Health & Fitness

www.TheEpochTimes.com/Health

December 3, 2013

B3

JUPITERIMAGES/PHOTOS.COM

Traditional cultures around the world gave pregnant mothers special, nutrient-rich food to ensure their babies are healthy.

Traditional Super Foods for a Super Baby

By James Goodlatte & Kimberly Nelli There was a time, not too long ago, when women consistently and easily bore children vital and free from disease. Dr. Westin Price was a dentist who traveled the world in the 1930s looking for healthy populations with healthy children. He did this at a very unique point in history, at the time when the foods of modern commerce, as he called them, were seeping into the last remaining isolated cultures. What he documented was nothing short of astounding. Dr. Price documented 14 cultures that were near perfect health, free of the afflictions so common in todays infants and children. He noted superb facial and skeletal construction, open nasal passages, well-formed chins, and a robustness and vitality that were simply not found in children born to parents who ate modern foods. He documented countless examples of children with perfect teeth and jaw alignment, at least until mothers began eating modern foods. Dr. Price found healthy pregnant women who easily birthed healthy children. In these areas, he spoke with other doctors who all told him that they never needed to tend to births or treat diseases in these cultures until the first generation after the adoption of the modernized diet. He compared mentally healthy adolescents to their mentally unstable neighbors affected by modern food products. Dr. Price documented the clear nutritional wisdom of these people, in awe that they knew so many things that are essential for lifethings that our modern civilizations apparently do not know. What he found was so powerful that he removed much

Traditional cultures ate animal products, used saturated fat liberally, and every meal included fermented, soaked, or sprouted foods.
of his consideration of heredity or genetic blame and replaced that blame onto the food choices of the parents. Although each cultures pregnant women had access to different foods, they all had a few habits in common. The primary component that brought all 14 cultures together was simply the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods. Dr. Price also documented the importance placed on gathering specific foods for pregnancy, though much of this ancient wisdom has been lost today. He noted that every healthy population he studied ate animal products and used satu-

rated fat liberally, and that every meal included fermented, soaked, or sprouted foods. He documented the importance placed on organ meats for healthy reproduction. In one culture, the people traveled huge distances to obtain special seafood for the pregnant mother, while in another, several people of the village were appointed to take shifts securing certain foods for the pregnant women. The highest priority in these cultures was placed on creating a healthy child. As such, it seems a modern woman who wants to ensure having a very healthy baby would be wise to incorporate as many of these traditional foods as possible. The diet that Dr. Price suggested based on his studies can be found at westonaprice.org This diet is based on whole foods and the guidelines are great for simplifying the many nutritional decisions a pregnant mother is required to make when considering the nutritional health of her baby and herself. James and Kim are certified nutrition and lifestyle coaches who assist pregnant moms and new parents. They can be contacted at FitForBirth@ gmail.com or through their Web sites GetFitForBirth.com and SecretsofPainlessChildbirth.com

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TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Pumpkin Seeds Pack a Punch

By Barbara Siminovich-Blok, ND, LAc. Although the pile of Thanksgiving leftovers is dwindling, you may still be nibbling on delicious pumpkin pies, souffls, and soups. Every year, come late November, cooks in small towns and big cities all over America scoop out precious pumpkins seeds and toss them away, with only the very committed cooks setting the seeds aside to serve later as snacks. This is because most Americans are unaware that pumpkin seeds, Cucurbitae moschatae semen, in Latin, or nan gua zi in Chinese, are very healthy. Pumpkin seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine for a variety of ailments. According to one of the most widely used books in the study of Chinese herbs and foods, Benskys Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, pumpkin seeds are good for easing digestion and stimulating lactation in new mothers. The seeds can also be used for resolving parasitic infections and easing the associated intestinal pain. Among other things, pumpkin seeds also have tryptophan, a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps improve mood and sleep. In Chinese medicine, foods and herbs are associated with therapeutic flavors, and food is considered a fundamental part of traditional Chinese medical treatments. Some sweet foods (not refined sugar!) benefit the spleen-and-stomach system. Pumpkin seeds are considered to be sweet and neutral and have cooling properties. For people with sluggish digestion, loose bowel movements, and little appetite (a classic spleen deficiency diagnosis in Chinese medicine) eating a moderate amount of pumpkin seeds can be very beneficial. Pumpkins are primarily orange, which is associated with the earth element. Earth is also affiliated with the spleen and is key to a good digestion. A common Chinese herbal treatment would be a daily dose of 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground pumpkin seeds. Most of the active components of pumpkin seeds are water soluble, which means that you can boil them for several hours (decoction method) or even steep them in hot water as if they where a tea. And what about the rest of the pumpkin? Pumpkin meat is rich in vitamin A, beta carotene, and potassium and is filled with fiber, which makes it a great food both before and after a workout. Beta carotene (an antioxidant) is good for skin care and like most antioxidants, can help prevent cancer. So for your next holiday party, you can offer lots of roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin entrees, and in good conscience show off your culinary skills with a pumpkin pie (as long as the sugar and dairy are used in moderation, your acupuncturist would say). Dr. Barbara Siminovich-Blok completed her medical residency at the Yale Prevention Research Center, one of the only hospital residencies for naturopathic doctors. She practices Acupuncture and Naturopathic Medicine in midtown New York at Equilibrium LLC, Naturopathy and Acupuncture. bsb@drsiminovich.com

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In traditional Chinese medicine, pumpkin seeds are seen as good for the spleen and stomach.