Superfoods - Part I: Luxuries or Necessities?

Every time I read Weston A. Price or Sally Fallon's writing I focus in on something new. When I was pregnant I got caught up on phytates and the enzyme enhancing properties of fermentation. More recently, I was fascinated by the traditional practice of eating raw meat. When my daughter's teeth began to decay, I knew immediately that it had to be a result of poor nutrition, mine, and subsequently, hers. My research into alternative treatment for her teeth quickly led me back to the work of Weston A. Price. This time I have focused on his research on nutrient dense foods rich in vitamins A, D and Activator X.

Dr. Price found that all traditional cultures fed women, and sometimes men, a special diet before marriage, during pregnancy, and throughout the nursing period. These special foods, or 'superfoods' as we call them in my household, varied depending on geographic location and included fish eggs, various organ meats - especially liver, milk and cream from cows eating fast growing grass, bird eggs, shellfish and I'm sure there are plenty of other examples that I don't know about. When Dr. Price asked these people why they gave childbearing couples special foods, they responded simply, "So that they will have perfect babies." It's interesting that they understood so clearly the relationship between nutrition, health, and fertility, when we are still telling breastfeeding mothers that they can eat junk food without harming their babies.

The sacred foods of the past have been transformed into the luxury foods of today. While these foods are still valuable monetarily, they have lost their association as being valuable nutritionally. Because these foods are associated with wealth and decadence, in a roundabout sort of way, they have gained the stigma of being superfluous. While these foods are expensive, they should not be considered extravagant. Superfoods are densely nutritious. They contain significantly more amounts of vitamins and minerals than do "regular" foods like muscle meat, vegetables or grains. This is especially important to us now with a bulk of our food being being grown on depleted soils and then processed and shipped long distances causing the nutrient content to be further reduced. Our modern diet is severely lacking vitamins and minerals and we also consume significant amounts of "anti-nutrients" like phytic acid, not to mention, sugar, coffee and alcohol. Diets that are devoid of vitamins and minerals can give us the energy to get through the day, but they won't give us the body-building elements that we need to maintain our health. For this reason, it is vitally important to our health to consume nutrient dense diets, and part of this means choosing superfoods.

The good news is that you should feel no guilt over your occasional (or not so occasional) decadent food purchases. Instead of buying, at best, minimally beneficial, or at worst, extremely toxic, vitamin and mineral supplements, invest in some raw cream or liver pate. Actually, you will probably save money as supplements are extremely expensive. I've found that if I eliminate chips and store bought sweet treats, I can eat savory pate or homemade whipped cream on bananas without breaking the bank. Sometimes I get snide remarks about my "bourgeoisie" food choices. I've had a taste for the finer things since before I knew why they were so good. I'm glad to know that my taste buds have been right on. Superfoods are our best preventative medicine, not just for us, but for our future children.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to get into great detail here but if you want to read more I would suggest checking out these articles:

Guide to Superfoods

Feeding Babies

Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers

The Liver Files

Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children

Also, stay tuned for Part II - Honoring Animals For Concentrating Nutrition