Spring in bloom
Did you know the diets of our pre-industrialized ancestors contained TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins (found in animal fats) and FOUR times the minerals as the average American diet?
Add to that soil depletion, pervasive low-grade stressors, and being overworked, and it’s no wonder chronic disease is all too common.
But there is hope! This is how to start re-mineralizing yourself.
Principles of Traditional Diets: Maximize Minerals and Fat Soluble Vitamins
Weston A. Price, a 20th century dentist, observed cultures without access to processed foods, and he determined that, as a consequence, these peoples had far superior health in comparison to modern Westerners. He traveled the globe and studied primitive cultures in an effort to restore knowledge lost in industrialized societies. The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) is dedicated to educating people today about how to use traditional foods and therapies to heal from the diseases of modernity, using the diet of our pre-industrialized ancestors.
The WAPF has digested Price’s work and synthesized 11 principles to help guide our dietary choices. This article is the third in a series to address and add context to each of the principles. The third principle of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s “Principles of Traditional Diets” states:
“The diets of healthy, nonindustrialized peoples contain at least four times the minerals and water-soluble vitamins, and TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins found in animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and Activator X, now thought to be vitamin K2) as the average American diet.”
This finding is a major clue as to why modern people are plagued with chronic disease, and further examination reveals how mineral and fat-soluble vitamin support is central to healing.
Where did the minerals go? Soil and Stress
Why is it that health-conscious people are unable to meet their nutritional needs through judicious food choices? The truth is that no one really knows, but we have two pretty good guesses: soil and stress.
The soil is the starting place for nutrition. Because the soil is depleted, our food and our livestock’s food isn’t as nutrient-rich as it was 100 years ago. Some of this is due to overgrazing and mono-cropping. Learn more about our farming practices.
The other piece of the puzzle is stress. Chronic, low grade stress is on the rise, perhaps even commonplace, alongside the soil depletion in the last 100 years. As a culture, we work more, sleep less, and hardly play outside. More is expected of us in terms of productivity and working hours. Much of this is economically driven, and the health impacts of unmitigated stress are serious.
Stress leads to micronutrient depletion in the body, due to rises in cortisol and estrogen and lower levels of progesterone and testosterone.
The “Big Four” minerals depleted by stress are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These four are crucial to feeling calm, centered, and focused when going about our daily lives.
It’s worth noting that magnesium is absolutely crucial for cellular function, and all health starts at a cellular level. Many people are deficient in vitamin D, and this may also be a magnesium deficiency because magnesium is required for vitamin D synthesis.
In sum, we have food depleted of minerals and bodies that have a high burn rate of minerals due to chronic stress. The way out is to focus on whole food sources AND wise supplementation.
Three Delicious Mineralizing Drinks
The Root Cause Protocol (RCP) has coined the term “adrenal cocktail”. It’s a non-alcoholic drink to support the adrenal glands and promote mineral balance. The minerals of focus are sodium and potassium with a source of whole food vitamin C. They are all delicious pick-me-ups, best consumed an hour before or after a meal. I often feel a sense of calm and focused energy come over me about 10 minutes after drinking. The minerals do a great job supporting the body’s nervous system!
The Standard:
This one is a great choice for a mid-morning drink!
½ cup orange juice
¼ tsp Redmond real salt (or Himalayan or Celtic sea salt, must be non-iodized)
¼ tsp cream of tartar (do not consume if you have a sulfite allergy)
Mineralizing Orange Julius:
I drink this one when I want something creamy!
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup Saint John’s raw, organic, grass-fed milk
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Coconut Lime Cocktail:
This one is perfect for the hot summer ahead!
1 cup coconut water
¼ cup lime juice
¼ tsp salt
Mix in a scoop of collagen to any of these for a protein + glycine boost!
Don’t like coconut water? Try aloe vera juice for potassium instead!
Bone broth is an excellent mineral source as well. Try our grass fed beef bone broth recipe, add a pinch of salt, and sip!
Sourcing Fat Soluble Vitamins
The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are most abundant and bio-available in pastured animal products, such as organic grass fed beef. These vitamins were found to be 10X higher in concentrations in primitive diets compared to modern, industrialized diets. This discrepancy is enormous, given the essential functions these vitamins support.
It’s interesting to note the nutritional differences between conventional and grass fed beef here. We know that, compared to conventionally raised beef, grass fed and finished beef is:
10X higher in vitamin A
3X higher in vitamin E
Substantially higher in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins
Lower in cholesterol
Rich in stearic acid, which lowers cholesterol
Abundant source of anti-cancer conjugated linoleic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid)
All from beef…vitamins A and E for fat-soluble vitamins and calcium, magnesium, potassium for minerals. Add in some of our raw, organic, grass fed milk, and you’ll be nourished with vitamins A, D, E, and K. Cows are such a gift!
Because it’s no longer en vogue in American culture to consume the “odd bits” of the animal (heart, liver, kidney, spleen, etc.), most Americans are deficient in vitamin A. Pre-formed vitamin A (retinol) can only be found in animal foods, and it’s most abundant in beef liver. Beef liver is arguably the most nutrient dense food for humans, and eating organic, grass fed and finished beef liver on a regular basis is the best way to replenish vitamin A stores.
If you don’t like the taste of beef liver, try these fried liver bites or learn our tried-and-true method to hide liver in your favorite recipes.