Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I got this book after a friend recommended it and I'm truly saddened by the extraordinary amount of misinformation being paraded as science by the authors. Knowing that there are health conscious good people who are reading and believing this stuff, I wanted to take some time to comment on how inaccurate and untrue most of this book is. The book is an offshoot of the Weston Price Foundation. The authors write that Dr Price found that those who ate the most grains and legumes were far healthier than their western counterparts, but then they use the book to sell raw milk, raw meats (rare is okay too), and turn grains and legumes into a 'threat to humanity.' Their words, not mine. They assert that B12 is available only in animal based foods. They think seeking out deer meat is to be encouraged. Deer meat has no B12. Vegan sources of B12 do exist - spirulina and Klamath algae are loaded with the stuff. Why promote killing deer for non-existent nutritional benefits? I live close to deer and I've watched several mothers now raise their babies. I cannot imagine killing such an incredible creation. Now that they have found prions in deer meat, it would be incredibly unwise and anything but nourishing to kill and eat them. The authors have no reality-based sense of what an adequate supply of protein is. Read The China Study to have a lot of misconceptions cleared up - the overwhelming data show that animal protein in excess is linked with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and every western disease plaguing us today. Protein is needed to replicate mutated cells. It turns out plant-based diets not only provide enough protein, they also do not feed cancer cells. And you do not have to combine proteins if you are vegan - that is a another myth debunked by The China Study. Another dubious claim - phytates in grains interfere with mineral absorption. Well phytic acid is inositol, an extremely important nutrient, some of which is lost when you cook grains. Many vitamins and minerals compete. But there is just no evidence when you look at large epidemiological studies that people who eat grains have any kind of nutritional deficiency at all. In fact, it is just the opposite. The authors want to scare people into thinking that their babies will be retarded and deformed if they eat grains because 'even minor deficiencies can lead to deformities and retardation.' Osteoporosis is consistently linked to animal and dairy foods. Getting too much calcium is more dangerous than getting too little. That's why we are hearing on the news these days that calcium intake is not helpful for people with osteoporosis. This is so reductionistic it is unuasable and unhelpful We need holistic models of health. The authors do try to warn consumers about the need to seek out organic meat. But now that even organically raised cows can be fed genetically engineered grains (that are so engineered they are not allowed for human consumption) during the most critical developmental early weeks of life, even organic meat is questionable. The authors promote organ meats, and yet it is precisely the livers and kidneys that are the most damaged by genetically engineered feed. The reason that grains and legumes are a threat to humanity according to the authors, is because you need to use fertilizers and chemicals, and soil depletion is a problem. Hmmm. Ever heard of clear-cutting forests so that cattle can be raised? Anyway, seems they are unaware of the extraordinary biodiversity of life on organic farms - both above ground and below. Organic food tends to be richer in nutrients precisely because of the great care given to composting the soil, and rotating crops. They think sheep are better than herbicides - well yeah if you want to destroy everything living plant in sight. Some of their allegations are downright ludicrous, and they often have scanty, questionable, or no evidence to back it up. "Research" that 7th day adventists are unhealthy sites no references at all. But in a time when even scientists are having a difficult time understanding that reductionistic scientific studies are not reality and do not reflect reality, I just wonder how to let people like my friend know they are being misled to such an extent they may not be able to really fathom it. You have to look at large populations and compare them to take into account all the hundreds of variables that make up "health." And the data are clear - people who eat plant based diets do not have all the western diseases we have in our society with its animal based diet. Reading this book was the first time I've ever wondered whether free speech is such a good idea. It is! But this book was very troubling indeed. Reader beware.