Dr. Weston Price, D.D.S. was an interesting fellow. Fed up with the battle against tooth decay at his Cleveland practice, Dr. Price packed his bags for… Africa.
Not just Africa, though. He traveled to South America, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, the Outer Hebrides and the Pacific Islands. His mission was to collect data on the state of dental hygiene around the globe. What he accomplished was a nutritional revolution.
After years of painstaking research, we can summarize his findings in a few key points.
- Natives to a particular locale survive on the foods they can obtain from that environment.
- Without advanced technology, this food was often eaten fresh, or with little adulteration.
- While maintaining their local diets, native peoples displayed many key signs of excellent health.
- When introduced to a “Western Diet” of highly processed flour, sugar, and preservatives, the subjects suffered from rapidly declining health.
- When processed foods were removed from the diet, the native peoples’ health returned.
Of course, Dr. Weston Price, D.D.S. was doing this research to benefit the world of modern dentistry. It wasn’t until he had to connect some unpleasant dots that he realized the magnitude of his findings. Not only did American Indians, Eskimos, Aborigines and Islanders have naturally good teeth, they also had far fewer run-ins with degenerative “Western” diseases. (Heart Disease, obesity, cancer, etc.)
He didn’t have much of a fan base, surprisingly. Imagine coming back home to Ohio and telling folks to give up sugar and white flour because some undereducated, unkempt native tribes were living healthier, happier lives. Even today, his work is being disputed. Once a chairman of the American Dental Association, Dr. Price is now “the quack” who thinks root canals are harmful, and precautionary dental health should be the more common practice. His name was besmirched upon return to the states, and his research confined to the practice of holistic dentistry.
Only.. Have you ever had a root canal? I think this guy was on to something, and it seems I’m not alone. Organic farmers are backing him, for instance. So are food scientists, journalists and chefs. People are getting more bold, and starting to confront the modern processed food industry about hundreds of unresolved issues. Who told us to load up on carbohydrates? Who took the nutrients out of exported foods because pests (rats, mice, insects) would rather eat nutrient rich products than processed? Who pushed margarine on us? High fructose corn syrup? Baby formula?
The guy might have been eccentric (Would you quit your day job to go stick your fingers in the mouths of a hundred tribesman?) but he was observant. His very simple advice to westerners has been ignored for about one century too long. It’s time to reset the national dinner table.
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