Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
This is the first source I've read that explicates in some detail why nutrition is so important and how it affects the shapes of our faces and the straightness and health of our teeth. The author gets into a fair amount of biochemistry to explain how an ancestral diet is extremely important for the development of babies in the womb and how the body communicates with and distributes stem cells throughout life.Best scientific case for the ancestral/Paleo diet that I've ever seen. The ancestral diet includes the following:Eat plenty of:Raw, whole milk dairy products from grass-fed animals.Organic vegetables and some fruitsWild seafoodMeat and eggs from pastured animals fed their traditional diets (e.g., cows eating grass, not grain).Nuts and seedsFats from pastured animals like lard, butter, bacon fat.Non-animal, fats like coconut, palm, and olive oils.Do not eat:GrainsSugarProcessed dairy from factory farmed animals.Meat from factory-farmed animalsVegetable oils, including corn, soy, cottonseed, canola. (These cause inflammation and heart disease, not cholesterol or saturated animal fat, as is conventional wisdom).Finally, the author, being a nutrition researcher, shares a bit about the politics around how nutrition funding is distributed. Needless to say, the findings are not trustworthy, if what she is saying is true.Bottom line: Enjoy your pastured meats, eggs, and dairy--full fat. Cut out sugar and grains altogether and eat minimal fruit (1 piece per day is plenty) in order to lose weight and heal digestion. One of the most fascinating books I've read in a while. Everyone should be required to read this. You'll learn how nutrition affects beauty, why our teeth don't fit anymore, how genes (even really bad ones) can be flipped on and off, the myths and facts about cholesterol, why cooking with butter is far better for you than cooking with vegetable oil, what the healthiest, longest-living cultures have in common, and more.Dr. Shanahan doesn't just say "sugar is bad" (we've known that since we were 8), but rather, she teaches in a way that truly helps you understand why and how certain foods affect your genes, your physique, and your health, both negatively and positively. So you come away not with a list of things you shouldn't eat, but with knowledge that is far more convincing. (Trust me, the sugar and canola oil chapters will clear out shelves of space in your pantry!)The net takeaway isn't a specific diet, but a way of thinking about food choices. And an understanding of the best ways to prepare foods. It's the first nutrition book that I have read that has helped me enjoy food more, not less! Food that is very nutritious should be incredibly delicious. And it is. My family looks and feels better than ever too! This book has been life-changing for us.P.S. If you are planning to have a baby, please especially read this book! Lots of amazing info there!
What do You think about Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food (2008)?
An excellent presentation of a lot of very important aspects of metabolism and nutrition.
—mialovesbooks
Lots of good information but in need of better editing for flow and redundancies.
—emoney
Awesome book, but a really slow read!
—Bookworm123
