Hi Urban Farm Co,
1. Grains must be properly prepared
Our foundation (Weston A. Price) does not teach that grains are toxic per se, but we do teach that they must be properly prepared, which involves soaking and/or fermenting the grains or flours prior to eating them. Thus, sourdough bread, nixtamilized corn (like masa), and soaked oatmeal are the way to go. These processes reduce the phytate content of grains (and other seeds and nuts, which we also advocate) and deactivate the enzyme inhibitors in all seeds so that they become much more digestible. We also emphasize that whole grains should be used due to their superior vitamin and mineral content.
2. Heal your damaged digestive tract
However, many people have such damaged digestive tracts that they must reduce or eliminate grains and sugars from their diets for a while in order to heal. We recommend the GAPS diet in these cases, but our hope is that in time these people will again be able to digest grains without any trouble.
3. Eat fat
We totally agree with you that locally raised and homegrown organic veggies and fruits are an important component of a healthy diet. However, to ensure that people are able to fully access the vitamins and minerals from these foods, we urge people to eat them with good fats like butter, cream, and coconut oil, because these fats are needed to absorb the nutrients in the veggies.
4. Lacto-ferment your vegetables
We also recommend preserving them by lacto-fermenting them, which increases the vitamin content of the vegetables and turns them into digestive aids with the presence of the lacto-bacilli, similar to yogurt. Not to mention that the preserved veggies do not require refrigeration for their preservation. (You will need a root cellar or cool basement room for storage.)
5. Focus on your soil
Finally, we can only raise nutrient dense foods if our soils are nutrient dense, so farmers and gardeners need to find ways to replenish the minerals, including trace minerals, in their soils on a regular basis. The cool thing about this is that nutrient dense veggies are much more disease and pest resistant, so it’s worth the effort!
