Rating: 
Summary: [...] Not a Good Diet
Review: [....]I like to cook but it literally did take all weekend to make just a few recipes. I am a generally healthy person with no major health or digestive problems, these recipes made me feel extremely bloated and ill. I do believe in biochemical individuality and I feel perhaps this type of diet works well for people with a certain type of genetic makeup and digestive system. I am obviously not of this physical type. That said, I still think this is a terrible book because the recipes have such amazingly long prep times. Get real. This is the modern world.
Rating: 
Summary: Medical doctor looks at Nourishing Traditions
Review: I have been a practicing medical doctor for about 20 years. In that time I have pursued my interest in nutrition literally to all corners of the globe. I have read scores of books on nutrition and treated hundreds if not thousands of patients with nutritional advice and natural medicines. Of all the published nutritional information on the shelves today, by far the most informative, reliable, comprehensive, and useful is Ms. Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. When I first came across Nourishing Traditions a few years ago, I was amazed that one person was about to amass virtually the entire wisdom of traditional societies concerning nutrition into one book. I found ancient recipes, cooking techniques, food preparation insights that are simply not to be found anywhere else. I urge all those who wish to truly pursue their knowledge of nutrition and to regain their own health to do one thing. Buy Nourishing Traditions, read it thoroughly, take a deep breath, and embark on a new way of life. Thomas Cowan, M.D.
Rating:
Summary: Reactionary and Poorly Researched
Review: The author complains about the dictatorial tendancies of other philosophies of eating (veganism, vegetarianism, etc), then begins to dictate in the same manner. I am an avid cook and consume a lot of whole foods and digest them with no problems. I tried a few of the recipes in this book. They made me feel bloated and ill. Does the author truly believe that this is the best manner of eating for EVERYONE!? Those who are looking for an excuse to continue gorging on fatty foods and animal protein will be well served by this book.
The author fails to mention the well documented effects of high protein diets upon calcium levels. Additionally, there is not a word regarding the fact that diets overly dependant upon meat protein tend to cause intense sugar cravings due to the carbohydrate deficit that is created. Why do cultures where little or no meat is consumed tend to live longer and healthier lives? Example: The Hunsa. I was disappointed that the book was so one-sided. There was little evidence given to support her claims.
Why do vegetarians tend to outlive their carniverous counterparts by a fair number of years? The author states that there is a high rate of heart disease in India due to their vegetarian lifestyle. Hello! Do your research! First of all, the rate of heart disease has increased as Indians begin to adopt a more Western style of eating. There were traditionally no McDonalds restaurants in Calcutta! Secondly, have you seen the amount of ghee (clarified butter) consumed in that country? Practically everything they eat is smothered in the stuff. A more scientifically sound way to prove her point would have been to compare rates of heart disease amongst non vegetarian Americans of Indian descent with those of Indians. In this manner, genetic factors could be more easily ruled out and her statements would be more credible!
Is there truly a need for more such books? Will we come to the point at which we finally accept that there is no perfect diet for everyone? One reviewer stated that Sally Fallon glows with good health in person. It is not difficult to find examples of people following different varieties of food philsophies who radiate good health! This book is yet another example of a reactionary response to the so called food police. It is highly ironic since the 'know it all' stance of this book comes off in an equally annoying if not worse tone than the 'dictators' from whom the author would purportedly wish to "protect" us.
Rating:
Summary: Makes my body SING!
Review: Even if a diet sounds good in theory, to me the true test is how my body feels after eating a particular way. Well, my body SINGS after eating the recipes in Nourishing Traditions! I am particularly pleased by the practices of cooking my rice in broth and soaking my oatmeal overnight. These techniques make the food both more digestible as well as more nutrient-rich, which has helped me feel full and control my weight, unlike eating processed, low cal or low fat foods. Although some of the recipes take time, I find that with a little planning (making a broth on the weekend), it's not hard to follow, and my body is always so satisfied afterwards that it's worth it. I strongly recommend this book to those who never feel full after eating, who suffer from digestive disorders or just poor health, and for those tired of eating fad diets.
Rating:
Summary: Great read even if you don't cook
Review: I was seeing references to this book in other books that I found helpful: The Metabolic Typing Diet and Life Without Bread. (I also like Natural Hormonal Enhancement which was not available on Amazon when I purchased it.) But I delayed more than a year before buying Nourishing Traditions. I figured if I knew what to eat, I didn't need a cookbook too. I was wrong. This is a textbook as much as a cookbook. I liken it to Joy of Cooking. You can learn a lot from it about food and nutrition even if you never use its recipes. I have used recipes from both, though, and can attest to their deliciousness. But I must admit, for me the best thing about reading Nourishing Traditions is learning about nutrition, not learning new recipes. The authors criticize the "Diet Dictocrats" who propound the "politically correct" low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. I find the epithet of "politically correct" rather grating and would hope they drop it in later editions. The book's thesis is a Rousseauian one: industrial food production yields a product unsuited to our body's nature. To find out what is suited to our nature, we ought to rely on research of what preindustrial societies consumed. Thus, as another reviewer pointed out, they view themselves as continuators of the program initiated by the Dentist Weston Price. I can speak from personal experience that the low-fat dogma was a recipe for disaster for me. I also give the authors credit for recognizing a wide spectrum of ideal diets depending on one's genetic makeup. What is more problematic is how one draws the line between natural and unnatural. Is the line to be drawn between industrial and nonindustrial societies, or is it more basic than that. The book NeanderThin, for example sees humanity making a wrong turn with the advent of civilization. Civilization brings cultivation of grain and the domestication of dairy animals. Nourishing Traditions embraces dairy and grain as long as they are prepared in ways consistent with nonindustrial societies. Despite these controversies, Nourishing Traditions is a treasure trove of valuable information. Just one small tidbit: there is a concern that beef in the USA has an unfavorable fat profile--there is an usatisfactory omega 6/omega 3 fatty acid ration. I just learned from Nourishing Traditions that this problem is not present with lamb in the USA because lamb is virtually all pasture-raised. Since I live in a small apartment and have no place to hang a side of pasture-fed beef, this was very helpful information. OK, OK, one more tidbit. Everyone by now should know that people who eat nuts live longer. I love the taste of nuts but they always were hard for me to digest. Nourishing Traditions explains why and told me how to eat nuts without the digestive upset. These people know their stuff. I've seen five stars on a lot of books, that were, frankly, pretty lightweight. This book is a keeper. It's not someone's brilliant marketing concept turned into a book. It's clearly the product of much, much, hard work. It's not the final word. But it's a comprehensive presentation of a coherent worldview on healthy nutrition.
Rating:
Summary: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politica
Review: The recipes in this book are delicious, unusual and include many ethnic groups. Following her guidelines has created enhanced satisfaction and decreased appetite. Sally Fallon's book is fascinating to read. Her conclusions are made from large well-documented studies. This research is presented, allowing the readers to draw their own conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: YUMMM...
Review: This a a great cookbook, and very thought provoking reading.
I really feel that, for me at least, this is the healthiest way to eat. I have only been using it for a few weeks, but I feel great. Plus the recipes are very tasty!
Rating:
Summary: A must!
Review: I'll be brief. This book is excellent in both the advice and the practical hints. I have met Sally Fallon in person and she literally glows with good health. This book is a logical extension of Dr. Price's "Human Nutrition and Physical Degeneration", which every one should read. If you want a long, healthy life, you have to eat right. No other cookbook on the market tells you how best to do this.
Rating: 
Summary: Unique, Informative, Entertaining
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend & found it a fascinating read. Yes, I will be obtaining a copy for myself, but not new - it's certainly worth the price of a used book, but not new (remember, this applies to me only). Here is why YOU may find this a true gem. If you are seeking justification for eating a meat/dairy/fat based diet (& for some of us, our bodies tell us this, in no uncertain terms), this is the book. If animal products make you feel better, Fallon explains why. But she distinguishes between supermarket fats & oils & naturally healthy omega 3's & medium chain triglycerides. She distinguishes fresh or naturally fermented organic milk from its "junk-food" homogenized, pasteurized counterpart. Similarly, she explains the horrors of factory farming & the common contaminants of pork & shellfish, while advising that organic meats be eaten raw, rare or braised in liquid. This book has dozens of fascinating recipes that use fermented products like whey. Oh, the enjoyment I've had reading these recipes! Finally, foods that truly harken to the olden days when time & planning was required (for instance, soak oats overnight, then cook them in less time than quick-cook dead rolled oats that sat for 8 months on the grocery shelf). I have never before found specific answers to kombucha tea & its constituents. Got my 1st kombucha mushroom last week because of this book! Oh, and a recipe for sourdough that doesn't use yeast as a "starter" for the 1st batch (surprisingly difficult to obtain!) Ginger ale & root beer recipes! (we've forgotten that ginger ale is truly beneficial to the ill tummy - this will definitely help make your kids better soon!). A milk based formula that actually makes a great deal of sense (the gov't guidlines on infant formula are so stringent that no natural food company has ever attempted to make one.) Just a few pages on infant feeding, but brilliant & informative (warning about introducing grains, especially wheat, too early, as well as fruits which often spoil an infant's appetite for more nutritious food). I've been looking for a recipe for rejuvilac. Thank you. So yes, the book has been very beneficial & enjoyable. But without wanting to create animosity, I would like to criticize a sense that I got that Fallon is trying to justify her diet as the only one that should be eaten by any human on earth. Some of her justifications sound just a little far reaching (and thus compromise her authority), & I have concerns when other lifestyles & diets are criticized (it IS true, Ms Fallon, that if you sit down to a bowl of organic brown rice & chew each mouthful well that you enter into an almost meditative state through the interaction of the repetition of chewing, the peaceful thoughts & the slow release of serotonin from the brain). Fallon states that NO animals are true vegetarians. She cites the gorilla, stating that the tiny insects & larvae on the fruit meets their protein requirements & negates the classification of vege/fruitarian. She states that most fruits & vegetables have few enzymes before fermentation (you know, raw juice therapy has cured chronic conditions because of the enzymatic action at a cellular level). She states that the high incidence of heart attacks in India is due to their predominantly vegetarian diet (I don't have a counter opinion for this one - I'd have to do some research into what is to me a foreign lifestyle). And just a little silliness that I have to mention - she recommends you dry your lettuce, parsley or watercress by putting them in a pillow case & tossing it in the washing machine on "rinse cycle" so that the centrifugal action works upon it. I don't want to state the obvious non-electric alternative. So let's just leave it at a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge".
Rating:
Summary: Only for the Amish? Hardly
Review: The "Only for the Amish" review claims that the recipes in Nourishing Traditions take too long and aren't that good. It's a comment indicative of one of Fallon's main points in the book: we have been lured by food manufacturers into thinking cooking is drudgery and that we should leave it up to them to provide us with instant, packaged, processed, preserved "food" that's overly sweetened and salted to mask the fact that it has no real flavor. Yes, some of the recipes take time to prepare, especially the baked goods--but you shouldn't be making those everyday anyway. Most of the daily fare--the meat, poultry, fish, egg, and vegetable dishes--is simple to prepare. The lacto-fermented foods are really easy! Learning to cook fresh natural foods and slow down your life enough to enjoy preparing and eating them will improve anyone's health, reduce stress, and lead to a higher quality of life. Since I wrote my first review, I have added even more of Fallon's recipes to my regular menu, and continue to reap the health benefits of the diet: I stopped gaining weight after years of lowfat dieting; I have more energy, stamina, mental clarity, and focus; and my mood swings and irritability are gone. Plus, the food is DELICIOUS! Hooray for butter, cream, whole milk, and eggs! Hooray for full-fat meats! Hooray for pickles and crispy nuts! Get the book! It's worth it.
|
