July 2011

Laura M and Laura C recently attended a lecture by Dr. Wahls about the nutritional advice she offers to people suffering from chronic illness. We were interested in the fact that much of what she recommends overlaps with what we heard from Paul Pitchford (author of Healing with Whole Foods) at his seminar last month. And, of course, it is very much in line with what we have been teaching patients here at our clinic and using in our own food-lives.

What we are talking about is the fact that the human species evolved as hunter-gatherer, for the most part, for millions of years. They did not become grain farmers until quite recently. That means that human health is best suited to a diet largely made up of vegetables of all kinds, with fruit to a lesser degree, and small amounts of meat.

This is exactly what we tell our patients. And it goes completely against what most of the diet folks say, against what the American food industry says, what commercials say, what many books say, and so on.

This diet requires that you spend time in the kitchen preparing your food and doing some planning ahead. It also requires that you learn new cooking techniques and recipes. More than anything, for most people, it means that you must learn to enjoy new flavors of REAL FOOD.

Some people might call it a gourmet diet, with the unusual array of vegetables, meats and grains that are used. In fact, it can be very elegant, tasty, and just as satisfying as any great meal. Maybe even more satisfying, because the body feels truly nourished.

Dr. Wahls has created a foundation to raise money for her research into using this type of diet, along with other therapies, to help people with severe forms of MS such as she has. We are supporting her efforts by making available her book, “Minding my Mitochondria” for sale at our clinic. In it is her personal success story as well as a group of some of the most tasty whole foods recipes I’ve ever tried. I’m sure they will go over well in any home.

We are also available for nutritional consultations using an Oriental medicine model. We have a lot of experience and enthusiasm for whole foods and will make every effort to guide folks with suggestions and recipes in their search for great health.