The Weston A. Price Foundation, an organization that advocates a traditional diet based on whole foods and pasture-raised animals, claims that its diet can help adrenal insufficiency and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It asserts that a diet free of refined foods, sugars, toxins, polyunsaturated oils and allergens will heal and protect the liver and adrenal glands. The medical establishment agrees with many of these nutritional guidelines, but some of the Weston A. Price Foundation's recommendations may be unsafe for people with liver disease.
Weston Price Diet
The Weston Price Foundation advocates a diet based on animal products, whole grains, beans, nuts and certain fats and oils. Meat and poultry must come from pastured animals, and dairy products must be full fat and unpasteurized. Allowable fats include natural animal fats such as butter and lard, coconut oil, palm oil and olive oil. Forbidden foods include any polyunsaturated or partially hydrogenated oil, soy foods, white flour, sugar, processed foods and junk foods. Caffeine and artificial sweeteners are also off limits. Salt is not limited, but the foundation urges followers to choose unrefined salts over processed salt.
Liver Diet
Medical authorities such as the American Liver Foundation have established dietary guidelines to protect liver health. Some of these guidelines coincide with the Weston Price diet, while some diverge. Both Weston Price and the ALF advocate eating foods from all the food groups, getting plenty of fiber and avoiding sugary and processed foods. On the other hand, the ALF recommends limiting fatty foods and saturated fat, while the Weston Price Foundation diet advocates eating plenty of full-fat dairy products and animal fats.
In addition, some liver ailments require specific dietary adjustments. Hemochromatosis and hepatitis C call for low iron intake. Bile duct disease requires a low-fat diet and use of polyunsaturated oils. Cirrhosis of the liver requires a low-salt diet. The Weston Price diet's reliance on red meat, animal fats and natural salt makes it inappropriate for anyone with these conditions.
Adrenal Diet
Dr. Paul Margulies, director of the National Adrenal Diseases Foundation, explains that people with adrenal diseases need not follow a specific dietary regimen. He recommends three well-balanced meals per day that include complex carbohydrates, protein and some salt. Those with Addison's disease, or adrenal insufficiency caused by destruction of the adrenal gland, should eat small, frequent snacks to combat hypoglycemia and drink plenty of water. This advice is compatible with the Weston Price program. While there's little evidence that the Weston Price diet will help adrenal dysfunction, it might be worth trying. Check with your doctor before self-treating adrenal disease through diet.
Recommendations
If you have liver disease or are concerned about liver health, the Weston Price diet can work for you with certain modifications. Take its advice about fresh, unprocessed, chemical-free food, but limit your consumption of high-fat dairy and meat. Follow your doctor's instructions about dietary sodium, iron and dietary fats, and do not consume raw milk without medical approval. Avoid alcoholic beverages -- a cardinal rule for protecting the liver and a point that the Weston Price Foundation doesn't address.
References
- Weston A. Price Foundation: Healthy 4 Life
- American Liver Foundation: Diet and Your Liver
- MayoClinic.com: The Liver: Multitasker, Regenerator and Vital for Health
- Weston A. Price Foundation: Low Metabolic Energy Therapies
- Weston A. Price Foundation: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- National Adrenal Diseases Foundation: Diet Compilation
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