Page 5 - Spring2009

Letters

CORPORATE-INSPIRED college. These lessons would include have gradually undone many of the
NUTRITION the research of Weston Price and would false and misleading “facts” of my Ivy
As you can see by the photo, my have included food labs that discussed League education. And I am rebuilding
corporate-inspired nutrition education pre-industrial foodways and food pres- my health as a result.
started early, when we learned to eat ervation techniques. We would also have Thank you, Weston A. Price Foun-
cornflakes for breakfast. walked across the quad to the agricul- dation, for your role in my re-education
Later, I decided to study nutrition ture school to learn about soil biology and healing.
in college. I followed through with the and plant-soil biology. We would also Sally Norton, MPH
plan and earned a degree in nutrition have learned about agribusiness and the Richmond, Virginia
from an Ivy League University in the powerful effects of the farm bill. What
late 1980s. It has been years, but certain a shame that there was so little substan- The toxicity of polar bear liver is not
college academic lessons still stick in tive content about how political systems, due to its vitamin A content. The Inuit
my head. Here are the major take-home growing conditions, food processing and peoples avoid polar bear liver during
messages that really the winter months when
left an impression the bears eat lichen, which
on me: 1) polar bear contains alkaloids poison-
liver will kill you ous to humans.
because of its high
vitamin A content; SOUTH SEA
2) fat-soluble vita- ISLANDERS
mins are dangerous; In the 1980s, I lived
3) sugar consumption for about a year near the
has no ill effects, ex- village of Ibobang, on the
cept for dental caries; main island of Babelthuap
and 4) dietary fat is in the Republic of Belau
the principal cause of (Palau) in Micronesia. I
cancer, heart disease, taught at a village high
and just about every school that was supported
thing else. The major by a wealthy California
message: avoid fat at family, which was specifi-
all costs and eat more cally designed and created
carbs. Remember too: for families who followed
avoid vitamin pills and polar bear preparation impact the nutritional value the traditional Palauan religion (known
liver. of foods and the health of the eaters. as Modekngei). I taught English as a
Funny thing that at student ori- I paid a price for my fancy edu- second language, geography and pho-
entation and other official events, the cation with my health. I followed a tography. I was able to take several
university nutrition department served lowfat, low-salt, polar bear liver-free, close-up photos of the students for a
danishes and other white flour, trans-fat vegetarian diet for sixteen years. I also yearbook we put together.
junk food. encouraged others to do the same. What The students at the school ranged in
These days I have ideas about a mistake it was! I am happy to report age from about eleven to somewhat over
what I should have been learning in that I have been a life-long learner and twenty. They came from various villages

SPRING 2009 Wise Traditions 3