Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Your body needs proper nourishment to function. If you ignore this law for very long, you will get sick. This is the 6th of 10 very important principles for how to eat in a way that gives your body the energy it needs.

PRINCIPLE 6 OF GOOD NUTRITION: Carefully prepare your seed foods

Seed foods include grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Plants contain toxins and anti-nutrients to help defend themselves, and these are highest in their seeds. Seeds are hard to digest, can irritate the GI tract, and interfere with the absorption of nutrients from your food.

Traditional peoples all carefully prepared these seeds to minimize such problems. They soaked, fermented, sprouted and long-leavened them. Examples include sourdough bread, porridge and pozole.

They also did not eat a lot of seeds, as they had to collect them from the wild. This is a far cry from how they are grown on thousands of acres as a mono-crop today.

The most common seed that is consumed is wheat. There are many reasons to avoid foods made with wheat, such as bread, crackers, noodles, cookies, pastries, etc. The wheat in these foods has not been properly prepared to minimize the toxins and anti-nutrients that occur naturally in all seeds. It has been refined into white flour, removing the nutrients. And most wheat contains very high amounts of toxins used in the growing, processing, and storage of it in modern agriculture.

Beware of over-consuming improperly prepared “gluten free” products made from other seed foods. Most have not been soaked or sprouted. Carbohydrates are an important part of our diet, and good whole food alternatives include fruit, winter squash, dairy products, honey and maple syrup. These foods are delicious and very satisfying.

Read “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon for more information about properly preparing seed foods and lots of wonderful recipes. Or go online to The Weston A. Price Foundation and read the article “Be Kind to Your Grains”.

Dr. Veronica Tilden is a doctor of osteopathy. Osteopaths are fully licensed physicians, and additionally they learn how to diagnose and treat using their hands. She has helped people regain vibrant health with a holistic approach since 1997, using traditional hands-on osteopathy and lifestyle counseling. (931) 295-3115 or DrVeronicaTilden.com.