Price, a dentist living in the early 1900s, understood that those who lived in primitive conditions had excellent teeth. Those eating the "modern" diet experienced tooth decay and periodontal disease. Rather than look at the disease, Dr. Price chose to study the primitive groups and consider their diet. From the Eskimos of Alaska to Australian Aborigines to isolated African tribes, Dr. Price concluded that dental health as well as overall health comes as a result of eating whole, unrefined foods.
Dr. Price detailed his research in his 500-page book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, published in 1939. In the chapter titled "Practical Application of Primitive Wisdom," Dr. Price makes a stunning conclusion when addressing the issue of eliminating tooth decay.
Simply stated, the practical application of the primitive wisdom for accomplishing this would involve returning to the use of natural foods which provide the entire assortment of body-building and repairing food factors. This means the recognition of the fact that all forms of animal life are the product of the food environments that have produced them. Therefore, we cannot distort and rob the foods without serious injury. Nature has put these foods up in packages containing the combinations of minerals and other factors that are essential for nourishing the various organs. Some of the simpler animal forms are able to synthesize in their bodies some of the food elements which we humans also require, but cannot create ourselves. Our modern process of robbing the natural foods for convenience or gain completely thwarts Nature's inviolable program. I have shown how the robbing of the wheat in the making of white flour reduced the minerals and other chemicals in the grains, so as to make them sources of energy without normal body-building and repairing qualities. Our appetites have been distorted so that hunger appeals only for energy with no conscious need for body-building and repairing chemicals.This last sentence is striking! Dr. Price was correct. It's easy to distort our appetites so that we no longer recognize our need for nutrient-dense foods. Indeed, eating food in its natural form may get us back on track with our teeth and our overall health.
Absolutely agreed. We have often asked, "Why didn't God make broccoli taste like ice cream?" But after years of diligently trying to eat the "right" foods, our tastes did begin to change and crave more of what we were designed to eat. Even wild bears who forage in dumps lose their taste for their natural God-given food and instead want "human" junk. I will never forget the image I saw on TV of a bear standing on his hind legs, with a paw stuffed into a large Doritos bag. ~ Sarah
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