Top critical review
37 people found this helpful
Have not been converted
on 1 February 2016
First of all, the glowing reviews of this book prompted me to do a bit of research on its authors - Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, as well as on the Weston A Price foundation they founded in 1999. Basically, Mr. Price was an early 20th century dentist who believed that "traditional" people's diets were superior to ours in many ways. So the book concentrates on promoting animal fats and fermented foods in addition to vegetables/fruits and some grains. It actually is not a breakthrough view and certainly not particularly different from the mainstream diet view nowadays except in its heavy reliance on animal products and especially animal fats rather than plant oils. Otherwise, you'll find the usual praise of organic/"biodynamic"/”raw” foods, fermented foods (sprouting!) and drinks (kombucha) and condemnation of sugar and processed foods. However, it is an American book and geared to American readers. The US has been heavily pounded by the low-fat/low-cholesterol/food pyramid message in the last 20-30 years, so for many American readers the messages in the book might seem more radical than for many European readers. And of course, it needs a “I’m different” message to sell copies, so I’m fine with that.
Anyway, the good and the bad:
- Mmmm..fermentation. I do like fermented foods and have used them since childhood (yogurt, kefir, kvass, kombucha, sourdough, “boza” (fermented millet drink), etc. Not sure about their health benefits but they taste good and probably do some good.
- Less processed/sugar foods. Agree with the rejection of processed foods – things like margarine or the adding of vitamins to basic foods like flour (the Americans are really horrible with this) and partially with the anti-sugar theory (no, I’ll never like carob cookies or give up chocolate or coffee, for that matter).
- Helpful recipes. There are a lot of recipes – most of them probably ok and easy to understand. For people unfamiliar with fermentation the relevant section would probably be an excellent introduction.
- Explanations. There is an overview of foods and food groups and explanations as to which ones are (not) recommended and why. For someone who feels patronised by the “nutrition establishment” this would probably be very attractive (although not entirely devoid of patronizing, unfortunately). I found the “fats” section fascinating although I’m not quite convinced.
- Trend bashing. If you’re skeptical about the macrobiotic diet, the advice to eat proteins and carbs separately and other questionable trends, then there are some good arguments against them. Despite the authors’ strong opinions they’ve moderated some of them to adapt to modern life, lack of time for cooking, etc., which I appreciate.
- Religious zeal. The tone of the book is often proselytising and in that way similar to the “politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats” it has set itself against. Sally Fallon seems to be a Christian (“prayer as a method for conquering sugar cravings,” anyone?) and considers it best that women stay at home to cook for their family, only coming out into the world in middle age at which time their husbands are supposed to cook for them (!?). People who are looking for the chance to be converted to Ms. Fallon’s religion and go back to the “good old times” in more ways than one would probably find this reasonable. I’m not one of them though.
- Unbalanced perspective. The authors relish Mr. Price’s vision of the “noble savage” (for which he has been criticised since) and the idea – probably mistaken – that traditional people were/are healthier than we are. Sure, you wouldn’t have time to die of cancer if you’re malnourished or die in childbirth or are killed by a neighbouring tribe. None of this sounds quite right to me. In addition, the authors obviously quote other like-minded authors, so don’t expect a balanced perspective on raw milk or canola oil. Lots of scare-mongering in the book such as threats of carcinogenic substances lurking in vegetables (their advice is to wash them in bleach!) or wheat depleting you of vital powers unless you soak it for three days and that sort of thing. Forget about microwaves since no one has proved their safety. Don’t go anywhere near fluoride. Feed your newborn homemade meat-based formula (aghast at that one). Forget about soymilk unless you want the phytates in it to suck you dry (ok, I don’t like soymilk so I’m fine with that one). So I’m not 100% convinced in her sources at best. Some of this could be dangerous, at worst.
- Questionable/outdated advice. Advice regarding cholesterol is frankly confusing and possibly wrong. The authors spend pages and pages on trying to convince us that having high cholesterol in the blood is not correlated with heart disease and is just a feature of a healthy person. Fair enough. Then they highlight the magical cholesterol lowering abilities of foods such as barley and carrots. So why would I need my cholesterol lowered then? The discussion of acidity/alkalinity of certain foods and in the body is also confusing – the authors touch on “acid” and “alkaline” foods and how the “dictocrats” are wrong about whatever they’re currently preaching on the subject but offer no further advice. Don’t get me started on the vitamins and statements such as “Dr. Price discovered that the diets of healthy isolated peoples contained at least ten times more vitamin A from animal sources than found in the American diet of his day. The high vitamin A content of their diets insured them excellent bone structure, wide handsome faces with plenty of room for the teeth (you can see the dentist here!) and ample protection from stress of all types.” Is this for real?
- Personal preferences do not equal facts. Some of the authors’ personal preferences are states as facts such as “use Italian olive oil for best taste” or “old-style, sourdough, slow-rise breads are too dense and hard for sandwich lovers.” Gets annoying after awhile.
- Recipe mess. Since the recipes underpin the authors' ideology and are aimed towards a mono-cultural (struggling to find the right word here) audience, they're not particularly useful to me. Worse, there is more confusion and wrong information in the various recipes sections. Although we are meant to fill up on enzymes, the recipe for miso soup advises simmering the miso with the vegetables until the latter are soft. Actually, boiling miso is the surest way of destroying its enzymes. In addition, I understand that the authors are relishing the opportunity to acquaint the reader with ancient health secrets of exotic cuisines (yes, I’m a little acerbic here). However, they seem to try too hard sometimes, bringing us recipes such as a “Russian shrimp soup (Chlodnik)” – which is Russian neither in the inclusion of shrimp nor in the name – Chlodnik is a Polish name for the cold borscht type of soup popular in north eastern Europe. Some people from Asia might object to the old-fashioned usage of the word “Oriental.” Things like that.
Anyway, I’m struggling to give this book more than 2 stars. I do like some of it but I disagree with the authors in many areas and think some of their advice is wrong and dangerous. Although the barrage of quotes and the discussion of various research seem (vaguely) scientific, I can’t help feeling like I’m listening to the local preacher. Perhaps I just don’t like the idea of having jellied feet for dinner or feeding my baby raw liver while being threatened with painful death if I open the microwave door. Oh well.