During the past 40 years, Kay Baxter and Bob Corker have gathered ancestral nutritional information from around the globe. Their new book Change of Heart is a fascinating record of the modern application of this knowledge and why they believe it offers an invaluable path to the best of health.
Exploring the differences between traditional diets and our modern diet is a trail of how we have chosen to lose nutrients on the pathway from our nurturing environment to our stomachs.
Dr Weston A. Price (founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation for Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, the Healing Arts) considered that primitive diets contained at least four times the calcium and other minerals and 10 times the fat-soluble vitamins from animal fats (particularly vitamins A and D). These calculations were done in the 1930’s. Things have got a lot worse since then.
We look to the Weston A. Price Foundation as one of our primary sources of information to support the direction of our diet. The Foundation has identified the following principles upon which to base a modern healthy traditional diet. We have added two of our own in italics and underlined.
- Eat whole, unprocessed foods.
- Eat beef, lamb, organ meats, poultry and eggs from organic pasture-fed animals.
- Eat wild (not farm-raised) fish, shellfish and fish roe from unpolluted waters.
- Eat full-fat milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as raw milk, whole yoghurt, kefir, cultured butter, whole raw cheeses, and fresh and sour cream.
- Use animal fats, especially butter, liberally.
- Use traditional vegetable oils: extra virgin olive oil, expeller-expressed sesame oil, small amounts of expeller-expressed flax oil, and tropical oils (coconut oil and palm oil).
- Eat fresh fruits and vegetables (preferably organic) in salads and soups, or lightly steamed with butter. Find and support growers who use heritage/heirloom varieties and those who produce nutrient-dense food.
- Use whole grains, legumes and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening.
- Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet daily.
- Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb and fish, and use liberally in soups, stews and sauces.
- Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
- Use unrefined salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
- Make your salad dressings, using raw vinegar and natural traditional oils.
- Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as honey, maple syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar, dehydrated cane sugar (sold as Rapadura or sucanat) and stevia powder.
- If you drink alcohol, use only unpasteurised wine or beer very moderately with meals.
- Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good-quality enamel. Don’t use aluminium cookware or a microwave oven.
- Use only natural food-based supplements.
- Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
- Think positive thoughts, and practise forgiveness.
We particularly recommend the use of kefir.
Regular use of kefir can help… create a healthier digestive system. Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yoghurt… (and) beneficial yeasts, which control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body. Hence the body becomes more efficient in resisting such pathogens as E. coli and intestinal parasites. Tryptophan …found in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because of an abundance of calcium and magnesium, important minerals for a healthy nervous system, kefir in the diet can have a…calming effect on the nervous system. (www.kefir.net )
Primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and 10 times the fat-soluble vitamins… We are part of a natural ecology associated with millions of years of biological evolution stored in our genes and the genes of the foods we eat. The knowledge of how we best fit into or adapted to this ecology was stored in the cultural traditions of our many ancestors. Much of this has been discarded or lost in our rush to modernisation.
It may take us years to fully engage in a modern traditional diet, and probably generations for our society to re-establish bioregional food cultures based on collective ecological wisdom. In the meantime, we rely on the belief that we are best guided by the remaining knowledge of traditional diets and networking with those who are dedicated to this spirit as gardeners farmers, fishermen, food processors, cooks, healers, scientists and/or parents.
Making Kefir
Kay explains how she makes kefir
I find kefir to be more acid than yoghurt but very good and far easier to make, so it has become a daily thing in our kitchen. As kefir grains multiply so fast it is usually easy to get hold of some grains for those wanting to begin new with them and it is easy to obtain the grains through the internet. Another advantage of kefir grains is that they can work in other substrates, such as coconut milk, nut milks, and water based drinks. I’ve only used it in milk and water based drinks, we call kefir sodas (which are covered in the drinks chapter) but I believe that although you can use the kefir grains in substances other than milk, it is only in milk that they grow and multiply.
Place 1 Tbspn of kefir grains in a 1 litre glass jar and fill with milk, warm milk will work faster but it can be straight from the fridge.
Gently stir the grains in the milk and leave sitting on the bench. Keep an eye on the jar, but do not shake or stir any more.
You can tell by tipping the jar slightly when the milk has coagulated into kefir and as soon as it is a semi-solid mass, I pour it through a coarse strainer to remove the kefir grains. The strained kefir can then go into the fridge or cool safe, where it will keep for many days, and the grains can be rinsed and used to make the next batch of kefir. Some people say they never rinse their grains and it makes no difference.
If you don’t need to make more kefir straight away then simply put your grains into the fridge in a little milk and leave until you need them, when you can rinse them and begin again. I don’t think they even need to be in a fridge as long as you keep them in milk, and replace it every now and then to keep the grains active. The grains themselves are edible so don’t worry if you eat them by mistake
Kefir Cream
Make just as you would kefir above, using cream instead of milk. It makes a delicious cultured cream which could be used to make butter from or used as cream on deserts etc
We invite you to keep in contact with our journey through the Koanga Institute (www.koanga.org.nz ). Change of Heart is available from www.changeofheart.co.nz
