Lately we've gotten used to hearing stories of healing with low-carb or Paleo diets. However, many others are beginning to share their stories of feeling much better once they add back in healthy whole grains prepared in traditional ways…
Miracle Stories of Healing from Weston A. Price:
This figure shows the rapid healing of a fractured femur of a boy four and onehalf years of age suffering from convulsions due to malnutrition. His fracture occurred when he fell in a convulsion. There was no healing in sixty days. After reinforcing his nutrition with butter vitamins the healing at the right occurred in thirty days. Whole milk replaced skim milk and a whole wheat gruel made from freshly ground whole wheat replaced white bread.
- A minister in an industrial section of our city, during the period of severe depression, telephoned me stating that he had just been called to baptize a dying child. The child was not dead although almost constantly in convulsions. He thought the condition was probably nutritional and asked if he could bring the boy to the office immediately. The boy was badly emaciated, had rampant tooth decay, one leg in a cast, a very bad bronchial cough and was in and out of convulsions in rapid succession. His convulsions had been getting worse progressively during the past eight months. His leg had been fractured two or three months previously while walking across the room when he fell in one of his convulsions. No healing had occurred. His diet consisted of white bread and skimmed milk. For mending the fracture the boy needed minerals, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. His convulsions were due to a low calcium content of the blood. All of these were in the skimmed milk for the butter-fat removed in the cream contains no calcium nor phosphorus, except traces. The program provided was a change from the white flour bread to wheat gruel made from freshly ground wheat and the substitution of whole milk for skimmed milk, with the addition of about a teaspoonful of a very high vitamin butter with each feeding. He was given this meal that evening when he returned to his home. He slept all night without a convulsion. He was fed the same food five times the next day and did not have a convulsion. He proceeded rapidly to regain his health without recurrence of his convulsions. In a month the fracture was united. Two views of the fracture are shown in Fig. 93, one before and one after the treatment. Six weeks after this nutritional program was started the preacher called at the home to see how the boy was getting along. His mother stated that the boy was playing about the doorstep, but they could not see him. She called but received no answer. Presently they spied him where he had climbed up the downspout of the house to the second story. On being scolded by his mother, he ran and jumped over the garden fence, thus demonstrating that he was pretty much a normal boy. This boy's imperative need, that was not provided in white bread and skimmed milk, was the presence of the vitamins and other activators that are in whole milk but not in skimmed milk, and in whole wheat, freshly ground, but not in white flour. He was restored to health by the simple process of having Nature's natural foods restored to him.
A mother asked my assistance in planning the nutritional program for her boy. She reported that he was five years of age and that he had been in bed in hospitals with rheumatic fever, arthritis and an acute heart involvement most of the time for the past two and a half years. She had been told that her boy would not recover, so severe were the complications. As is so generally the case with rheumatic fever and endocarditis, this boy was suffering from severe tooth decay. In this connection the American Heart Association has reported that 75% of heart involvements begin before ten years of age. My studies have shown that in about 95% of these cases there is active tooth decay. The important change that I made in this boy's dietary program was the removal of the white flour products and in their stead the use of freshly cracked or ground wheat and oats used with whole milk to which was added a small amount of specially high vitamin butter produced by cows pasturing on green wheat. Small doses of a high-vitamin, natural cod liver oil were also added. (See where to buy both of those.) At this time the boy was so badly crippled with arthritis, in his swollen knees, wrists, and rigid spine, that he was bedfast and cried by the hour. With the improvement in his nutrition which was the only change made in his care, his acute pain rapidly subsided, his appetite greatly improved, he slept soundly and gained rapidly in weight. This occurred six years ago. As I write this a letter has been received from the boy's mother. She reports that he is taller and heavier than the average, has a good appetite and sleeps well.
A mother asked my assistance in planning the nutritional program for her boy. She reported that he was five years of age and that he had been in bed in hospitals with rheumatic fever, arthritis and an acute heart involvement most of the time for the past two and a half years. She had been told that her boy would not recover, so severe were the complications. As is so generally the case with rheumatic fever and endocarditis, this boy was suffering from severe tooth decay. In this connection the American Heart Association has reported that 75% of heart involvements begin before ten years of age. My studies have shown that in about 95% of these cases there is active tooth decay. The important change that I made in this boy's dietary program was the removal of the white flour products and in their stead the use of freshly cracked or ground wheat and oats used with whole milk to which was added a small amount of specially high vitamin butter produced by cows pasturing on green wheat. Small doses of a high-vitamin, natural cod liver oil were also added. (Do you have any stories of healing with Real Food that you could share with us?
We'd love to hear them!
More links you may want to check out:
- Who is Weston A. Price anyway?
- Another Real Food miracle!
- Wisdom from WAP on mineral absorption
- Sally Fallon talks about the Oiling of America and how the low-fat myth began
- Recipes, Meal Ideas, Kitchen Tips
- Healthy Egg Recipes from YOU
Nicole says
Wow, great post. I have just been agonising over whether to spend the money and get a grain-mill, this post may have clinched it!! I use store bought flour to cook for my kids though I use it sparingly. Sounds like simply milling my own flour would be a major health improvement in itself!! Then I just have to learn how to prepare grains properly, but one step at a time I guess!! Kelly, do you use a grain mill and if so which one???
KitchenKop says
Hi Nicole,
I have the Nutrimill, which I talk about in this post: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/02/kitchen-gadgets.html
I love grinding my own!
Kelly
Jenny says
I think this topic is starting to give me a headache. Most other cultures just eat. Many don’t have access to the constant bombardment of information that us Americans have but they sure seem to be much better off than we are. Just Eat Food, Real Food. I think I like this diet. Doesn’t require a ridiculous amount of thinking but does require work, lots and lots of work. God in is infinite wisdom made all of us and so many DNA combinations that we can hardly wrap our heads around the number, but we have people saying all of us should have the same food needs. This defies logic. We need clean unadulterated food but I really have a hard time with the idea that any of these types (clean, unadulterated) of foods should be off limits. We can find a culture that would support just about any type or kind of diet, including the SAD diet. All we need for that one is to look around. But, that is the point. I said “a culture for just about all types of diets.” This means people are and have been surviving for years eating many types, quantities, and combinations of food. They have done this much better than we seem to be doing it and with no internet or medical/scientific information just common sense and generations of knowledge.
I am gluten intolerant and have spent the last 8 years healing my gut. I have recently started adding back in properly prepared gluten containing grains. I have had no problems. I also do better on a reduced grain diet but not grain free. My husband does great on a reduced grain diet but not as reduced as I seem to feel best on. My daughter is pregnant and requires grains to feel good, lots of fats, raw milk and proteins, fruits and vegetables also. My son in law eats alot, period. He can’t seem to gain weight easily. My son is a college athlete who requires massive amounts of food to function including grains. He has tried low/no grain and low/no carb also but with less than stellar results. Adding grains back in was always required. His diet after he graduates will obviously be different than now. His fiance is also an athlete who can’t gain weight. Her diet has been the SAD so far but my son likes to cook and is slowing changing that. His diet isn’t mine but it is a very good “college kid” diet. All of us are so very different and I can’t imagine it any other way. We raise our own food as much as possible, including meat and milk. I eat how it makes Me feel best, love and socialize with my family and friends and trust God with the rest. He made us and all the food we should eat. We all need to remember that we are all not the same. What is good for us may not be good for someone else, and could be deadly. If we were all the same this would be a very boring place and we probably wouldn’t like each other very much either.
IC says
I think it’s a shame this topic is so divisive. From what I understand, the basis of WAPF eating is pastured animal fats plus whatever traditional food – this is up to the individual (or culture), no? Aren’t we all hoping for more freedom in our choices of food through more availability and better access? Then we need to respect other people’s choices on the grain vs. no grain issue.
Incidentally, none of the examples of healing in Sarah’s link today included grains. (I’m not saying grains are bad – don’t attack me – just another example of *variety.*)
Laurel says
I have to agree with Jen. Still they are remarkable stories of healing.
I’m one of the people who could be killed quickly by wheat. I made the mistake of eating something breaded 3 days ago and I’m still suffering. It was an experiment that I won’t be repeating! 😀
@Andrea – Meat and veg (for the most part) have changed through selective breeding by farmers, over thousands of years, and not in one day by a scientist. For anyone willing to grow their own: heirloom varieties of veg and farm animals are readily available.
Amy says
It’s worth noting that the grains these boys were eating (and healing on) were not sprouted or fermented. Just freshly ground.
It’s pretty clear to me that the grains (along with milk) provided the minerals, and the fats provided the activator vitamins. Both parts are needed for healing.
Catherine H. says
I just want to reiterate what Jen said–that these stories of healing cannot be attributed to the traditionally prepared grains in the diet–one can only say that in these instances the addition of grains did not seriously impede the process of healing. We can’t know how the children would have responded to a grain-free diet. When I saw your title, I thought the stories would be about people experiencing healing in a paleo diet that experienced further healing when they added in grains–I would gave found that kind of situation much more compelling (although I still would have had many questions.)
Diane says
I thought the same thing as you did when I read the title. I’d love to hear from those who have experienced healing from paleo or primal and then added in grains and experienced even more healing. Most of the stories I’ve read in my research are from people who got much better following the WAP principles (coming from the SAD), but then, proceeded to get even BETTER when they went one step further and eliminated grains.
Amy says
Check out Anne Marie on the Cheeseslave blog. She experienced some healing following WAPF but then developed issues from being too low-carb. She has gotten much better eating more grains (she wasn’t no-grain before, but minimal). Matt Stone’s blog has quite a few, too – but mostly people recovering from low-carb diets (which seemed great short-term but led to problems long-term).
Personally, I’m believe some people don’t tolerate grains well, but I believe it’s a small minority. People following low-carb diets don’t think they tolerate grains, but it’s because they’ve messed up their metabolisms on the diets. Once they eat grains again consistently for a short period, they are usually fine again.
Jen says
I love hearing stories where people are healed by food! It’s such an overlooked part of healing these days.
That being said, not only were both of these people given grains, they were also given whole milk and butter oil. It’s likely that the milk and butter oil played the major role. When you are so malnurished from such a poor diet, there’s lots of room for improvement. If I went from junk food to a vegan diet, I’d be shouting from the roof tops about how much better I feel. One is a huge improvement over the other. An even bigger improvement, as we all know, would be to add in quality animal proteins.
The toxins, anti-nutrients and gluten in grains is not something that kills you quickly. It’s the long term affects that concern me for wheat especially. The wheat we eat today is very different from the wheat during Weston A. Price’s time and even more so when compared to wheat during biblical times. Fruit is also very different than it was 50,000 years ago. Vegetables? Grass-fed beef? They’ve changed very little just like our DNA.
Andrea says
I really don’t know how you can say vegetables and meat have not changes…farmers constantly breed their animals and germinate their seeds to reproduce certain “desirable traits” and have been doing so for hundreds of years. And, yes, the toxins in wheat will sure kill you. It took 92 years to kill my great grandmother (mother of 13 children who ate a lot of whole grains and other traditional foods every day) but it killed her in the end!
Heather says
I’m confused by by this reply. You’re saying that wheat toxins killed your great-grandmother? Maybe I’m missing a very important part to this story, but I’d love to be healthy enough to be able to successfully reproduce 13 times and live into my 90’s. I’d say bring on whatever she was doing, which in this case, seems to be eating traditional foods including whole grains! I’m not arguing whether or not vegetables and meat have changed, it just seems like a death at 92 is quite a success and I’m really wondering why you’re attributing it to the wheat she’d eaten her whole life.
Andrea says
I was just being sarcastic, Heather…I really don’t believe grains are toxic for the majority of people. I’ve seen too many healthy old nonagenarians who ate plenty of grains!
Heather says
Oh my word, Andrea, that is too funny. I was trying to be polite in my response, but I was thinking to myself, “This person is nuts!” Ha ha! The joke’s on me. =)
recipe gal says
LOL! This interchange between you two has me rolling on the floor! That being said, yes, my great-grandmother lived to be 102 on my mother’s side and 100 on my fateher’s side, and my both of my grandmas (86 & 90 yrs old) seem like they will also live that long, and they ate wheat (and smoked!). However, I DO believe that farming practices have changed A LOT, just in the past 30 or 40 years. Also, though in good health, they both have arthritis and joint problems. I think adopting changes and a healthier lifestyle today could possibly ease some of these symptoms in the future. It’s worth a shot, right? I mean, it certainly can’t hurt!