Healing Protocols Podcast: Episode 8 – Sally Fallon Morell

Community Podcast April 26, 2017

Episode 8 of my collaborative project with Rory Linehan of The Paleo PI and Petra Chambers-Sinclair of BiohackU – two of my favourite peeps in this corner of the health caper world – is up and running!

The three of us all hail from different corners of the globe and have very different life experiences, but we share both friendship and passion for seeking health through an holistic approach. The intention behind our podcast is to seek out and interview others who share the same goal – and hopefully impart what we learn and have a little fun along the way. We hope you’ll join us!

[su_divider divider_color=”#009999″ margin=”0″]I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here. And, if you want to know why I’m on the sugar-free version of the Autoimmune Protocol, you can read about that here.[/su_divider]

In this episode, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Sally Fallon Morell reveals the challenges of taking on the low-fat nutritional dogma of the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s; and, how her family has thrived for decades on a full-fat diet.

Sally also speaks to her new book, Nourishing Fats, as well as the role of mindfulness in her health and wellbeing.

Listen on: iTunes|Stitcher

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a positive review in iTunes or Stitcher. It would help us spread the word and it would mean the world to me.

Show notes

00.00 Introduction to the Healing Protocols: The Global Edition

01.29 Jo: Welcome to Episode 8: Interview with Sally Fallon Morell

02.08 Rory: How did Weston A Price’s book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” impact your life?

25: I read the book in the early 70s – it confirmed what I was already doing. My family loved French cooking, using fats like butter and cream. The book didn’t change me so much as confirmed what I was going. It was a guiding marker for me as the low-fat message became more and more prominent. Traditional cultures are full-fat diets and were healthy. When I met Mary Enig, it gave me a lot of confidence in this way of life.

03.56 Rory: As we know, fat was demonized during the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s due to the work of Ansel Keys and others. What challenges did you face trying to eat a fat-rich diet during that period?

18: I remember my kids going to the houses of their friends and eating pasta and low-fat foods – they would never be satiated. I knew it wasn’t right. We become kind of an “oddball” for eating that way. People weren’t attacking me so much as ignoring me. Even today it’s like that.

05:25 Petra: Your newest book “Nourishing Fats” is out. I love it! Could you tell us a little about the book?

35: That book began almost 20 years ago. Mary Enig and I wrote down an outline about what a book would look like on fats. We just never got to it, and now Mary has passed away. My agent came to me asking for a new book and I had this outline sitting in my drawer. I could really cut and paste a lot of the content because I’ve been working on this topic for decades.

07.45 Jo: I’m about a third of the way through the book. There is so much wonderful information!

00: It’s incredible we have come to the place where we are for two reasons;
1. All traditional cultures have saturated fats
2. Saturated fats play many roles in our cell membranes; for lung function, for kidney function

09.12 Jo: When you first started on this path, the nutritional dogma was different from now. Things like: we should be eating margarine over butter, and the like. As a young mother how did you cope with that and what is it like for you now that the rest of the world is starting to catch up with you?

50: My kids were always healthy. It was easy for me to cook that way. Now I have the confirmation of all the healthy Weston A Price babies which are published in our journal. Weston A Price parents are reporting the same things I observed with my kids. My grandchildren are the same. We know that this works. Weston A Price principles are the most important that a parent can learn for their child’s health and wellbeing

12.20 Petra: As President of the Weston A Price Foundation, you’re known as a leader in the ancestral health movement. Could you describe Weston A Price and how it compares to Paleo, GAPs and others?

50: Weston A Price has higher levels of fat than most other diets. We are all-inclusive, not telling people to leave foods out, including grains, dairy, salt and sweet things. It’s the “yes, you can” diet. Everyone must fine-tune their own diet according to their needs because some people won’t do well on certain foods such as dairy and grains. The goal is that the next generation will.

14.00 Jo. Is there an epigenetic component where we are not switching on genes in our current generation, which in turn affects the health of future generations.

10: Absolutely. Diet affects the expression of our genetics, particularly Vitamin A. Sadly, nutritional dogma in the US is that Vitamin A is toxic. We need to turn around the prejudice on Vitamin A.

15.30 Rory: You mentioned that some people aren’t suited to eating grains and others aren’t suited to eating dairy. Could you explain what people in these situations should do on the Weston A Price diet?

50: We recommend the GAPS diet in these situations. It is a diet that has a lot of broth and Vitamin A.

17.30 Jo: Could you talk us through the role of sugar in the Weston A Price diet?

35: Sugar is different from carbohydrates. There are few exceptions to the fact that traditional diets had something sweet in it. You do want to minimize it. One of the things I noticed with my grandchildren is that they just aren’t interested. You don’t want to be so restrictive with children that they will rebel. You need to be flexible. Once you have been on the Weston A Price diet for a while you are not attracted to the sugar-laden foods in the grocery store because you replete your vitamin levels.

19.55 Rory: Taking the conversation outside of diet. Could you tell us if spirituality has been a part of yours, and your family’s, journey?

07: I’m very interested in metaphysics and a huge reader of Rudolph Steiner. He said some very interesting things about fats and fats being essential to the role of the spiritual body. I find meditating challenging. I am an action person, not a meditator.

21.35 Petra: Could you tell us about your current life and diet?

50: My husband and I purchased a dairy farm in southern Maryland. We make dairy products, we have pastured pigs and poultry. I have to say that I’m still tied to my desk more than I’d like to be. Unfortunately, the area we live in is an area of “margarine and jello”. But, little by little, the food culture is changing.

23.37 Rory: We ask our guests the same two questions. The first: what is your best advice to someone who is just starting out.

55: Use butter, as much as you want. Throw out the margarines and other spreads. Then throw out the salad dressings and make your own. It can be overwhelming to change to this diet but if you make these changes incrementally it’s a lot easier

24.38 Jo: Who has been the most influential person as you’ve pursued your health protocol lifestyle?