Page 63 - Fall2010

Tim’s DVD Reviews

My Big Fat Diet exercise more. The results so far were under- Maybe there
by Mary Bissell whelming. Then Dr. Jay Wortman came along is some magic
Produced by Bare Bones Productions and suggested something a little different. He
in association with CBC Newsworld began signing people up for a medically super- in that
vised high-fat diet more in line with what their oolichan
Alert Bay is a fishing village near Van- ancestors ate. Dr. Wortman was well aware of grease.
couver, British Columbia, populated mostly by the fact that this advice went against the dictates
members of the Namgis First Nation. Their an- of dieticians and the heart foundation. It took
cestors traditionally ate a lot of salmon, cod and a while but he eventually found almost one
shellfish. Fish farming has made those good, wild hundred people who were not insane and were
fish increasingly scarce. For many decades now willing to consider the possibility that doing
the local people have been eating a typical carb- something different might be the best way to get
heavy diet and the results among the Namgis are different results.
the same as everywhere else—obesity, diabetes, Among the foods that traditionally supplied
heart disease and other illnesses. A century ago, fat to the diet was oolichan grease—a traditional,
one-hundred-year-old elders would still be danc- highly esteemed fat prepared from great quan-
ing on special occasions. Now, nobody lives that tities of a small but lipid-rich fish of the smelt
long. family. The Namgis had nice big jars of oolichan
The Namgis were trying to lose weight by grease and they seemed to like it.
following expert medical advice to eat less and Well, what happened? Was Dr. Wortman a

ALLERGy-FREE COOKING

In this well done DVD, Maureen Diaz, busy mom and traditional homemaker, often referred to as “the mother of many,”
invites us into the kitchen with a lovely welcoming style. It is as though the viewer were standing at her shoulder rather
than tuning into an impersonal cooking show. Drawing from her years of experience, Maureen explains and demonstrates
the ways in which she makes nourishing traditional foods for her family, some of whom have allergies.
It is a reality of modern life that many of us have family members with allergies. Generations of eating what Dr. Price
called “the displacing foods of modern commerce” has left our modern children with a variety of health problems including
allergies. These are often a challenge for parents who have been taught to provide for their children with quick, on-the-go
meals containing many allergens. These facts make this DVD a most important tool in a traditional cook’s learning library.
In addition to showing how to prepare many wonderful nourishing traditional foods, Maureen explains the why of their
preparation. She teaches techniques like soaking, sprouting and fermenting with a simple grace that lets the viewer know
this is the way to do it, without making parents feel devalued for the way they are doing things now or the fact that they
are dealing with allergies.
Throughout the DVD Maureen points us to the easiest ways of doing things and gives options for different methods
of preparing a particular recipe if you have a special occasion or wish to make it for those without allergies. This reviewer
especially appreciated the fact that Maureen offered options for taking one recipe and splitting it into several different ones
that work if you have a variety of allergic individuals in the family.
Not only does this DVD help us to prepare nourishing traditional foods for allergy sufferers but it gives us an education
in proper preparation of these foods for us to maintain optimum health. Tips for obtaining, storing and caring for foods are
also mentioned. The one thing that could be added would be printed recipes that the viewer could take into the kitchen
and use after viewing the how-to. This however, if not enough to discredit a quality DVD cooking course. I give it a THUMBS
UP. Review by Carol Chaffin Albrecht, Chico/Butte Valley Chapter WAPF co-leader and co-owner Chaffin Family Orchards, organic farm. The DVD
is available from www.nourishingtraditionalcook.com.

FALL 2010 Wise Traditions 63