Comment on What do you think of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s dietary recommendations? by Jeff.
Sarah,
I don’t believe the article by Furhman that you quote is a good source of information about WAPF dietary advice. For one, he’s severely stretching the truth about having studied more than 60,000 studies. He also references outdated advice (same as he accuses WAPF of doing) – most of the studies he quotes are old as well (from the early 2000s), and he doesn’t mention the more recent studies that demonstrate no correlation between dietary saturated fat and cholesterol intake and heart disease. He also mischaracterizes some of the dietary recommendations of the WAPF. For example, he accuses WAPF of pushing homemade baby formula rather than breastfeeding, when the primary method WAPF recommends is…breastfeeding. The homemade formula is for mothers who cannot breastfeed for some reason, or for after the baby is weaned from mothers milk.
If anything, the WAPF dietary recommendations are inclusive rather than exclusive. Vegetables, grains, and other carbs are in, as long as they are prepared properly (fermented, soaked, cooked with animal or plant fat, etc). They do emphasize eating humanely pasture-raised animal proteins and products, which some people could take to the opposite extreme of vegetarianism (leaving out veggies and fruit all together). However, they do not say that we are carnivores, but rather emphasize that we are omnivores.
They have even recommended occasionally going vegetarian or vegan for a period of time as a means of detoxification, and they have said that a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet could be sustainable and healthy. I think that if WAPF dietary advice is viewed in its entirety, it is one of the more balanced and healthy options.
Here are references to the Fuhrman article, and a book review of “Eat to Live” by WAPF (which I have not read yet, but will):
http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/07/the-truth-about-the-weston-price-foundation.html
Thank you.
