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Recipes for Health – Father’s Day Edition
Whether you are celebrating your own father, are expecting to become a new parent, or are an empty nester, providing the body with optimal nutrients is key to preserving your vitality, for you and the generations that follow!
In a time when plant-based meats and lab-engineered fats are being marketed as one solution to the current epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (like diabetes and heart disease), nourishing the fathers and brothers in our lives with traditional and ancestral foods, especially animal proteins and organ meats, is essential. As Dr. Weston A. Price has noted of the traditional cultures that he studied in the early 20th century, such as the Australian Aborigines, the men were usually powerfully built, exceptional hunters, and lived free of the many modern-day ailments that plagued much of the developing world.
The mainstream approach to men’s wellbeing has also been found wanting when it comes to supporting their cardiometabolic health, particularly in connection with mental health. Fortunately, many health practitioners across the country are rising to meet this challenge by advocating the ancestral knowledge that has sustained humanity for hundreds of thousands of years. For our fall 2022 Journal of Health and Healing, Dr. Chris Palmer shared with us the benefits of a ketogenic diet, for overall metabolic and mental wellness, as well as reminding us of the virtues of healthy proteins and fats, such as grass-fed beef or wild-caught seafood.
This return to “primal living” for optimal men’s health has been taken up by food and culinary influencers as well, like our dear friend, Dr. Bill Schindler, who, along with his family, has become a shining example of the transformative power of food through tireless efforts in running their eatery, the Modern Stone Age Kitchen.
In our summer 2022 Journal of Health and Healing, Dr. Schindler and our executive director, Steven Schindler (no relation), discuss the disastrous effects modern dietary advice can have on one’s health and the dramatic shift that Dr. Schindler experienced in his own life after implementing traditional (and ancient) food preparation methods, such as nixtamalization.
In honor of Father’s Day, we are pleased to share with you some of our favorite, nutrient-dense recipes to help support and nourish the beloved fathers, sons, and brothers in your life.
Bon appétit!
An essential culinary technique, braising (cooking first over dry heat and then finishing with the ingredients submerged in liquid) is thought to have been part of our human repertoire for hundreds of thousands of years. Though a seemingly unremarkable cooking method, braising is the “secret sauce” for many of our most beloved and classical dishes, such as the savory Italian osso bucco, or the garlicky and sweet French coq au vin.
Cooking certain cuts of meat, such as beef short ribs, with a “low and slow” technique like braising does more than provide incredible flavor and aroma: It facilitates the breakdown of the tough, collagen-rich connective tissue into gelatin, enhancing our access to critical amino acids, such as lysine, which plays a role in bone and muscle longevity.
Click here for the recipe and video.
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 4-5 hours
Long before being compressed into a tin can, tuna has provided vital nutrition to many traditional cultures, such as the native Hawaiians, who preferred to consume this “chicken of the sea” semi-raw, especially in one of their most recognizable dishes, poke. Similar to other raw seafood recipes around the world (like ceviche, which originated in ancient Peru, among the Moche Peoples), poke was traditionally prepared with salt and often would be flavored with ingredients like seaweed.
Despite the continued debate regarding potential health implications due to heavy metals and other complications associated with consuming raw fish, tuna provides a fairly impressive dose of amino acids, such as taurine, which is critical for maintaining proper hydration and cellular electrolyte balance.
Click here for the recipe and video.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
An ancient staple that has inspired many a cultural revolution, kimchi, and the vessel used in its creation, the onggi, are prime examples of how powerful food and traditional preparation methods have been in shaping human history. With over 200 regional Korean varieties to date, kimchi dominated the national cuisine (and culture) for thousands of years. Since being introduced to the United States, it has seen a recent explosion in kitchens and restaurants, largely due to the work of passionate chefs on the scene, like David Chang of Momofuku.
Though the levels and types of nutrients of kimchi may differ due to the wide variation in preparation methods, this zesty (and often spicy) fermented food is an internationally-recognized ‘health food,’ with recent studies showing immunomodulatory properties of several kimchi-specific lactic acid bacteria strains.
Click here for the recipe and video.
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Liver and other organ meats are highly valued traditional foods that have been consumed for thousands of years and are still considered a priceless food source by many cultures across the globe. It wasn’t until medieval France, however, that liver was whipped into what would become a cherished prize of the culinary world, liver pâté.
Today, pasture-raised liver remains nature’s ultimate multivitamin, and, despite misinformation about the “dangers” of consuming liver, such as absorbing toxic compounds processed by the liver, this organ meat is helpful in supporting mental health due to high levels of vitamin A, which is required for producing “feel-good” chemicals such as dopamine.
Click here for the recipe and video.
Cook time: 15-30 minutes.
To learn even more about dietary considerations that support optimum health and fitness, read this article from our Pioneer Archives:
Metabolic Factors of Development as Related to Physical Fitness
In an undated (pre-1967) #TBT article, Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD, discusses how a strong or weak metabolism (one’s ability to break down complex foods into simpler substances and rebuild them into new bodily tissues) can affect the development of muscles, bones, joints, and, consequently, one’s predisposition toward athletic performance and lifelong health. Notably, these effects can multiply across future generations.
In case you missed the last Recipe Feature, you can find it here: Recipes for Health – National Pollinator Month Edition
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Do you have a favorite Price-Pottenger or other ancestral recipe? Email us at [email protected] and let us know about your experiences with these and other healthful recipes!
To your best health,
The Price-Pottenger Team