FAQ-Studying Nutrition

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• What to Study to Become a Nutritionist
• Becoming a CCN
• Becoming an RD
• Becoming a Naturopath
• Notes on a CN Program
• Comments from Kaayla Daniel
• 4 food groups
• Cookware
• lab test that Dr Price used to analyze for vitamin A and D
• uncontacted Amazonian tribes
• who had the least cavities?
• arginine in broth

Studying Nutrition

Q. What Should I Study To Become A Nutritionist?

A. I am on the Board of Directors of the Weston A. Price Foundation and received my PhD last year in Nutritional Sciences. Although I do not know of any accredited school that includes Weston Price’s teachings in its curriculum, there are some accredited institutions with faculty members who allow — and even encourage — students to think for themselves and to identify research that challenges the establishment views of the ADA and AMA. For example, I received my PhD from the Union Institute and wrote a dissertation on the problems with soyfoods, a dissertation that I recently published as The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food.

Personally, I found all of my coursework valuable and that many of the standard textbooks provide evidence supporting the teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation You will need that evidence if you are to work effectively with clients and their physicians. You also need to know the ADA/AMA point of view in order to effectively argue with it. Finally, I highly recommend that you supplement the required readings with books by Weston Price, Sally Fallon, Mary Enig and others.

If you wish to study nutrition at either the Bachelor or Masters level, you might want to consider the University of Bridgeport, CT (which is an on-line Masters Program). We recommend schools that have regional accreditation rather than national. In terms of core classes in anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathophysiology, etc., I would recommend that you attend classes at your local community college or other standard accredited universities. You should get as much science as you can. –Response by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story

Check into getting a CCN by looking at the website www.iaacn.org.

You can also receive certification through the Nutritional Therapy Association. They offer distance learning courses to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) or Nutritional Therapy Consultant (NTC). The program is based on principles that are WAPF friendly. Please refer to their website, www.nutritionaltherapy.com for more information

Q. What is a CCN?

A. I don’t believe the CCN program at the Natural Healing Institute in California is legitimate and heard rumors at the CCN convention in Orlando last week that the IACCN board may take legal action against them for misuse of the CCN initials. To be a true CCN, you need to complete a number of courses at accredited colleges (nutrition, anatomy & physiology, biology, organic chemistry, etc.), apply for CCN candidacy, then take their postgraduate seminars (which are given periodically as intensive weekend seminars at four locations around the country), and complete the study of a number of manuals and tape sets, and, finally, take a challenging three hour exam. No college or school offers a CCN program. I would recommend that you call or email the IAACN in Dallas for details. Their website is www.iaacn.org. –Response by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story

Q. Do you recommend becoming an RD?

A. Yes! We need well-informed counselors in the ranks of the RDs. Be aware, however, that the Registered Dietician program may require a one-year internship in a hospital. –Response by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story

Q. What naturopathic options do you recommend?

A. There are 3 options: Bastyr University in Seattle is the most famous, the other two are National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Phoenix. I would highly recommend that you choose an accredited school because more and more states are requiring that nutritionists and other health practitioners be licensed. –Response by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story

Bastyr University not only offers a Naturopathic program but they offer a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and a Masters in Nutrition.  See:
http://www.bastyr.edu/education/nutrition/degree/training.asp

Bridgeport University also offers several nutrition Masters programs.  See:
http://www.bridgeport.edu/pages/3246.asp

A Member’s Comments about a CN Program

I became a Certified Nutritionist through American Health Science University (ahsu.edu). I have been a CN for many years now and the program has improved quite a bit since then and was good when I did it. I do recommend the program. It gives a good foundation, is professional, and is respected.

Each state has different licensing. New Hampshire does not license nutritionists (which by the way, is the way we have wanted it) but does license dietitians. We have fought against licensing bills for many years. The dietitians wanted to drive out competition and looked for third party reimbursement. Finally we all worked together on a bill that was only for dietitians leaving the rest of us alone. It may be at some point that we (NH nutritionists) might want to do something different, but right now this is where we stand. AHSU could probably tell you where your state stands.

Our professional organization, NANP (nanp.org), is working towards registration, with a qualifying exam. AHSU does have a “private federal license” which impressed the NH legislators when I testified. They are recognized by the Department of Education as nationally accredited (not regionally).

I highly recommend it as it will give you and others more credibility. You take the basic knowledge and then apply your area of interest (WAPF).

Further comments on nutrition studies by Kaayla Daniel.

I think it especially important not to get a “diploma mill” degree from Clayton or other of the correspondence schools that are open to more alternative points of views. Although many people enjoy the coursework, the degrees are not respected and not valid for licensure in most states. Note that many of these colleges claim to be accredited, but have actually been accredited by one of the new national accrediting agencies that have sprung up. Make sure the school you pick is accredited by a board recognized by the Department of Education. See also extensive article on studying nutrition.

Q: You have put a lot of work into your pyramid and that combination works for a lot of people. However, Price did not give proportions. Some of the groups he studied ate lots of grains (including legumes) and some had none.

A: We have preferred to do the 4 food groups in our Dietary Guidelines and Recipe Book. That way people can choose the proportions that work for them.

Q: How is it that you can’t answer my question about tea kettles (stainless steel vs. enamel)
An article about the hazards/negatives of stainless steel cookware appeared in your own Wise Traditions Journal. I must say, that ever since this article appeared, I have been utterly confused and frustrated about healthy cookware. To add to this confusion is the video on your website of Sarah Pope promoting stainless steel cookware for those who don’t cook acidic foods frequently or suffer from heavy metal toxicity. I would imagine that many people cook acidic foods often, such as, tomato sauce, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added to make broth, and oatmeal soaked in whey etc. Also, I don’t believe that everyone who is heavy metal toxic knows it, unless they were tested for it. In addition, what about those who are chemically sensitive, such as myself?
I have been using high quality 18/8 stainless steel cookware for years, but after reading the article decided to look into titanium cookware. There are multiple brands to choose from on the market and so I contacted Renee Terese Plasky to ask her advice on a good quality brand. She advertises her 316 Ti Titanium cookware in Wise Traditions. To my surprise the only titanium cookware she recommends is Saladmaster, she said, that it was the only really healthy cookware on the market. Is this true? I was told that a 4-piece starter set is $2,000.00. I assume that meant 2 pans with lids, which means $1000.00 for one pan!! That is absolutely outrageous.
I e-mailed Saladmaster and asked them how it is that the only healthy cookware on the market is unaffordable to most people and seems to be extremely overpriced. I asked them to justify there pricing. They responded to my e-mail but never answered any of my questions.
Renee Terese also mentioned that Le Crueset claims no lead (or minimal – can’t remember) in their cookware but won’t back up their claim with documentation.
Needless to say, I’ve decided to keep my stainless steel cookware but I do need some additional saucepans and stockpots. So the question remains; stainless steel, titanium (other than Saladmaster), or enamel? And what about 18/8 stainless steel vs. 18/10?
Before I spoke with Renee Terese, I was looking at brands such as, Swiss Diamond, Scan Pan CTX – ceramic titanium, and Silit.
I was hoping WAPF could answer my questions, which stemmed from the article in Wise Traditions on stainless steel cookware.
If you can’t answer my questions, then to whom do I turn?

A: Dear Mrs. Burns, Sally Fallon Morell has asked me to answer your questions about stainless and other cookware. There aren’t any simple answers, unfortunately. We each need to decide what types of cookware work best for our own budgets, life style, health challenges etc. I was coauthor with Dr. Galen Knight of the article “Mad as a Hatter,” which raised the issues of safety re stainless steel. Here’s my thoughts.
Re stainless: Dr. Knight has suffered from severe nickel toxicity so he never uses stainless. He points out rightly that there are carcinogenicity issues with nickel and also with chromium. If you have nickel or chromium toxicity, then it is important for you to avoid all stainless. It would also probably be wise if you are suffering from any health issues. That said, the most serious problems with stainless arise if we cook acidic things like tomatoes. Stainless is the preferred cookware of gourmet cooks, but I personally will not use it when cooking dishes that involve tomatoes or much vinegar. For such dishes, I recommend choosing glassware or enamelware such as Le Creuset.
Glassware from Corning Glass is probably the most non toxic cookware available and it can be found inexpensively on EBay. I’ve heard it’s also now sold inexpensively in places like Target. The problem with glass is that foods burn easily. It is thus poor for sauteing and other cooking applications where burning might easily occur. It’s perfect, however, for making broth, soups and stews.
Le Creuset cast iron and enamelware is another good choice. It is quite expensive but lasts forever. It’s heavy though and that can be a problem for some consumers.
What I use personally is a mix of glassware, Le Creuset and a few high quality stainless pans, such as the heavy 18/18 or 18/10 you mention. I see no reason to spend money on the extremely expensive Saladmaster titanium stainless. Indeed Dr. Knight has some of the same concerns about it as he has with other forms of stainless. Titanium alone would be a healthy cookware choice, but is not only prohibitively expensive but nearly impossible to find.
You asked about a tea kettle. My first choice would be glass. But this only works well if you plan to stay in the room while you wait for the water to boil. If you leave and forget about it, the glass can break if the water boils down completely. Le Creuset offers teakettles and that brand would be a good choice. With any enamel teakettles, find out what the kettle is lined with. The outside isn’t what’s important, the inside is. That’s the part that will affect your health. Most brands of “enamel” teapots are lined with stainless. However, I doubt that stainless would be a serious problem for a teakettle unless your water is unusually acidic. If boiling water, the exposure would be short term.
Re ceramic and other non-stick finishes: I’m not familiar with all the new finishes coming out and do not have the time to research any of them. If you are considering any cookware with unusual finishes, I would advise you visit Debra Lynn Dadd’s website — http://www.debralynndadd.com– to ask questions there about possible toxicity. Debra is great about contacting manufacturers to get answers, and her many readers can also be helpful.

Q: I would like to know the lab test that Dr Price used to analyze for vitamin A and D in the food samples that were sent back to his lab. What test was available in the 1930’s that would tell how much Vitamin A and D was present? I am a chemist, so feel free to add the details if you know them.

A: He used the Carr and Price method (not named after him but a different Price) for vitamin A. This method is well characterized and it should not be hard at all for you to find an abundance of information on it. He did not have a good test for vitamin D. You can read what I’ve read about it in the sections on the “activator X” test here: http://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/x-factor-is-vitamin-k2. Price’s first edition of NAPD was published in 1939 and he continued to do analyses through at least 1945, but he started in the 1920s and I do not know what technological changes were involved. I read somewhere that he initially was using standard films where he had hundreds of shades of blue for comparison, so I think he was seeking whatever rigor was available to him at the time and doing so rather successfully, but clearly the analytical methods at the time were quite troubled.

Q:  I’m currently reading “the Unconquered” by Scott Wallace about uncontacted Amazonian tribes in Brasil and the efforts being made to allow them to remain uncontacted. One of the motivating factors behind the no-contact policy is their susceptibility to ‘our’ diseases to which they would have no immunity. As I was reading this, I remembered how Dr. Price observed in the Orkneys that certain family members would be susceptible to tuberculosis while others were not. If I remember correctly, he credited adherence to their traditional diet with immunity. Since so many native tribes in our country alone succumbed to ‘white man’s’ diseases, especially smallpox, it would seem that adherence alone to traditional diet was not enough protection from outside disease. If it was, then smallpox should not have been as devastating as it was. I’m curious what you know about this.
You might be interested in reading the book ‘The Unconquered‘ by Scott Wallace which does a good job of recounting many first contact histories of indigenous peoples in Brasil.It is very clear that these people have absolutely no access to processed foods or anything refined at all and yet the common cold proves fatal to them…….. the Nukak people of Colombia are a recent example. Do you believe there could be something beyond diet alone that contributes to robust health and immunity?

A: I really think it is the diet. . . and since they grew up on a really good diet, they would probably have a fairly small pancreas, so that any change towards processed food/sugar/alcohol would affect them more than it would us. There is also the theory that smallpox was transmitted by bedbugs, which the white man brought in with his blankets.
> >> >> > See:http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/030212campbell/campbell%203-1.htm
I have not heard any reports that these peoples are decimated by flu or pneumonia. And I think you cannot assume that they are still eating a pure native diet. You would be amazed at what reaches these people–such as sodas and pastries.

Q: Out of all the people that Dr. Weston Price examined, who had the least cavities?

A: I think it was the Africans. He found 7 tribes of 100 or more in each tribe and not one cavity.

Q: After reading the article, Why Bone Broth is Beautiful: Essential Roles for Proline, Glycine, and Gelatin, is it accurate to say that the only amino acids are the ones listed?  Is it free of arginine?

A: It is not a major component of broth; but not guaranteed that there is no arginine in it.

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