Page 20 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

Many of the such as phytic acid, contained in whole grains, and I feel healthier now that I have reintroduced

books nuts, seeds and legumes. animal foods into my diet.

The modern books claim that in order to have
recommend healthy children, a woman needs to get 45-65 SOY
limiting meat percent of her daily calories from carbohydrates. Only one of the books I reviewed gave any
consumption‚ This is patently untrue, and would come as a sort of warning against soy foods, noting that
surprise to the healthy Eskimo women studied by recent controversy questions its “safety during
preferring Dr. Price. Reports show that Eskimos consuming pregnancy.” The rest encouraged the use of
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vegetarian their native diets obtain about 80 percent of their soy foods such as tofu, soy nuts, soymilk, TVP,
sources of calories from fat, with the remainder primarily cooked soybeans, soy powder, soy flour, etc. They
from protein and very little from carbohydrates. recommend soy as a protein source because it is
protein. About Eskimos, Dr. Price wrote, “One does low in saturated fat and cholesterol, without men-

Many also not get a conception of the magnificent dental tion of the tremendous amount of phytoestrogens
say that it is development of the more primitive Eskimos,” the baby will be receiving through its mother’s
Price wrote, “simply by learning that they have diet. One author even claimed that tofu may be
possible to freedom from dental caries. The size and strength the perfect food! The pregnancy and childcare
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obtain all the of the mandible, the breadth of the face and the magazines are even worse, especially any of

necessary strength of the muscles of mastication all reach a the ones that focus on “natural” or “alternative”
degree of excellence that is seldom seen in other health. They have ads for all kinds of soy foods,
protein from races.” promoting soy milk, and soy yogurt as healthy
vegetable foods for growing children.
sources such PROTEIN
The modern pregnancy books rightly stress SUPPLEMENTS

as legumes‚ the importance of protein in the diets of pregnant Most of the books advised obtaining vitamins
whole grains women. Adequate protein is necessary for the and minerals from food sources, using dietary
and soy formation of tissues (including the baby and pla- supplements only as a safeguard. But I had a
centa), hormones, increased blood volume, and hard time believing the stupidity of some of the
foods. milk during lactation. Some of the books suggest statements I read. For example, one author says

good whole sources of protein such as eggs, red to turn first to food for your nutrient needs, and
meat, poultry, fish, cheese and milk. However, only to supplements as a last resort, and yet in the
many of the books recommend consuming next sentence she seems to see no contradiction in
these foods without their naturally-occurring fat recommending consuming “fortified” foods. The
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component, as in skim milk, egg whites, skinless author doesn’t seem to be aware that “fortified”
chicken breasts and extra lean meat. Many of the just means that during processing the manufac-
books recommend limiting meat consumption, turers have added a synthetic vitamin or mineral
preferring vegetarian sources of protein. Many supplement. That is not the same as getting your
also say that it is possible to obtain all the nec- nutrition from the food itself. Drinking “calcium
essary protein from vegetable sources such as fortified” orange juice is the same thing as drink-
legumes, whole grains and soy foods. ing a glass of orange juice and taking a calcium
tablet!
VEGETARIAN DIETS
All of the healthy cultures studied by Dr. SOME GOOD
Price ate some animal foods; in some of them Not all of the nutritional advice in these
(such as the Eskimo and Masai) animal foods books is bad. To their credit, these authors do
comprised almost 100 percent of their diets. encourage the use of dark green leafy vegetables,
None of the healthy traditional societies he whole grains, fruits, nuts, colorful vegetables and
studied were vegetarian, yet most of the modern fish, and warn against trans fatty acids. Many
books would have us believe that we would all of them also caution against over-the-counter
be healthier if we eliminated animal foods from medications, smoking, drinking alcohol or caf-
our diets. No, thanks; I tried that for several years, feineated beverages, and exposure to toxins. The

18 Wise Traditions