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Body By God: The Owner's Manual for Maximized Living
By Dr. Ben Lerner
Nelson Books
Review by Maria Atwood
Using the Bible as his forum, Dr. Ben Lerner's book, Body By God,
does a good job in presenting to the spiritually and physically unmotivated
some guidelines for improvement. Nevertheless, his shortsighted view
of milk and dairy in his "Undiet" was disconcerting to say
the least.
As you read the book you realize he has made himself God's new
spokesperson and leads us to believe he knows exactly what God wants
us to eat and what God does not want us to eat. He states that as a
trained nutritionist, having tried and failed early on in his career,
he finally created an easy, loving way to help people and is now referred
to as the "Food Prophet"!
It did not surprise me as recently I, too, finished my nutritional
studies and received my certification. Unfortunately what many of us
are still being taught are the tired old myths about the dangers of
milk, meat and a high-fat diet.
I wondered whether he has prayerfully asked himself why milk and dairy,
having served for thousands of years to preserve the human race, now
need to be replaced with rice and almond milk from our local health
food store! Did Abraham and Jacob get almond and rice milk from their
flocks of cattle and goats?
Also, what would Dr. Lerner manage to do with the milk-producing animals
God created when we all take his advice and stop using milk?
Last but not least, why as nutritionists are we not curious about the
fact that humans intuitively continue to crave and drink milk and foods
made with milk. So much so, that many even persist in drinking it despite
the fact that they know how unhealthy store-bought milk that is pasteurized,
homogenized and tainted with antibiotics and hormones really is?
Add to that the millions who are now pretending to drink milk by using
unhealthy choices like soy, rice and almond so-called milks, which are
primarily composed of sugared water. Does it not cross our minds that
it might be because God actually intended us to drink real milk and
eat dairy foods? Or did this infinite, all-knowing Being actually make
a mistake?
Dr. Lerner devotes an approximate 68 pages to the "Undiet"
and on page 62 gives us this very small bit of really good advice: "If
you choose to use dairy products, buy raw, organic items from a farm,
health food store, or special service," if possible. He quickly
goes on to cancel that good advice by adding that fortunately rice and
almond milk make excellent replacements for cow's milk. That they
are natural, taste sweeter than milk and can be found in health food
stores!
I was truly dismayed when I realized the good he could have done by
expanding on the small mention he made regarding raw milk.
I finally closed the book and walked away shaking my head when I read
his interpretation of what milk is designed for, and I quote from page
62 of his book:
"The milk from a cow is designed for the specific purpose of adding
several hundred pounds to the size of its offspring in a short period
of time. In order to accomplish this enormous task, 'calves milk' is
made up of a high percentage of proteins, and the size of these proteins
is extremely large. Contrary to that, human breast milk was created
with the goal of adding only a couple of dozen pounds to children in
a similar period of time. Therefore, human milk has a much lower concentration
of protein, and the size of the proteins are much smaller by comparison."
Unfortunately, he's got his facts wrong. Human milk has a slightly lower
protein content than cow's milk, but the size of the protein molecules
is the same.
He continues: "As you get older, you [are] less equipped to break
down milk. It appears that God did not design adult humans, or any other
mature animal for that matter, to consume milk. This makes sense, because
as you grow it gets harder to stick your head under a cow." Well,
after I read that and before I grow anymore, I think I will go stick
my head under a cow!
Lerner's aversion to dairy foods is especially troubling because
his other main prohibitions--shellfish and pork--are based on biblical
dietary laws. Yet nowhere in the Bible is milk, cheese and butter proscribed.
On the contrary, these foods are singled out as particularly healthgiving.
Without butter, the fats in Lerner's diet are olive oil, coconut oil,
fish oil and the fats in beef, egg yolks and chicken. He says "No"
to processed foods but allows two exceptions--almond, oat and rice milks
to replace milk, and as a replacement
for butter. . . Butter Buds!
About the Reviewer
Maria Atwood, CNHP, is the Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader
for the Eastern Plains of Colorado. She is based in Burlington, CO and
serves Burlington and the surrounding areas. Maria's 90-minute DVD,
"Cook Your Way to Wellness," can help Nourishing
Traditions beginners learn to make basics like kefir, whey,
beet kvass, fermented veggies, kombucha, butter, bone broth, soaked
grains, crispy nuts, and more. The accompanying booklet, "Tell
Me More," provides additional information and resources. Purchase
it online www.seleneriverpress.com
or www.urbanhomemaker.com,
or send a money order for $42.95 (shipping included, US sales only)
to Maria Atwood, P.O. Box 355, Burlington, CO 80807.
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