Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food

In the first part of the book I was initially put off by the heavy emphasis on conventional beauty, and not entirely convinced by the concept of "second sibling syndrome" where the author tries to demonstrate how an oldest child grabs the best nutrition (and therefore looks and health) from its mother. The photographs of "ideal" faces reminded me of the nasty final chapter of an old Nazi biology textbook I once saw, with its photos of ideal Aryans! Still, maybe this stuff will be popular with people who want their kids to be film stars, and convince them to read the rest. Once the author got on to nutrition proper, I found the book, which is well-referenced with recent research, more convincing. Like several other authors over the last 10 years or so, she neatly dismisses the prevailing ideology of "low-fat good, animal fat bad" which is still being trotted out by the government and food industry. A lot of similar information can be found in Sally Fallon's book "Nourishing Traditions" (essentially a recipe book) and the Weston-Price foundation website, and in "Trick and Treat" by Barry Groves. "Deep nutrition" completes the picture by looking in more depth at how what you eat affects not just you, but your children, and even grandchildren. I'm still not convinced that William is better looking than Harry just because he's got a big jaw!

An excellent book giving a wealth of information about ancestral nutrition and the ways in which our foodstuffs have gradually deviated from that. This felt, however, like a book of two halves - one exploring our shared history and also intergenerational nutrution, one detailing the "four pillars" approach. And, although these clearly interlink, i'd have liked to have read more about how much can be helped or improved here and now, especially for those of us who have already reproduced and very much need to put things right.

I haven't got very far in yet, but I already realise this is a very important book. If you genuinely care about your health, and that of your family, do please get a copy. I was blessed to get it cheaply, it is worth ten times what I paid for it. You may not be as lucky to get it at a similar price to me, but please get it anyway. You will be glad you did. The author is a well qualified professional, and that comes through. She also has a knack of writing in a way anyone can easily understand the importance of what she says.

This book is very big and very detailed, not really a book to read quickly and definitely not a coffee table book. So far I haven’t read a lot but what I have read is interesting. I try to remain fairly biased when reading stuff, some makes sense but I have to say the evolution of beauty depending on the diet of your parents and grandparents has somewhat has thrown me. I grew up on a farm with a health conscious parents and health conscious grandparents . Sadly I can’t say Im classically good looking nor are my siblings. This is just one odd thing in the book and I’m sure there will be more. As ever moderation in diet and lifestyle I think is key. Still an interesting book from which I will take away some valuable knowledge

This book is fantastic. The first section is all about the science behind how the information stored in the foods we eat affects us, our genes, and children. The book then moves onto the second section where the foods to eat and avoid are highlighted. I have only one addition that I believe would make the book that much better... The book briefly mentions athletes may consume more carbs than the average person and although out of the scope of the book I'm stuck wondering for those who wish to gain muscle mass what the next steps are. So much information out there advises a calorie surplus but after reading you soon become aware that eating more can be damaging if not the right foods. Maybe this would be a separate book in itself on meal planning and eating for althetic performance. Nonetheless, the lessons about food in this book are of great value and I now apply them to everyday life so I would therefore recommend reading for anyone wishing to lead a healthier life.

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to be healthy, not only it's so well-written that it's a pleasure to read, it explains complicated processes in such a deep details but using simple examples- it's absolutely impressive! Unlike many other books it explains WHY and HOW things work, it's so convincing without any pressure but with lots of data, research and demonstrative materials. I'm chuffed to bits to find out answers for questions I've had about nutrition for years but couldn't find answers for them anywhere. Absolutely amazing book, so comprehensive! Would highly recommend to everyone, can't wait for my husband to read it...

A lot of good information on nutrition, backed up with references, written by a doctor (as opposed to a journalist or celebrity like most of these books are). I would have given 5 stars but I have a few major issues with it: The obsession with how good nutrition makes you (and your children) more attractive, and thus be more successful in life (yes, this is mentioned); Comments like "if more women had written history books there'd be less focus on wars and more focus on historic healthy meals"... I actually almost used the book as kindling at this point! It sometimes feels like reading an infomercial, which is a shame (just look at Dr Cate's website to see what I mean), but if you can ignore that aspect of the book it is actually also full of good information, some of which I have adopted towards my own eating habits.

First of all, this is THE best book on nutrition out there. Get this book. I own three copies: one for my own reference, and two to lend out. It's that good. Deep Nutrition is an easy read, witty and engaging. It reads more like a novel than a nutritional text. You will find yourself turning the pages and wishing for more. It will change the way you look at food forever. It has for us. The main premise is that you can change your life and the lives of your children by following the principles of traditional eating. In a society riddled by adult and childhood health problems, this is good news indeed! For the couple looking to conceive, it means having tools to have a healthy and beautiful child. For both children and adults with current health problems, it means hope for recovery. By eating a traditional diet, we can change how our genes work and how our children's genes work. We can also change the way our children look. Using principles from Stephen Marquardt and from modern scientific research, Catherine Shanahan shows us how beauty is objective, transcending all cultures and races. There is a certain dynamic symmetry that the human brain looks for and recognizes as beautiful. I know this sounds abstract, but the book provides some very convincing pictures. Especially interesting are pictures of siblings showing that the later born siblings have less dynamic symmetry, presumably the result of less optimal maternal nutrition. The latest born siblings have features similar to fetal alcohol syndrome. Could second sibling syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome both be related to maternal malnutrition? See for yourself, but you will not be able to look at facial features the same way again. So what is Deep Nutrition? What is traditional food? It's the food our grandparents and great grandparents grew up eating. It's soups and sauces made from bone stocks and broths, pasture raised meats and organ meats, fish, fresh vegetables, fermented vegetables, raw milk, nature made fats and fruits. Compare this with the modern American diet of frozen dinners, Pop Tarts, Cap'n Crunch, Doritos, Oreos, Gatorade, soy milk, "vegetable" oil, and Coke Zero. Our ancestors would not have recognized these products because they didn't exist until recently. So, how do traditional foods help us? OK. I'm in my 30's and I grew up thinking that soup had to come out of a can or a little envelope full of powder. My husband's mother made homemade chicken soup out of a real chicken, bones and all, for her children as they grew up. My 92 year old father-in-law tells us over and over about how, as a child, his mother made them real homemade chicken soup every Sunday and how they would eat the leftovers all week. He still walks without a cane. People cannot believe that he is 92. My husband is in his 40's and is as strong as he's ever been. He looks to be following in his father's footsteps. I grew up being overweight and plagued by soft tissue injuries, including injuries to the tendons in my arms, a ligament in my knee, and problems with my lower back. I was given an honorary t-shirt at the local physical therapy practice and told I had been there so long that I was considered to be part of the family. After learning that the Deep Nutrition in broths and stocks made from bones contain substances that help the body heal tendons, ligaments and joints, you'd better believe I learned how to make these stocks and broths myself. It's easy, by the way. I now use homemade stock in everything I can. It makes an ordinary meal taste extraordinary, makes delectable sauces and gravies, yummy soups, and my soft tissue injuries are finally healing! Talk about a win, win scenario! Oh yes, that's the other thing. Deeply Nutritious food tastes GREAT! Those little envelopes full of flavored powder that promise to become tasty if you will only add water and heat them up taste nothing like the real food that is Deep Nutrition. Expect to be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen crafting the foods that will craft and heal you and will deeply satisfy you and your family. Deep Nutrition is not a cookbook. It's a unique guidebook to traditional foods - what they are and why we should eat them. Whether you are already experienced in cooking these foods, or like me believed that soup came out of a can or a little packet, Deep Nutrition has something for you. I have not seen such clear explanations in any other book. Much research went into this book, and while scholarly, it is amazingly accessible. Also included are lists of good foods to include in your diet which have the power to transform your health, foods to avoid and why, a list of baby steps to help you change your diet to healthier traditional foods, and even tips on using nutritional know-how to lose weight and stay young. You need this book! While you are at it, just order two. You're going to want to share this with all the important people in your life. Seriously. Happy reading!

Pretty specific and sometimes not an "easy-read", but excellent in explanations and very DEEP :-)

For people who are unfamiliar with this branch of nutritional theory, this book will be way out in left field. It goes against everything the mainstream western health industry preaches. And yet I think, for many, myself included, it will just seem like basic common sense. This is the way people have been eating for generations. This is the way our grandparents and great grandparents ate. It seems so simple and basic. Shanahan presents her research in accessible easy to understand terms. There are no complicated rules or 'superfoods' or the latest fad supplement. She just advocates for real, basic food, simply cooked. My only issue with the book is Shanahan's oddly emphasized focus on beauty. I am not disagreeing with her theory that eating this way will give your body and especially your children the best nutrients so that their genes will express to their best ability and therefore result in healthier more beautiful bodies. That also seems intuitive. And it's a topic I find valid and interesting. But she presents this part of her argument almost like she has a chip on her shoulder. Her constant harping about Hale Berry and all the 'beautiful' celebrities and their advantages came across as whiny as a teenager with self esteem issues. I found it very off-putting and it detracted from the otherwise mature, no nonsense, practical presentation of her ideas. But if you can get past the celebrity envy, I think you will find this book a fascinating read and a simple and achievable way to gain better health.

Este libro desmiente los mitos sobre la nutricion moderna. Contiene todo lo que necesitas saber para mejorar tu nutricion y a su vez la de tu familia y futuras generaciones. Gracias a esta lectura me doy cuenta de la gran importancia que tiene la nutricion, y como hemos ido perdiendo tradiciones y costumbres que eran tan beneficiosas para nuestra salud. En fin, toda persona interesada en cuidar su salud, la de su familia y futuras generaciones, deberia leerlo.

Nourishing, traditional foods are indeed your best medicine. Be kind to your grains and your grains will be kind to you.