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1-Page Summary of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
Overview
Most of the food consumed in Western countries is processed, which means it’s not as healthy as unprocessed foods. Even when people try to eat healthier, they end up with food that has few nutrients.
Weston A. Price’s book “Nutrition and Physical Degradation” is a great resource for learning about the importance of nutrition to our physical health. The author traveled around the world studying indigenous communities, documenting their diets, facial structure and rituals in detail.
For those who are religious about eating healthy or have children, this book will be a revelation. It’s an insightful work that will transform your ideas about what you eat and drink, as well as prompt you to reevaluate how you care for your teeth and body. In these key points, you’ll find out why it is that certain people can go without brushing their teeth and yet their teeth remain in perfect condition throughout their life.
Finally, you’ll learn why the price of coconut meat affects tooth decay in the South Pacific.
Big Idea #1: The natural, local diets of indigenous people equip them with healthy bodies.
Healthiest People on Earth
What is the key to good health? Is it those who are always on diets or exercise machines? Or is it indigenous people who eat foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals? The answer is neither. Instead, you can find the secret of good health in their diet, which consists of locally sourced food high in vitamins and minerals. For example, Eskimos eat caribou meat as well as smaller quantities of seaweed and berries that they collect during winter for consumption during winter.
There are many advantages to a diet that only allows certain foods. For example, people who eat this way have healthy teeth for their entire lives without the help of toothbrushes or dentists. They also avoid gum diseases like gingivitis and don’t lose as much gum tissue around their teeth as people who eat other diets do.
Furthermore, the Eskimos don’t have fillings in their teeth even though they don’t brush them. This is because the minerals in their food hardens the teeth and protects against decay.
The health benefits of indigenous diets include strong and resilient bodies, which are less susceptible to disease. One doctor with over 30 years of experience dealing with Eskimos and North Americans reported that they were rarely affected by cancer or other diseases. Their kidneys, stomachs, appendixes or gallbladders also suffered from very few problems.
Indigenous societies have a healthy diet because their ancestors developed it over hundreds of years. Skeletons from the Andes, South Africa and France show that these people had excellent teeth and very little tooth decay.
Big Idea #2: Processed foods are popular and convenient, but they cause tooth decay and illness.
In the Western world, many people have easy access to processed foods. With a wide range of cheap and tasty options like chocolate and white bread, it’s no wonder that convenience is the norm.
While processed foods may be more convenient to prepare and taste better than traditional dishes, they are actually less healthy. For example, after World War I, the price of coconut meat increased dramatically in Tonga. The natives would trade it for white flour and sugar from visiting ships. With these new ingredients available to them, many residents began eating more processed foodstuffs instead of their native dishes. As a result, tooth decay became rampant among those who made this dietary switch; 33% suffered from cavities while only 0.6% had cavities before the change in diet occurred (and when the prices dropped back down).