Bauman food philosophy?

[mk]

I am very interested in your program but I was wondering if your food philosophies would be similar to Weston A. Price, Sally Fallon and Natasha Campbell-McBride? I find myself being drawn towards their schools of thought and would like to find a program that comes close. I also like the holistic side that you present so if you offer both that would be terrific.

Thanks!

[Orrin Ahola]

I would be very interested in any answers to this question from someone representing the College or any grads.  If I may share an opinion, I believe that mainstream conventional wisdom touting a low fat, low cholesterol diet has grossly missed the mark.  I have also observed a subtle tolerance of this convention from "alternative" health advisors who champion plenty of "healthy" fats (omega this and that).  This seems a tacit admission that saturated fats are unhealthy.  I am strongly considering applying to the nutritional counselling program, but it would be nice to know that good ol' lard, bone marrow, butter, coconut oil, etc are not going to be demonized.  I just don't find any evidence to support such a position.  (Of course, I can certainly make a case against consuming heavily processed fats, damaged fats, and fats from animals raised by unnatural, unhygienic, and inhumane means.)

Perhaps it is I that am way off the mark though!

Is anybody able to comment on this?

Thanks!

Orrin Ahola

[Ed Bauman]

The Eating for Health model appreciates both saturated and unsaturated fats from organically grown plants and  pasture raised animals. Most conventional nutrition programs that I know of that offer MS in Nutrition or offer Registered Dietitian trainings are not as organically oriented as Bauman, nor are they likely to recognizing the benefits of whole, unprocessed, saturated fats such as organic butter, lard or coconut.

[jodi f.]

Orrin,

Speaking as a distance mentor and writer for the school, but not as the voice of Bauman College, I'd like to add that many of us embrace not only the Bauman Eating for Health model, but also a variety of other models that offer similar and/or complementary philosophies. One such is from the Weston A. Price Foundation (WARF), which is an eating system that works well for me, personally. Gardening and cooking from "scratch" have always been my passions, and WAPF's emphasis on traditional cultured foods has helped me take this a step further, while enhancing my health at the same time. I use a number of cultured vegetable, dairy and sourdough recipes from Nourishing Traditions. In my life, this is where WAPF is truly exceptional.

Eating for Health's strong points are its emphasis on nutrient dense "booster foods"--algaes, flax, whey protein, nutritional yeast and its emphasis on lifestyle and spiritual (vital) factors, things that align nicely with WAPF.

As far as fats are concerned, my low-fat days are forever behind me. I definitely fell prey to that philosophy many years ago, and it didn't do my health one bit of good. Now, older and I believe wiser, I eat as much high quality fat as I want; my metabolism seems to thrive on it: cream; coconut oil, cream and milk; olive oil; avocados; nuts and seeds; butter. And marrow bones? I might get violent if you try to take mine away from me. I find fat satiating, soothing and delicious, and I have no problem advocating it with my students and clients, with one caveat: It has to be right for any given metabolism.

And this is also where E4H shines. E4H is holistic and based on the principles of Functional Medicine, which considers individual uniqueness for any recommendations. Some people, some health conditions, some situations require lower fat. It's not a black-and-white issue, and it's not set in stone. People and situations change and it's nice for people to be non-dogmatic in their approach to feeding and nurturing themselves.

I hope this helps.

[Orrin Ahola]

Thank you both for the replies.  Very helpful!