Q. I have been scratching my head about the fish dilemma soon after the radiation spilled into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima. Everyone still promotes eating fish because of the high omega-6 fatty acids. I love fish and ate it all the time until that happened and about a year ago we decided to stop eating fish all together. We also live outside of Portland Oregon where there is a nuclear leak up the Columbia River. So you see we are in a very toxic place surrounded by nuclear waste. I’ve also read about the clams getting leukemia all over the world and I’m sure it’s from the nuclear fallout as well as past oil spills that have done this.
My question, is there really a safe fish to eat these days? Dr. Mercola still promotes sardines and certain salmon but doesn’t talk about the radiation factor when promoting these fish. Can you help guide me as to what the people of Weston A. Price have come up with in this huge problem?
Also I thought I heard a Wise Traditions podcast about getting omega-3 fatty acids from animal products. Is this true or did I make this up. LOL. Can you direct me to which podcast that was in if I heard that right? Also can you direct me to some articles that may talk about omega-3 fatty acids in animal products, fish and nuclear waste, etc.
A. This is a tough question. Personally I still eat fish and my husband eats oysters. We live on the East Coast so tend to get fish from the East Coast and oysters from New England. However, I also still eat wild Alaskan salmon and take fermented cod liver oil (which is from Alaskan cod). I think my main recommendation would be to still eat seafood but avoid seafood taken from water near nuclear power plants.
Yes, you can get omega-3s from foods like egg yolks and organ meats. And if there is a lot of saturated fat in your diet, you only need very small amounts of omega-3s.
Q. I have been making the recipe for the Mexican raw beef at least once a week. I really like that recipe and I always put it on tortillas. I am talking about the recipe from the book Nourishing Traditions. Can I do the same thing with water buffalo? The farmers market guy who sells my eggs now sells water buffalo meat.
A. Yes, you can do with water buffalo, bison, any red meat. So glad you like it!
Q. If I eat the raw beef I sometimes thaw it out in really hot water (like almost boiling hot). When I do that, am I going to destroy the B-vitamins?
A. Possibly, especially B6. Best to thaw out slowly.
Q. I have a few questions regarding the chapter on raw meat appetizer in the book, Nourishing Traditions. The book mentions marinating beef, lamb and seafood. Can raw meat from frog leg, crocodile, chicken, pork, duck, venison, goat or turkey be marinated and eaten without cooking, just like seafood, beef and lamb?
A. I would be careful about chicken, turkey and pork, but I think the others are OK.
Q. I have been making raw calves liver juice the same way Max Gerson made it.
Which vitamins will be in the juice? Will vitamin A make it? I ask because I don’t want to take too much. Will the liver juice contain the same nutrient content as an equal portion of raw liver?
A. I would think there is about the same amount of vitamin A in both. Be sure you are balancing this with vitamins D and K2–with egg yolks and butter. You will get many other nutrients from liver or liver juice, such as vitamin B12, vitamin B6, iron and other minerals.
Q. Is it normal for liver to smell like “a cow” (feces or bile) when cooking? Should it have been rinsed more thoroughly? Or is this a sign it has been tainted and should be discarded? I haven’t been able to find answers yet and any leads would be appreciated.
A. Liver does have a strong smell. If you soak it in milk, lemon juice or vinegar (then dry off well) before cooking, this will reduce the strong smell.
Q. I have a local organic pasture-raised source of pig’s liver, but you don’t hear much about it, only beef liver. Does WAPF have any thoughts on it? I soaked it in milk as advised and it tasted good.
A. So glad! Yes, pig’s liver would be good, I hope we will be able to analyze it one day for vitamins.
Q. So I have been getting around 4-5 ounces of beef liver per week in my diet, but recently I have become interested in consuming other organs in as well. Specifically, I aim to start eating both brain and heart. How many ounces of this a week would be optimal?
A. 4-5 ounces per week of brain and heart would be ideal.
Q. I’d like to ask you regarding meat heating temperatures. I read that if the temperature of the meat itself in the oven is kept below 70 degrees Celsius, no harmful carcinogens are created (https://e-reports-ext.llnl.gov/pdf/314198.pdf). Now my question is how low the temperature in meat can be in order to still have all the nutrients and enzymes. Is 70 degrees also the max? I know veggies and greens are to be from 47-65 Celsius. but what about meats?
A. Braised in the oven, the meat stays at 212 degrees F (100 C), which is fine. But when roasting, it is good to keep the internal temperature below 140 F. You will not keep all the enzymes but that’s okay. Supplement with sauerkraut or other lacto-fermented vegetable with your meal.
Q. This query is about the use of pork in the making of bone broth.
A Weston A. Price article dated October 12, 2011, by Beverly Rubik, states that to avoid blood coagulation and associated chronic disease from pork consumption, the pork must be marinated for at least eight hours. However, although recipes presented in Nourishing Broth generally include an acidic medium, marinating for that length of time is not stated.
Are the proteins in broth made from un-marinated pork not a concern?
A. I think that you will just have to see what effect the broth has on you. I find that if I eat unmarinated pork, I feel tired after. But I don’t have this effect when I make pork broth.
Q. I have been reading on the WAPF website about the effects of marinated and unmarinated pork on aggregated red blood cells. Is it possible to drink raw apple cider vinegar as a tonic before consuming un-marinated pork as an alternative to marinating the pork in ACV? For example, could one drink an ounce of ACV in 30 ounces of water with stevia as a mean of offsetting the tendency of pork to cause RBCs to aggregate? Or is it essential to marinate pork in straight ACV in order to avoid RBCs aggregating and creating health issues?
A. Rather than drink ACV, might be better to eat the pork with sauerkraut. If taste is the primary concern, consider cooking the pork with lots of spices, and you won’t notice the sour taste of the ACV used for marinating it.
Q. Is it wrong to add salt to the bone broth during cooking process? I ask this because salt contains many minerals and they possibly bind with the minerals in the bone broth. I also do not know what the vinegar does with the salt.
A. The problem with adding salt while making is that it boils down and you could end up with broth that is too salty.
Q. I had a quick question about glyphosate. Is there any information out there about how it translates through the animals that we eat? Like direct exposure of grains and vegetables that humans eat, versus non-organic grains that are fed to animals which may have been exposed to glyphosate. I’m just curious as to the risks because it is a question now that pops up a lot from my farmer’s market customers.
A. There have been a few tests that have shown that glyphosate shows up in the tissues of animals exposed through their feed. Also, that it shows up in cows’ milk. Gelatin is derived from the ligaments of pigs and cows and the collagen that is the main source is loaded with glycine. Our research shows that glyphosate gets into proteins by mistake in place of glycine during protein synthesis. So, this becomes a very dangerous path by which one can get exposure to
glyphosate.
High levels of glyphosate have been found in gelatin-based products (like Jell-O). Glyphosate has been found at very high levels in GMO Roundup Ready soy and also in wheat-based products due to the fact that it’s often used as a desiccant right before harvest.
Q. In your book (Nourishing Traditions, page 437) you state under “Fried
egg”: “… There is absolutely nothing harmful in frying an egg gently in butter.” However, Dr. Mercola in “Superfoods That Give You the Most Bang for Your Buck” (weekly newsletter March 30, 2017) states that:
“…Ideally, you’ll want to eat your eggs as close to raw as possible, such as soft-boiled or poached. Scrambled or fried eggs are the worst, as this oxidizes the cholesterol in the egg yolk.”
A. Nonsense. To oxidize the egg you need to heat to very high temperatures and force out a tiny hole. Regular cooking (or whipping to make soufflés or beating to make scrambled eggs) does not oxidize the cholesterol.
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When I butcher cows and I keep the feet I remove the skin and place the feet in 160 degree water for six minutes or so. Then I remove a hoof and use a fork to pry the hoof sheath off. I then use the feet along with other bones to make broth. On the last cow I couldn’t get the hoof sheaths to pop off. I’ve rinsed the hooves in alternating baths of scalding water so that they do not turn soaking water dark. Assuming that I boil the broth for 24 to 48 hours, would it be safe to leave these hoof sheaths on?
I am pregnant and trying to follow the Prenatal diet outlined in the WAPF. I also try and supplement with a chelated form of magnesium since we dont have a dehydrator for nuts and without it I get restless leg syndrome and an organ meat supplement complex that has spleen, liver, pancreas, and kidney. Are these extra supplements recommended or supported by WAPF?
Brittany, congratulations on your pregnancy, we wish you well!
Without knowledge of your particular magnesium supplement, it is hard to comment. But we do recommend acquiring magnesium from other sources such as epsom salt baths, and products such as “Calm”.
The organ complex you are taking is certainly recommended, just don’t overdo. Take the suggested dose unless advised otherwise by a practitioner.
Hi, I’m really confused about what type of fish is allowed to be eaten on the wise traditions diet. Like they have stuff for around two/three dollars a pound at a store up the street, buy then there’s stuff for around fifteen dollars a pound at a stand at the farmer’s market. How do I know what type to get?
Is it safe to eat oysters raw while pregnant?