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Traditional Very Healthy Diet

The following is a quote from Forest Preserve District of Cook County's Nature Bulletin No. 257-A February 18, 1967 discussing Pemmican. The full article can be viewed at: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb257.htm.

Quote: The Indians invented pemmican as a condensed food for long overland journeys and for winters when game was scarce. The lean meat of animals such as buffalo, elk and deer, was cut in thin slices and dried over a slow fire, or by the hot sun, or by freezing. Then it was pounded to shreds between two stones. The pounded meat was mixed with an equal quantity of boiling fat from the suet (inside fat) and from the hump or rump, and packed in bags or baskets. Eaten cold, it is nearly tasteless at first but the flavor develops as it is chewed.

Some Indians added berries or wild cherries, and Mackenzie occasionally boiled it with the tops of wild parsnips. Admiral Peary sometimes added a few raisins but he and his men ate it cold -- one-half pound twice a day. He wrote that it was the only food for Eskimo dogs on a long Polar journey and: "Of all foods I am acquainted with, pemmican is the only one that, under appropriate conditions, a man can eat twice a day for three hundred and sixty-five days in the year and have the last mouthful taste as good as the first.... It is the most satisfying food I know." Other than pemmican, he carried only tea, condensed milk and hardtack.

Men forced to live solely on salted meats, bread and cereals, suffered and died from scurvy: a disease which results from the lack of Vitamin C. Men who live on pemmican have no scurvy. It is unequalled for compactness, lightness, wholesomeness, palatability and sustaining power. End Quote

[Warning - Today there are products marketed as Pemmican and the Internet provides recipes. True Pemmican is made from dried meat and rendered animal fat in equal quantities as described above. Be aware of any product or recipe referencing the word Pemmican. Before purchasing any product or using the recipe, ensure it is made primarily of dried meat and rendered fat from an animal source. Fat from any vegetable source is not nutritionally the same as true Pemmican and cannot provide the nutrients supplied by animal fat.]

All evidence points very clearly to the fact that a basic diet of meat and animal fat in the right proportions provide the optimum diet, without any deficiency symptoms or need to take supplemented vitamins and minerals. Many centuries/millenniums of this diet has proven exceedingly healthy. Modern degenerative diseases started only with the introduction of our cereals, sugar and processed foods. These degenerative diseases have increased dramatically with the "modern diet" advice introduced in the 1980s.

There are many articles and books providing the evidence that supports that statement. These are a small selection of articles.

So what is the correct diet in the modern environment?

The book written by Dr. Lutz and Dr. Alan, Life without Bread provides the simplest guidance starting on Page 5:

Quote: The take home message for healthful low-carbohydrate eating is as follows:

Restrict all carbohydrates to 72 utilizable grams per day.
Eat as much of any other foods as you wish

That's all there is to it. There is no need to memorize complicated formulas. The following pages describe our low-carbohydrate nutritional program in more detail. End Quote

This link provides the ability to "Look Inside" the book. Page 5 provides the list below of permitted foods and Page 6 provides the list of restricted foods. The major point made is that carbohydrates are addictive, whilst animal fat and proteins are self limiting when carbohydrates are restricted. As shown in the discussions above on correctly produced Pemmican, 1.5lbs (0.6kgs) twice a day of pemmican was totally satisfying for the explorers and fur traders of North America for indefinite and extended periods.

It is important to remember this is not a weight loss program for those overweight to then return to one's old way of eating, this is the diet that is closest to Man's natural diet in a modern world. If followed, many health benefits will be experienced including weight loss for those overweight, increased weight for those underweight and many other improvements in general health. The younger starting, the greater the opportunity to minimise risks of developing any one of the degenerative diseases that make life at an older age increasingly uncomfortable - such as arthritis, diabetes, altzheimers, parkinsons, cancers etc. When reading the list below, remember to eat Real Food, food in its original state and not highly processed, pre-cooked in ready meals etc.

Permitted Foods	Restricted Foods
Fish	All carbohydrate-containing foods (breads, pastas, cereals, grains, potatoes, pastries, bagels)
Any type of animal meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb), sausage, cold cuts	Sweet Fruits
Eggs	Sweetened foods of all kinds (yogurt, drinks, desserts, candy)
Cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, plain yogurt (without sugar), cream, milk (in moderate amounts)	Dried Fruits
All kinds of animal fats including butter	Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils - including margerine and fat spreads
Salads, leaves and stems of vegetables (asparagus, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli), cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes (in moderate amounts).
Alcoholic beverages, (only unsweetened and in sensible amounts)
Nuts (in moderate amounts)

 

Warning: Remember when cutting down on carbohydrates, fat intake must be increased to ensure adequate energy. A reduced carbohydrate and reduced fat diet is not natural and considered by many as the most dangerous diet of all. See article Why Low-Carb Diets Must Be High-Fat, Not High-Protein.

Barry Groves, PhD writes this introduction to his excellent articles discussing nutrition for children entitled Begin at the Beginning: The Best Diet for Healthy Children:

Quote: Diet websites and books are usually concerned with helping those who have become overweight or unhealthy return to a normal weight and health; to undo the damage caused by previous faulty dietary practice. But it must be self-evident that it is far better not to become overweight or unhealthy in the first place. And this relies on correct nutrition from the start: that is from a child's conception, for our nutritional status at our beginning has a profound effect on our health throughout life.

During the time the unborn child is forming, it requires an adequate supply of the right nutrients. If these are not supplied in the right quantity and at the right time, a damaged baby is the inevitable result. End Quote

Warning: There is an increasing trend in the food industry to market foods as "functional" – i.e. producing foods that are marketed as providing specific health benefits. These are marketing schemes to encourage sales and suggesting daily consumption to gain maximum benefit. Reading the ingredient list on any of these "functional foods" and one can usually find high levels of sugar, vegetable fats, carbohydrates and other ingredients that are not in the natural diet. All these products are highly processed foods and do not fit into the "traditional healthy diet".

Diet Home Page	History of Diet	Traditional and Healthy Diet	Modern Unhealthy Diet
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Glycaemic Index	Low GL Diet	Milk	Soya
Calories	Carbohydrates	Cholesterol	Energy
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