On My Shelf: Nourishing Traditions

If there was ever a crunchy instruction book on food, Nourishing Traditions is it. This book is more than a cookbook. It’s a tome of information. Sally Fallon with Mary Enig not only explain that traditionally cultures ate different then we do now but also explain the benefits of eating as they did. 

In this book’s 618 pages, you learn why we should eat fats, ferment our grains, and stay away from processed foods. You get to read excerpts of medical journals, articles, and literature that show the correlation to Nourishing Tradition's findings. I loved reading what ancient civilizations did for food and how healthy they were. It’s amazing the difference between those cultures and ours today.

This book is beyond thorough. It covers all the basics like protein, dairy, produce, mineral, and vitamins. It even gets detailed on different types of produce, giving important information on certain types of vegetables.

As the book subtitle say, Nourishing Traditions is a “cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats.” You will not find recommendations to switch to low fat dairy or to stay away from saturated fats. This book is perfect for crunchy cooks and even those who do not cook. Even if you do not make use of the hundreds of recipes in this book, you will learn much about traditional cultures eating habits and why we should change ours to mirror theirs.

Whether you are new to being crunchy or are a seasoned pro, this book is for you. I cannot think of anyone that this book would not benefit. Unless of course, you just want to hear more of the same USDA guidelines…but since you are reading this blog, I am assuming you don’t. As I said, this book challenges what we have been told for years but if you make the changes that it suggests then your life will be better. At the very least, you will walk away with a wealth of knowledge about nutrient dense foods and their preparation.