Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best Books Ever Written Period!!
Review: After reading just about every diet book in existence, from Atkins to Eat Right 4 Your Type to vegan and vegetarian diet books, finally I have found a book not based on some polar not found in nature extreme theory, but a book based on the reality of what very healthy people have been eating for a very long time. Finally a book based on facts and science, not wild speculation and wishful thinking.The diet recommended in this book is based on traditional foods used by very healthy people (and very long lived people) all over the world for thousands of years. These people all have one thing in common. They don't used processed, pasteurized, denatured food. Some cultures and lands use unpastuerized milk products as staples, others use raw meat or focus on cooked and raw meat. All peoples consume some form of unprocessed animal product, with fat and enzymes intact. They also use lacto fermented products, from yogurt to fermented fruits, vegetables and meats. The fermentation makes the food very easy to digest, adds friendly intestinla bacteria and preserves the food. The book also explains proper preparation of grains (usually soaking for a period of time) to remove phytates and make the nutrients more available. The book is based on Weston Price's (others have validated his research and have conducted their own) research on "primitive peoples" diets from around the world. He was a dentist who traveled around the world checking the health of these people and then compared their health with the health of these same peoples when they ate processed food diets as they became available. This is a very good book with very valuable information. The information on fats is extremely important. Defintely the best book ever written on diet and nutrition and probably one of the best books ever written period.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended, BUT With One Caveat
Review: Nourishing Traditions is marketed as a cookbook, but the first 80 pages of this book contain a comprehensive debunking of many nutritional myths that have become annoyingly pervasive. Even if you never use a single recipe from the book, these first 80 pages, and the numerous information snippets that feature on virtually every page of the recipe section of the book, are worth their weight in gold, and more than justify the purchase price. Sally Fallon and Mary Enig have done an excellent job of emphasizing how nutrient-depleted, additive-laden processed foods, and not saturated fat, protein or cholesterol, are the true dietary villains. There is however, one caveat I would issue to readers of this book. Fallon is an enthusiastic advocate of raw milk, citing the destruction of enzymes that occur during milk pasteurization. I totally agree that we should eat a significant portion of our food raw, but the frequent detection of Salmonella, Brucella, Escheria Coli, Corynebacteria, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Listeria, Mycobacteria, Campylobacter and Yersinia in raw milk samples should convince all but the most foolhardy to look elsewhere for raw sources of food enzymes. In addition, numerous researchers have linked consumption of liquid milk, irrespective of whether it is raw or pasteurized, to CHD. No such association has been found for cultured dairy products like cheese, butter and yogurt. Read and enjoy, but unless you are a suckling infant, stay away from milk, raw or heated.
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Summary: This Book is a Real Gift
Review: I have been reading and following the wisdom in Nourishing Traditions for two months now and have never felt better. My digestive track feels like a well oiled machine, my body feels soothed and I feel 25 years younger. I am grateful to have discovered Weston Price, Sally Fallon and Mary Enig.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read & Cookbook
Review: This book is much more than a cookbook--it is a nutritional handbook and virtual encyclopedia of food history and food facts. The first 80 pages of the book concern themselves with nutrition basics. The sections on fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are accurate, well-referenced, and needed in today's fat-phobic world. Fallon and Enig (who is a well-known lipid biochemist) dispel the many myths about saturated fats and animal foods. Recipes for every imaginable dish and drink are given, from appetizers and sauces to fermented fruits/vegetables and beverages. And it was SO nice to see a chapter on preparing wild game and organ meats--nutritious foods that have virtually disappeared from our modern diets (to our decided detriment). The substantial section on vegetables provides detailed nutritional info on each entry, as well as 2-3 tasty recipes. One caveat: some of the recipes take a lot of work if you want to do them the way Fallon and Enig recommend. For example, they suggest soaking and then drying and grinding your own grains to make flour. Obviously, not everyone has time to do this. I wish there was more emphasis on alternatives for busy people such as myself. Nevertheless, there are still lots of simpler recipes to make and they are tasty and delicious. The Resources section in the back is excellent and handy for people wanting to get started. A word to the detractors below:
(1) Indians DO have very high rates of coronary artery disease, even the vegetarian ones, so vegetarianism is NOT a protection against this condition (J Indian Med Assoc 2000 Nov;98(11):694-5, 697-702).
(2) The claims that vegetarians live longer than omnivores (on a healthy diet) are also not supported by available data (R Smith and E Pinckney. Diet, Blood Cholesterol, and Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review of the Literature--vol. 2. (Vector Enterprises; CA)., 1991).
(3) The idea that eating animal protein causes calcium loss has been disproven many times over ((a) J Nutr, 1986, 116:316-319; (b) Amer J Clin Nutr, 1983, 924-929; c) J Nutr, 1988, 118(6):657-60; (d) Amer J Clin Nutr, 1999, 69:1:147-52; (e) J Bone & Min Res, 2000, 15:2504-2512; (f) Calcif Tiss Int, 1996, 58:320-5.
(4) The idea that eating a lot of butter or ghee (or other animal fats) contributes to or causes heart disease is false ( Lancet, 1994, 344:1195; (b) Science 2001 Mar 30 291:5513 2536-45).
(5) The idea that eating meat or animal fats contributes or causes various cancers is a popular idea that is not supported by available evidence (The Lancet, 1999, 353:686-7; (b) Aust J Nutr Diet, 1997, 54(4):S1-S44. I'm wondering if these acrid reviewers bothered to read the book or check its many references. Also, a few reviewers commented feeling sick after eating some of the recipes. This is usually indicative of digestive weakness and may call for digestive enzymes or fermented foods before a meal to stimulate digestive juice flow. The book does suggest eating some fermented food either right before or with with a meal to facilitate digestion. Again, I'm wondering if the critics have bothered to read the book in any detail. Nausea shortly after eating can also mean that the meal has too much fat in it. Either the people made the recipe wrong or they cannot tolerate higher amounts of fats at one time and need to cut back.
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Summary: Not Politically Correct, but very accurate
Review: If you have ever wondered what to do with the strange items at the far end of the meat case, wild game, odd vegetable, or almost any kind of traditional meat, here's your answer. The recipes are delicious (at least the ones I'll dare to try). Her introductory overview of nutrition is not what you'll read in the food pyramid on the back of a box of Pop Tarts, but that's a good thing. Nutritional newbies may have a little difficultly digesting the more scientific portions of her explanations, but the quotes from various nutritional resources in the margins of each page of recipes is a mini-library of nutritional wisdom. If you have already abandoned the low-fat, high-carbohydrate myth, this book is a good start toward unrefined, unprocessed eating. If you are following all the P.C. nutritional 'wisdom' and wonder why you don't feel or look well, are overweight and get sick easily, then this book is a good start.
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Summary: Testimonial
Review: Mine is a testimonial more than a review. You can read what the book includes and the very high quality of this wonderful book from other reviewers. I only want to say how much this book changed my life! It completely turned around how I and my family shop for, cook and eat our food. We've NEVER felt better and have so much energy. When the latest stomach virus hit our school recently, my kids were two of the few who did not get it. And the recipes are so tasty and are a joy to make! We've also have never had so much fun eating the rich, wonderful food. Thanks to Ms. Fallon and Ms. Enig. I recommend you buy it and really really get into it. Do as much as they recommend as you can. Really experiment!
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Summary: Scientific Support for Traditional Diets. Wonderful
Review: This book by Sally Fallon (with Mary Enig, Ph.D.) is an inspiring polemic against both commercial, prepared food trends and some governmental and research leaders who appear to be making recommendations on nutrition under the influence of commercial interests. My first impression of the book is that it shows exactly how hard nutritional science actually is. The authors are citing hundreds of technical works from both demographic and controlled experiment studies regarding thousands of different food components in their way to painting a complete picture of good nutrition. Their starting point in painting this picture is the common sense assumption that historical, natural diets are invariably more healthy than those laden with commercially processed foods. This assumption is backed up by demographic research done in the first third of the last century. This is the import of the 'traditions' in the title. It turns out that the potential allies of the authors' approach come from such different quarters as the Atkins diet advocates who endorse eating meat, eggs, and other proteins in preference to (processed) carbohydrates and the 'Raw Food' wing of the vegetarian / vegan movement. The latter camp would wholeheartedly endorse the authors' issues with eating foods that retain their original enzymes to aid in digestion. I'm sure the vegans and the Atkins camp will not join forces any time soon, but their appearance in the same metaphorical room on the side of the authors' position is another indication of how multi-sided complex scientific theories can become. I have no facts to confirm or challenge the authors' claim of corruption on the part of some academics in endorsing a nutritional position to back commercial interests. I will only say that it is irrelevant to the central tenant of the book, which in very simple terms is 'Eat the way your great grandparents ate'. Some of the more important details are: 1. Avoid processed fats, starches, sugars, and proteins. They are not of no value. They are unhealthy.
2. Eat animal protein and their accompanying fats.
3. Eat whole grain products.
4. Eat foods prepared in such a way that avoids loosing important nutrients. Almost all of the authors' statements on individual nutritional facts are backed up by published scientific research. One or two or even ten percent of their references may be flawed, but the overall weight of their evidence is truly impressive. The only problem I find in their characterization of the way things are today is in not giving full credit to medical science in lengthening our lifespans through the suppression of infectious diseases. This is likely to be the reason behind the increase in the frequency of deaths by degenerative diseases like cancer and heart disease, not a catastrophic loss of nutritional value in our diets. That is not to say their claims about the drop in the quality of our diet are not true. Always remember that these gals are making a case, they are not simply publishing scientific results. While I think the authors have a strong case against processed foods, I find it difficult to fully endorse their next step. Their solution takes us close to the land of food extremists such as both traditional vegetarians and the more radical proponents of 'raw' diets. What this means is that they raise up foods which are hard to find or difficult to prepare or are prepared in ways unfamiliar to American kitchens. This may not necessarily be a bad thing. It tends to appeal to my 'Whole Earth Catalog' mentality of the home-brew lifestyle. But this lifestyle is simply not practical for the millions who work long, stressful hours followed by time devoted to kids and spouses. My skepticism regarding their solutions is reinforced by some culinary misstatements such as the suggestion to refrigerate tomatoes after they ripen, to not add garlic to hot fat, and that artisinal breads are not good for sandwiches. The second and third statements are refuted daily by traditional Italian cooking practice. Their condemnation of all aluminum cookware and the microwave also seem more extreme than they need be. What I take from this work is the very cautious and undramatic conclusion that the safest (and most interesting) culinary path lies in the study and emulation of historical diets. This gives a strong theoretical underpinning to my admiration of educators such as Mario Batali and Paula Wolfert who examine and promote historical cuisines based on the 'what grows together, goes together'. This could easily be a subtitle of this book. It also gives support to practitioners such as Rachael Ray who promote fast cooking without resorting to overly processed ingredients. I love a book that pulls together and validates a wide range of (my) opinions. While this book may not always be right, it is supremely valuable in its provocation to thinking. It is also supremely valuable in it's demonstrating the value of some less common foods such as sauerkraut, crème fraiche, and kim chee. This value doubles in that it actually tells you how to make this stuff. Lest it be overlooked, it is important to note that the lions share of the book is a fairly large cookbook of recipes with methods and materials that follow the book's doctrines. At a list price of $25, the catalogue of vegetables chapter alone is almost worth the price of admission. I'm happy that here, the authors part company with both the advocates of 'raw' and the old Adele Davis doctrine of saving veggie cooking water. They reinforce again the conventional wisdom of old school culinary practice which rarely leaves veggies raw. Some raw vegetables contain some bad things and cooking almost always makes the good things more available to digestion. I recommend this book to everyone as the very next book you need to buy about food.
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Summary: Recipes for a better world?
Review: Many previously written reviews talk about the the food recommended in this book and it is a tremendous resouce for that if nothing else. However, there is a broader vision to this book (which is not explicitly stated) than a mere source of truthful nutritional information and recipes. I saw Sally Fallon speak at a recent conference in Michigan. She is trying to change the world. She speaks strongly against those who try to sell us food products that makes so many so sick by calling them healthy (e.g. processed vegetable oils, unfermented soy products, fake broths, cold cereal, etc). She is a passionate advocate for healthy traditional foods (especially meat and dairy) and for the farmers who produce them. She envisions a world where there is a healthy and profitable return to small family farms that supply nearby families (important especially for consumers of raw milk). She sees lower unemployment, revitalized small towns and naturally fertilized pastures. A world of less reliance on prescription drugs due to a decline in chronic disease, especially those that we are starting to see in children. It is a vision whose starting point is this book containing the sort of recipes - using the traditionally produced ingredients - my husband's grandmother used. Now I am not claiming that good food - or this book - is an antedote for all the world's troubles, but it may help me at my house raise healthier kids (who are less addicted to sugar) and who know where much of their food comes from. That will be a change for the better.
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Summary: If you've ever...
Review: If you've ever....
Played a competitive sport... had a domestic fetish for culinary perfection and adventure.... wondered why the tomatoes and apples at the store do not have a fragrance...wondered what a "lacto-fermented" beverage is...shopped at Trader Joe's...made "carob-chip" cookies...been called a "health-nut"...suspected that history may play a small part in helping you to make wise choices of what food(s) to consume...been on the Adkins, Pritikin, Macrobiotic etc. diet, or knows someone that has...believed that food has healing properties as well as that it contains the right combination of preventive properties to fight against disease and sickness...thought that all carbs are the same...imagined that the butter you buy in the store is naturally that shade of yellow...wanted to know where to buy things like: Amalaki powder, Bee pollen, Kefir grains, kombucha, organic meat, raw milk, rapadura, and more...If you eat MRE's...if you are suffering from a degenerative disease...If you like meat...if you are a vegetarian...Ok, if you EAT... THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!!!!!
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Summary: This is IT!
Review: I've struggled with junk food addictions since my teen years. I've been through it all, from low fat to Atkins to calorie control to raw food diets to...well, you can just about name it. They all work for a while, but they don't represent a general philosophy of nutrition that one can apply to eating healthy for life. (I'm a bit overweight, but mostly just interested in being healthy). Then I stumbled into this book, and it is the most astounding treatise on nutrition I've ever seen. I'm absolutely convinced that this philosophy can take me through the rest of life. I've even become somewhat of a public advocate for it's philosophies. Throw away all the expensive, processed supplements. Throw away sugar, white flour and hydrogenated fats. We are all starving amidst a poisonous abundance, and this book tells us how to find real nutrition in the way our ancestors did, using information drawn from isolated aboriginal peoples from all over the world, who might be said to be more in tune with the real voice of God. Thank God (in my own nondenominational way) for this book!
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