Weston A. Price vs. Gerson
You hear everything about how to eat. And often the advice you get does not mesh. And yet, there is a commonality to in dietary information.
All pretty much agree that veggies, fresh and lightly cooked, are good. Fruits are deemed good, but usually in more moderation. White flour, sugar, processed foods are bad. Lots of meat and dairy are usually put in the not-so-beneficial category. This is all purported in the Gerson diet. Whole Foods apparently is now coming out with a campaign supporting the plant based diet.
The no meat and dairy advice does not hold true with the Weston A. Price Foundation. This is an ecologically supportive organization which bases much of its premises on Weston A. Price’s teachings. Price did cultural and nutritional studies throughout the world and proposed a lifestyle based on these studies. The information is fascinating and quite convincing. Basically WAPF supports sustainable farming practices, raw dairy products and grass fed meats. Of course they support organic farming but they are much more about using local produce and meat. They advocate knowing the farmer’s practices not basing your buying upon certification. Their premise is if antibiotics are needed for a sick cow then they should be used–this practice would void an organic certification. Of course, necessary antibiotic use is the opposite of the low dose daily antibiotics in conventional farming.
The evidence supporting the WAPF lifestyle is pretty overwhelming. It tempts me to try it. For many reasons, I am sticking with my modified Gerson diet until the day my follicular lymphoma is in remission. Then I will do a modified WAPF diet including some raw dairy and a small amount of grass fed meat. I like the ideas of sustainable farming and I like the support of local farmers with mutual benefits to the farmer and the consumer.
The short version of why I am making the choice to do Gerson for now is based on my reading of Genesis in the Bible. It seemed that man originally ate a vegetarian diet. This changed in the time of Noah. Interestingly, our bodies need some nutrients that only animal products can provide, so I wonder if our constitutions have adapted from vegetarian to omnivorous. However, I observe animals when they are sick–they return to their most basic diet. Dog even eat grass when they are sick. So I am sticking with the basics for now and looking to the day when God heals me enough to return to more variety in a WAPF way.
