I just attended a local hospital's women's health expo and spoke to a diabetes nutrition educator who was horrified that I would pursue a low-carb diet. "Why would you do that?" she asked. I gave my reasons dropped a lot of names of groups and books, none of which she was familiar with. I just wrote her an email and decided to share the text of it here to introduce others to some great resources that have made a difference for me.

Different people find health and wellness through different means, but it is through a gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, corn-free, low-carb, low-grain “traditional” diet that I personally was able to reverse autoimmune hyperthyroidism, regain my fertility, and address chronic depression.

A powerful book about the wisdom of limiting or avoiding grains is on the site of author Melissa Diane Smith. She wrote a book called Going Against the Grain that explains connections between grain intolerance and other health issues and explains why grains (relatively recently introduced, ancestrally speaking) give so many people problems.
http://www.melissadianesmith.com/

I recently saw two speakers talk about avoiding grains at a Gluten Intolerance Group gathering in Richmond, VA.
Dr. Stephen Wangen, author of The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution, has written a new book called Healthier Without Wheat. Information is available at www.HealthierWithoutWheat.com
Dr. Rodney Ford makes the case that gluten has neurological impacts on people who do not have celiac disease. Information is available at www.DrRodneyFord.com
These men both gave fascinating presentations. (Future posts to come on this!)

In terms of "traditional" eating, visit the site of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a foundation named for a dentist, who, in the 1920s, discovered how the dental, physical and emotional health of people related to how well they stuck to their traditional diets (and avoided processed foods).
http://www.westonaprice.org/
The WAPF has articles on healthy vs. unhealthy fats at
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html
An article on proper preparation of grains is at
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html

For all this info and recipes, see WAPF founder Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions

A growing number of people are finding better health through increasing their intake of vegetables and decreasing their carbohydrates. Some people even point to a theory of food combining that claims putting carbohydrates with animal proteins inhibits proper digestion of food and leads to an acid/alkaline imbalance, which contributes to inflammatory conditions and to an overgrowth of Candida (yeast).

Some of this information can be found at The Body Ecology Diet - http://www.bodyecologydiet.com/ and in the BED book by Donna Gates.
Some general resources on the benefits of limiting carbohydrates can also be found at
The Gut and Psychology Syndrome - http://gapsdiet.com/
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet - http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

A great read on why follow the wisdom of our ancestors is Nina Planck’s book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why. A farmers' daughter and a proponent of farmers markets, Nina also has a new book out for fertility, mom and baby. See her website at http://www.ninaplanck.com/

Here's hoping others find some wisdom here that leads to health and happiness!

Adapted from an original poston the author’s blog, Crunchy-Chewy Mama.

Jessica Claire Haney is a freelance writer, editor and tutor. Her writing has appeared in parenting publications and poetry journals. A former high school English teacher, Jessica is mother to one son and is passionate about holistic health and well-being. Read more at Crunchy-Chewy Mama  and on DC Metro Moms Blog.

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