post-holiday post: back to basics

there was lots eating and drinking and talking over the holidays. and gifts, too. this book, nourishing traditions by sally fallon, was one of them. i've been waiting to buy a used copy of it forever, but for some reason, even though it's essential reading for those of us looking to change the way we eat, i've never purchased it. maybe i knew it would come my way eventually. objects that hold a lot of meaning tend to find their own way into your life. i had that feeling about this one; that i'd own it when the time was right. on the day i was leaving my parents house to go back home after the holidays, my mom handed it to me. her friend carolyn (coincidence?) had given it to her to give to me.

so about the book. the subhead reads: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats. it's a big book. it's 675 pages long and it's filled to end with useful information, most of which i haven't read, but has been relayed to me via my sage-like acupuncturist from sf, robin germaine. here is the most useful "politically incorrect" point of the book:

fat (including animal fat) is good for you.

but if you up your fat intake, it's essential to couple this with probiotics, because the digestive enzymes probiotics posess can synthesize the fat your body has a hard time breaking down, and in turn stores (which can create health issues). probiotics are found in cultured foods: yogurt, kombucha, rejuvelac, fermented foods (sauerkraut, etc.).

the prettiest notion of nourishing traditions, however, is that we all come from cultures that ate whole and fermented foods. our digestive systems are designed to eat these foods, rather than highly processed, high-carb ones.

there's certainly a food revolution out there. and although it's filled with so much good information, it's still pretty fancy and foodie. i love the idea that we already know how to eat. it's in our genes. we just have to listen to what our bodies are saying, and well, read books like this one, that help point the way back.