the possibility of this being the case, certainly warrants an urgent enquiry. Are widespread dental problems being caused by cutting down and reducing our consumption of animal fats and naturally occurring fat soluble vitamins? With the mainstream narrative still suggesting that we replace fatty red meats with lean white cuts or vegetarian options, to limit our egg consumption, to replace butter with synthetic margarine, to replace full fat milk with skimmed and to choose the ‘low fat’ options wherever possible – will the children of the future be left to endure a painful multi-generational legacy and watch their children endure the same? Could raising our children on diets rich in natural sources of fat soluble vitamins, offer us a way to solve our dental health epidemic?
Weston A Price’s observation of people who have exceptionally well formed and developed teeth, gums and jaw, alongside great overall health, gives us cause to question the validity of current mainstream dietary recommendations and dig deeper for answers and perhaps find better ways forward.
Something that should be of great interest to all those who want to improve their dental and therefore overall health, are the fat soluble vitamins, specifically vitamins A,D & K. Dr Price noticed during periods of rapid grass growth during spring and autumn, the dairy from cows consuming this grass produce milk that is richer in fat soluble vitamins. See one of Dr Price’s observations below pertaining to vitamin content in dairy, he was referring to the fat soluble vitamins that he regarded as critical missing puzzle pieces in the modern diet.
Quote:
‘Since 1927, I have been analyzing samples of dairy products, chiefly butter, from several parts of the world for their vitamin content. These samples are received every two to four weeks from the same places, usually for several years. They all show a seasonal rise and fall in vitamin content. The high level is always associated with the use of rapidly growing young plant food. …..By far the most efficient plant food that I have found for producing the high-vitamin content in milk is rapidly growing young wheat and rye grass. Oat and barley grass are also excellent. In my clinical work small additions of this high-vitamin butter to otherwise satisfactory diets regularly checks tooth decay when active and at the same time improves vitality and general health’. Dr Weston Price (6).
Dr Price, describes case after case of the remediation of dental, skeletal and other issues in patients that transitioned over to nutrient dense foods containing the crucial fat soluble vitamins. His main recommendations were high vitamin butter oil, fermented cod liver oils, full fat raw grass fed dairy (with the vitamins intact), organ meats, eggs, plentiful seafood and others. Of all the recommendations Dr Price suggests, the most important nutrients to be included in the diet are sources of the fat soluble vitamins – which he compares to the battery of an automobile. Without these essential fat soluble vitamins the tank can be full of gas, but the car will never start without the igniting spark, he says.
Dr Price talked about a fat soluble vitamin/activator that he called factor X, it was this particular nutrient that Dr Price recognised as being absolutely crucial in maintaining dental health and the levels of it in dairy fluctuated according to the quality of the ruminants diet.
This activator factor X is highly likely to be what has been identified today as Vitamin K and we are now beginning to understand the role pasture fed livestock play in ensuring we obtain sufficient levels of the vital K2 form of this vitamin.
Vitamin K
For decades now when people present with brittle bones or osteoporosis they have been prescribed vitamin D and calcium supplements. This was considered to be the magic combination that would lead to stronger, less brittle bones. Yet what we are now beginning to learn is that calcium and vitamin D work alongside other key vitamins and minerals that are just as important when it comes to maintaining bone health. Vitamin K is one such vitamin and its effects within the body go far beyond the commonly recognised influence of Vitamin K1 in blood clotting. There are a whole set of forms of vitamin K. When it comes to bone and dental health, vitamin K2 forms (such as mk-7 and mk-4) are essential. These forms of vitamin K work in tandem with vitamin D and calcium to support the body in knowing where to deposit calcium, through their ability to activate osteocalcin (7). Where vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium and also the dissolution of calcium into the bloodstream, vitamin K tells the body where to transport and deposit this calcium – via activated osteocalcin and Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) into the bones.
Where we once thought that bones could not grow or alter once someone had finished growing – now we understand that bones shift in density and form under the influence of re-modelling processes that involve these fat soluble vitamins identified by Dr Weston Price. If one bone is not undergoing any weight bearing exercise – the body will remodel the bone to match the form to the required function. Thus, those who regularly participate in weight bearing exercise will benefit from greater bone density, as the body builds the bone via the activity of osteoblasts to support the weight bearing activity required. Likewise if someone lives a sedentary lifestyle, not moving much and not exposing their bodies to regular everyday knocks and shocks – given enough time – their bones will become weak and brittle, unable to withstand the force endured during running or falls. This is due to the resorption of the bone through the action of osteoclasts. This re-modelling of bone to suit bodily demands, occurs under the influence of various physiological processes. Of course these processes are complex and involve many pathways and compounds such as proteins, fats, minerals, hormones, enzymes, cells and more, but it appears that Dr Weston Price was barking up the right tree when he called the fat soluble vitamins/activators the battery of the engine. It seems that healthy bones and teeth rely upon us consuming or producing adequate quantities of these fat soluble vitamins.
Quote from Dennis Goodman MD
‘Vitamin K2 is the bodies light switch. It activates or ‘turns on’ important proteins in the body such as osteocalcin for strong bones and the matrix Gla protein (MGP) which keeps calcium – that crucial bone building nutrient – away from your arteries so they don’t harden and lead to cardiovascular disease’ (7)
Most people are familiar with the challenges of obtaining sufficient vitamin D with modern lifestyles. With the lack of sun exposure and difficulty obtaining sufficient levels in the western diet, many people now rely upon supplementation of vitamin D to achieve optimal levels. Yet our needs for vitamin K and how to obtain sufficient amounts through our diet receives very little attention.
Dietary vitamin K2 comes largely from:
- Dairy produce from grass fed ruminants
- Offal from grass fed animals
- Eggs from poultry with access to pasture
- Natto (a Japanese dish made with fermented beans)
- Sauerkraut
It is clear to see that once the shift happened in the modern world – moving animals off pasture into enclosures and barns – would have dramatically affected our intake of this vital vitamin. Animals that are moved indoors and taken off pasture are fed carefully designed specialist feed rations – but who is considering whether this has affected the vitamin K2 levels in our daily diets? Isn’t it crucial – given vitamin K2’s ability to protect our hearts and arteries from the hardening effects of calcification – that we urgently consider how we can raise our dietary intake of this vitamin once more?
The mainstream solution will likely go no further than offering supplements of Vitamin K2 as a quick fix – but there are many different forms of vitamin K2 and we don’t yet know which of these forms our bodies truly need, or how much. Data suggests that Vitamin K2 in its MK-7 form is most bioavailable and longest lasting (7), but then there are many anecdotal reports of the efficacy of Vitamin K2 in its MK-4 form. MK-4 is found in pasture raised dairy, offal and eggs and people have reported vast improvements in dental health when adopting a more traditional diet, where they reintroduce these nutrient dense foods.
Whilst some vitamin K2 is produced by a healthy microbiome from plant based precursors – we have yet to fathom how best to restore, protect and support a truly diverse and healthy microbiome. We live in a world that could easily compromise our microbiome with everything we do and breathe, drink and eat – so is it not sensible to assume that animal based vitamin K2 is an essential requirement for the healthy development of our children’s teeth and bones and for our health overall?
Perhaps it is time for us to reconsider if removing animals from pasture and eating meat, dairy and eggs grown in intensive systems is costing us far more than we realise. Could this one shift be a leading cause in the cardiovascular, dental and bone issues we are witnessing an explosion of today? In my opinion and boots on the ground experience – it is. I truly hope that we begin to take this concern more seriously very soon – before our children and those to come continue to be sold down the river on quick fixes, supplements and synthetic systems, that may lead only to more degeneration of planetary and human health and wellbeing.
This is one of the reasons I left my healthcare career and stepped into supporting regenerative agriculture. There’s only so long you can watch more and more people suffer – whilst the simplest, least profitable solutions are ignored and ridiculed. I believe that our food needs to grow in healthy soil and that our precious livestock, upon which we rely for optimal ecosystem health and nutrient dense foods, need to eat what nature designed them to eat with plentiful fresh air, sunlight and water. How can anyone think that health can be achieved otherwise?
References:
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(21)00142-2/fulltext
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8361186
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/heart-disease-prevention/faq-20057986
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022034517693566
- Pg 12. Lin, Dr Steven. The Dental Diet: The Surprising Link Between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health. Hay House UK Limited, 2019.
- Pg 377. Price, Dr Weston. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: A comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects. Benediction Classics, Oxford, 2010
- Vitamin K2: The Missing Nutrient for Heart and Bone Health. AuthorHouse, 2015.
Fermented Foods
By Teri Clayton
Uncovering how to make fermented foods is frequently the beginning of a whole new world of food. The journey often begins with super simple ‘can’t go wrong’ fermentations involving salt, water and white cabbage – to make sauerkraut – but it soon turns into the excitement of fermented lemons, chilli’s, fizzy on the tongue salsa’s and onwards!
Fermented foods were a way of life for our ancestors – who would preserve food over winter, sometimes for many winters – through the power of salt and lactic acid. Not only was this practical and lifesaving, it also enhanced the nutritional profile of the foods, as well as rendering them more digestible. Pre-fermented foods offer our gut a head start in breaking down and digesting nutrients – in effect offering us some of the benefits that animals with multiple stomachs or longer intestines benefit from. The more our food is pre-digested, the more our bodies get a head start in processing it.
Fermenting food supports the creation of energy rich fatty acids derived from cellulose and metabolism boosting B-vitamins, to bone and tooth building vitamin K and powerful immune support in the form of colicins and other secondary microbial metabolites.
In many ways learning how to ferment food could lead to an evolutionary leap in human health and longevity, given the diverse range of foods we now have access to 24/7.
Moving humanity forward
Human beings have possibly reached the top of the food chain, because of our evolutionary capacity to use tools and fire. Our ability to start fires and the physical capacity to grip, with precision, between our thumbs and fingers, has made modern feats of engineering possible. When we combine this with our connection to inspiration and our mental capacity to problem solve, along with our desire and will to refine tools, we see where we have gained significant leverage upon the Earth. Where birds need wings to fly – we make flying machines, where fish need fins and gills to swim – we make flippers, diving equipment and submarines. Human ingenuity knows no bounds, yet in our excitement to create a life full of invention and exploration – we have lost connection with the ground beneath our feet. We have spent so long using tools to expand our reach as fast and as far as possible, that we have forgotten the art of using tools in the simplest and most life enhancing way.
Much of the overwhelming and unnecessary level of complication we are now experiencing in our human systems, would never have become such an entangled web, if we had focused on ‘needs’ before ‘wants’. Humans now need to discover and refine the most appropriate and simplest use of tools in order to live in greater harmony with Nature. In regenerative agriculture, for example, farmers can work with a range of tools to restore soil health, from equipment to facilitate the restoration of nature’s mob grazing patterns, to soil monitoring technologies that help us build a wealth of knowledge and fine tune our techniques and tools further.
When it comes to everyday healthy living we now need to consider how we can meet the urgent need for greater balance, harmony and diversity within our bodies, naturally and with the simplest tools available.
One of the simplest tools, when it comes to enhancing human nutrition involves using the fermentation processes.
Given that practically all foods can be pre-digested through some kind of fermentation process – could widespread adoption of using fermented foods offer us a leap in evolution towards greater health and wellbeing? Could harnessing and mastering fermentation processes offer us a way to evolve into greater harmony and balance with nature and wellbeing? Could this pre-digestion unlock and support us to absorb far more nourishment from our food? I think it could.
Where ruminants have several stomachs – we can use tools in the form of several fermentation jars!
The benefits of fermented foods go way beyond preservation, enhanced digestibility and added value nutrition and flavour – they also support the beneficial microbes in the gut microbiome, which is good for our overall well being, mental health (1) and evolution too.
According to anthropologist Claude Levi-Straus it is possible that humanity moved from nature to culture after discovering the fermentation art of mead making. Where honey in a bee hive is natural, once it is gathered in a suitable receptacle and fermented into mead – it is then known as cultured. Human culture is so tied to ‘cultured’ foods that we simply could not maintain human civilisations without them. From bread, wine, cheese and yoghurt to coffee and chocolate – fermentation plays an enormous role in human lives.
Let’s first explore the simplest and most humble fermented food, that we can all make at home, to create our own cultures with – Sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut is simply white cabbage left to ferment over a period of weeks (sometimes months or years in some cultures) in brine solution, until it develops into a tangy, lactic acid rich and utterly delicious preserved, living, vitamin rich food.
Teeming with beneficial lactobacilli, this living culture is a dietary staple in Germany and much of Central Europe. Sauerkraut is a great source of vitamin C and was often used by sailors taking very long trips, in order to prevent scurvy. Its tart but zesty flavour and satisfying crunch means that most people find it pleasant to eat and in fact more-ish. I know I find myself craving it, as does my daughter who will eat it straight from the jar, as an enjoyable snack.
I found it fascinating to discover that Sauerkraut goes through several dominant cultures in a mini succession cycle before climaxing in the lactobacilli species.
The fermentation begins with bacteria known as Coliform and as these produce acids, they culture then moves over to being populated by Leuconostoc bacteria, with the continued reduction in pH towards greater acidity the culture eventually after a week or more begins to move towards a lactobacilli predominant culture. Anyone that has tasted a coliform or leuconostoc predominant culture will be familiar with the not quite ready ‘trump’ like smell and taste! Yet when the culture arrives at its maximal sweet spot, the smell and flavour becomes crisp, refreshing and zesty!
To learn how to make your own sauerkraut at home I suggest taking a short course if anyone offers them locally or buying a fermentation ‘how to’ book. I recommend Pascal Baudar or Sandor Ellix Katz. The processes are simple, but there is a broad variation in styles and methodologies used
Though it is really really easy to make sauerkraut, getting started confidently and with a good basic understanding will support you to thoroughly enjoy learning (and eating) the art of fermentation.
Those who love fermentation may well never leave behind their Sauerkraut appreciation, but there is a whole world of fermentation to explore from beers and wines, fermented grains, yoghurts and cheeses through to fermented meats and fish.
One of my favourite foods is a fermented salmon known as gravadlax, but then there’s the smelly, but amazing specialist sausages, timeless corned beef and beautifully simple – melt in the mouth delicious – salted beef.
For those who are confident in fermentation and are ready to progress to fermented meats, find yourself a reputable on-line or in-person course in fermented meats (there are a great variety of courses available) and get started. Corned beef is ultra simple and the homemade stuff is nothing like shop brought – which is truly an absolute delicacy.
For making your own corned beef you will need a nice piece of brisket – check out our flavourful, rich brisket offerings here!
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