nutrition part one

earlier this year i made a commitment to myself that i would eat a healthier diet.

our diet has always been quite good but i had found that over time more and more sugar and junk food had crept into our lives.

it was time for a change.

i was introduced to the book frugavore by tricia at littleecofootprints. this book by arabella forge is all about eating organic, free-range, local and sustainable and includes some wonderful "forgotten" cooking techniques. it was the push i needed to finally have our own chickens.

about the same time i signed up for the wholefood kitchen workshop for a little online healthy eating inspiration. although i did find the workshop inspiring and well planned, i didn't find that it held much new knowledge for me personally. i certainly tried and liked many of the recipes and am continuing to use them but i was looking for something more. i just didn't know what that 'more' was.

i think it was week six of the workshop that i found that 'something more'. an article by guest contributor rachel wolf. it was about her family's experience with eating a traditional diet. i was intrigued and started searching for more information. 

this lead me to the book nourishing traditions by sally fallon which i have since read and re read and have referred to everyday since it arrived in my home. as the subtitle suggests this book "challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats". 

for many years i have tried all sorts of ways of eating. i have tried the fit for life diet which is all about food combining (very hard to stick to, although i did very well for about a month but really had no life!). i have looked at the eat right for your type diet. couldn't get my head around that one for long. i have never been able to say i was a vegetarian because i always craved some red meat if i went too long without. i been to a few different natropaths over the years and they all had their own ideas on what i should and shouldn't eat. one very extreme detox recommended by a natropath left me feeling worse than i had ever felt. i have gone all gluten free, another time sugar free, another wheat free, dairy free, low fat, low carb, low protein. mmmm, i feel like i have tried it all. not really ever to lose weight just out of a need to feel healthy, to have vitality.

so now, to me, a traditional diet just feels right.

no processed food, no new fangled food, no fortified food, no vitamin and mineral supplements, no artificial this or that, no preservatives... just good, simple, wholesome food made using traditional methods and cooking techniques. 

to summarise, nourishing traditional foods should include

proteins; pastured beef, lamb, poultry, deep sea fish, shell fish in season, fish eggs and fresh eggs.

fats; butter, cream, fats from pastured animals, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined flax seed oil, coconut oil

dairy; raw, whole milk and cultured dairy products such as kefir and yogurt, raw cheeses 

carbohydrates; organic whole grain products which have been soaked, soured or sprouted to remove nutrient binding phytates. soaked and fermented legumes and sprouted and soaked seeds and nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables and fermented vegetables.

beverages; filtered water, lacto-fermented drinks, meat stocks and vegetable broths.

condiments; unrefined sea salt, raw vinegar, spices in moderation fresh herbs, naturally fermented soy and fish sauces.*

in part two i will talk about what i have done so far in the transition towards eating in a 'traditional' way.

* taken from nourishing traditions by sally fallon.