Traditional Cultures and Facial Structure

Woman from Guyana, South America

 My sister Angie is currently in Guyana with the Peace Corps. She sent me this photo, whom I believe is the wife of her host family. As soon as I saw the photo I was struck by her high check bones, her straight teeth and the fact that she is kneading homemade bread. Of course Weston A. Price came to mind and his studies on diet effecting facial structure and oral health. 

From his extensive research, Price found that there is a direct correlation between the our diet and the health our teeth and bones. When cultures ate traditional prepared foods that were available to their specific region such as raw milk, butter, cultured/fermented foods and beverages, grass-fed meat, fish, liver, range-free eggs etc. the peoples thrived in physical structure and overall internal health. He was especially curious as to how their teeth and gums were free from infection and decay. But as soon as each culture adopted modern processed foods such as white flour and sugar and improperly prepared grains etc. their health dramatically declined, even in just one generation. He studied thousands of people, both young and old and found remarkable evidence that real food prepared traditionally means healthy thriving bodies!

The traditional Guyanese diet consists of coconut meat, milk and oil, chicken and fish/seafood, curries, fresh vegetables and fruits and roti. Roti (which is what my sister claims the women is kneading) is an Indian flat bread made from whole wheat and sometimes millet or barley is added and fried with ghee. Usually the dough is allowed to sit a few hours before cooking, providing easier digestion. 

For more info on Dr. Price’s work, see: The Weston A. Price Foundation