I got a free issue of Food and Wine magazine in the mail the other day. As I was flipping through it, I noticed an interesting article titled “Should You Eat Like an Icelander?” (hence the title of my blog which answers this question!). Here’s the link to the full text of the article in case you are interested:
The opening blurb on the article proclaims that “Icelanders are among the planet’s healthiest, happiest people. Their incredibly pure diet could be the secret”. The article then goes on to describe the amazing seafood, lamb, and grassbased dairy that is available to the citizens of this country.
Mmmm. Something wasn’t quite right about this analysis. Then it struck me, it isn’t the pureness of the Icelandic diet that is the reason for such a healthy, happy people! Pureness of the food couldn’t possibly be the secret as some of the most unhealthy, depressed, nervous, anxious people I know are vegetarians (vegans are the worst – ever shake hands with a vegan? You need to go put on a sweater afterward as their hands are so cold and clammy). No, pureness of the food is definitely not the contributing factor to Icelandic wellness as folks who take the time and effort to be vegetarian typically go to great lengths to eat organic – even biodynamic foods.
By this point, the answer was staring me in the face! Why hadn’t the author seen the obvious? In her defense, perhaps stating the obvious was not an option, else the editor would have axed the article for its political incorrectness!
The REAL reason why the diet of the Icelanders contributes to such a high level of physical and mental well being is because it is heavy in animal foods! Of course, this is exactly what Dr. Weston A. Price discovered on his journey around the world back in the 1920’s. Every single traditional culture that enjoyed a high level of physical and mental wellness consumed animal foods. And, the more northern the culture, the MORE animal foods that were consumed (apparently, very high levels of fat soluble vitamins are required to tolerate the cold winters, so consuming more animal foods affords a survival advantage).
The truth about the necessity of animal foods in the diet to achieve optimal health is slowing making it out to the public – you just have to read between the lines sometimes to see it!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I am glad that you answered the question above: I have been meaning to bring up the question of vegetarian cultures after reading many of your posts.
The second portion of my comment relates to your posts on vegetarianism as a whole. What food we nourish our bodies with is a highly personal choice, Sarah. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and have been since I was in high school. I take very good care to make sure that I eat the best I can. No “junk-food” vegetarianism, or soy-based, carbo-loaded diets here. I’m a student, a runner and a rock climber and I’ve never experienced ANY of the side effects you list in your (very numerous) articles defaming vegetarian diets.
I know nothing I say will ever cause you to reconsider your (in my opinion) biased and judgmental opinions on meat-free diets. However, just know I would never stoop so low as to write and speak about omnivores in the way you do about vegetarians and vegans (The clammy hands comment was meek on your scale). My food and my health is my decision. Leave me to mine and I’ll leave you to yours.
Hi Meagan, I have not yet read Michael's book, but there is an excellent review of the book from the WAPF perspective at this link:
http://www.westonaprice.org/In-Defense-of-Food-by-Michael-Pollan.html
Sarah, you may have already posted about this but what do you think of Michael Pollan's book, "In Defense of Food"? I have not read it, but from others' reviews it sounds like the goal is to eat less, eat simply and eat more plants? How does one reconcile these new books with what the WAPF advises?
You make an excellent point Lavanya. I should have clarified that modern vegans/vegetarians are so unhealthy, depressed etc because the usual form of vegetarianism today includes so much soy! Soy, you may already know, depresses the thyroid and leads into all manner of ill health. The traditional vegetarianism of India practice a much more healthy version as you describe. However, I would add that Dr. Price wrote that the traditional vegetarian cultures that he visited such as what is found in India, while healthy compared to Americans of his day (back in the 1920's), were not nearly as healthy as those traditional cultures that consumed animal foods. A really fantastic book that you might find interesting is "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr. Price where he describes his travels and his great disappointment about vegetarians having less robust health than the traditional omnivore cultures.
Hi Sarah,
I really appreciate your bog and all the different articles that you post. But being from India, where quite a lot of the population is Hindu and vegetarian (even though i am not, but my parents and my sibling etc are), I tend to disagree that a vegetarian is unhealthy, depressed, nervous being. My grandmother died at the age of 88 and never even had a egg her whole life. But she grew up eating really healthy vegetarian food of lentils, green vegetables etc.