Traditional foods are those eaten by people over the longer course of civilization and which have supported health – cultivated, produced, and harvested from the earth and out of nature – foods which are wholly unaltered and organic, and contain the highest levels of nutrition or are nutrient-dense.
These foods have been eaten for millennia by people around the world. They are not processed or packaged and sent all over the planet, so in many cases traditional foods are also those found in your local community.
Some examples include using real fats for cooking such as butter or lard instead of vegetable oil – which is a modern, industrialized fat, or meat and poultry from humanely-raised animals or birds living out in the open on green pasture. We have been taught to believe many of the foods we eat are from natural, healthy sources, but the reality is that most of what is bought and sold on the market is as unnatural as can possibly be.
It is these real, whole, nourishing foods enjoyed for generation upon generation that provide the cells of our bodies with the necessary fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients needed for vibrant health. This state of well-being is characterized by a quiet and strong digestive system, superior brain function, blissful sleep, sturdy bones, calm mind and an immune function that prevents infection.”
The most critical reason is for health, as traditional foods by their very nature contain the highest levels of nutrition available because they are grown or produced using sustainable methods which increase nutrient content and without chemicals and other dangerous substances which have been found to diminish nutritional value. To achieve wellness, the body needs nutrients from real food. Eating traditional foods helps to avoid many health issues including allergies, asthma, digestive and cardiovascular health issues, obesity, and autoimmune disorders like lupus, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and even Diabetes.
Traditional, real food possesses taste that is vastly different from conventional and processed foods. Traditional foods are full of flavor, texture, and aroma.
Eating traditional foods supports smaller, family farms and food-producing operations. When you eat traditional foods, you are also helping the environment by using your dollars to support sustainable methods of food production.
What types of foods are considered traditional?
Here’s a list of some traditional foods:
Sustainably-raised, animal meats and poultry or game birds such as beef, lamb, venison, rabbit, pork, elk, chicken, turkey, pheasant, and other fowl. Cattle are ruminants and should eat grass, not grain, soy, corn, or any other feed. Other animals/birds should be given organic and feed in their diet. Sustainably-raised, organic from hens raised on pasture, allowed to roam and eat worms, grubs, and insects as well as plants.
Fish, oysters, clams, mussels, crab, shrimp, octopus, squid. Organ meats produced from healthy, grass-fed animals and birds
Organic or sustainably-produced whole fruits and vegetables. Organic, whole, sprouted, soaked, or fermented grains to neutralize nutrient-inhibitors (photic acid) contained within the food. Raw, sustainably-produced diary including milk, cheese, cream, butter, kefir, and yogurt. Raw nuts from sustainable sources that have been soaked and sprouted, again to neutralize photic acid and make more digestible
Healthy, flavorful and stocks made from the bones and other parts of animal and birds raised on pasture
Healthy fats from traditional sources like butter from cows on pasture, lard and tallow from healthy, humanely raised animals and birds on pasture, extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and palm oils from sustainable sources.
Real, unrefined sea salt with naturally-occurring trace minerals and nutrients. Naturally cultured and fermented foods and amino acids like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, raw vinegar and vegetables. Eating traditionally does require some effort. But taking the time and effort to deliberately choose healthier foods to eat and avoiding processed, packaged foods will contribute positively to your health.
You can buy foods from others, or hunt or raise and produce your own. With perseverance, research, and concern for health and the environment, you can change your eating habits from unhealthy to healthy by purchasing, growing, and eating traditional foods.
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