Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

Contributed by Cat Pitman, Nutritionist, Health & Fitness Professional

We all know that eating unhealthy foods can cause a multitude of problems, not only on the inside of our bodies, but also the outside.  In a study by Weston A. Price, regarding nutrition and physical degeneration, he determined that due to the introduction of processed and modernized foods, the occurrence of dental cavities/decay has increased exponentially.  How many of you know someone that has never had a single dental problem?  Those seem to be few and far between.  In Price’s studies, he followed generations of people from all over the world and studied their eating patterns.  There were varied diets throughout depending on what was original to the land.  Some people lived off seafood and almost no plant foods while others thrived off farm animals, plants, grains, legumes, and dairy products.
There was one constant throughout these primitive diets; not one contained any refined foods such as:  white flour/sugar, pasteurized or skimmed milk, and hydrogenated vegetable oil. Price determined, as soon as modernized and refined foods were introduced to the diet; dental decay ensued and followed through the generations.  Price also documented physical degeneration of the dental arches which, in turn, caused crowded/crooked teeth.  Those that had not been touched by modernized foods and were still eating the primitive foods of the land they lived off, had no problems with their teeth and exhibited a wider jaw and perfectly spaced teeth.  Price’s research proves that nutrition plays a huge part in our overall health and that many health problems such as dental decay can be prevented through proper nutrition and the avoidance of processed foods.

Reference:

Price, W. A., Barold, D., Hooten, E. A., Albrecht, W. A., & Knight, G. F. (1970). Nutrition and physical degeneration; a comparison of primitive and modern diets and their effects. Santa Monica, CA: Price-Pottenger Foundation.