Several diets compete for followers in the holistic medicine world. There are devotees of vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, primal, raw primal, fruitarians and Weston Price. The Paleo and Weston Price Diet are two popular and important real food movements that share primary values, but also diverge in significant areas. Both are arguably far superior to the SAD or standard American diet followed by most Americans.
Significantly, all holistic dietary principles support the real food movement, while opposing processed, sugar laden, artificial and genetically modified foods responsible for much of America’s health problems. While one can recognize the differences in food principals, it is important to remember the need to work together to fight the more critical enemies in the food industry, the food giants wanting to spread GMOs, artificial ingredients, processed grains and sugar loaded non-foods.
Common dietary principles of Paleo and Price
The shared dietary principles of the popular Paleo and Weston Price diets are especially 
strong. Weston Price dietary principles are based on the landmark 1930s studies of dentist Weston Price, who discovered shared dietary principles by 14 separate cultures around the world. These endemic people exemplified perfect physical and mental health, while maintaining and passing on centuries-old traditional food practices that had ensured their continued optimal health by all measures. Price discovered that their diets contained four to 10 times the amount of water and fat soluble vitamins compared to American diets of the time. The Paleo food diet is based on the principal idea that one should only eat traditional foods consumed by our ancestors. Their belief holds that only foods eaten historically are equipped to optimally nourish the human condition. Both camps recommend eating the following:
• Pastured meat and eggs
• Raw foods
• Coconut and olive oil
• Organic vegetables and fruits
• Wild fish
• Nuts and seeds
The differences
Price diets include fermented grains and soaked legumes, while Paleo founder Cordain excludes these foods. Price diets emphasize the importance of saturated animal fats including pastured raw butter, lard, and meat fat. Price followers prefer soaked nuts and seeds to neutralize phytic acid and increase digestibility, compared to raw nuts and seeds enjoyed by Paleo advocates. Raw and fermented whole dairy foods are embraced by the Weston Price Foundation, while strict Paleo advocates avoid dairy since this was not a food of our distant ancestors. Paleo followers limit salt intake, while the Price Foundation emphasizes sea salt’s health benefits. Cod liver and butter oil, containing important vitamins A, D and K2 are emphasized by the Price camp.
Compared to SAD diet
Both Paleo and Price diets far exceed the SAD diet in its nutrients and health benefits. The Department of Health and Human Services continues to recommend a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Fats recommended include highly processed, inflammatory canola, soybean and corn oils, often containing GMOs. The high carbohydrate diet combined with inflammatory oils has proven disastrous for Americans’ health.
Moving forward and together
While differences can divide real food groups including Paleo and Price, it is essential to focus on our similarities, including the fight against corporate food giants. The real food movement enemies are biotech, fast food and processed food corporations threatening the sustainability of real food. All holistic health dietary principles embrace eating clean, ethical, green food, untainted by large corporations. Multiple holistic dietary paths leading to health exist and individuals must analyze them and choose what works for them.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com
http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet/
http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/principles-of-healthy-diets
http://www.westonaprice.org/thumbs-down-reviews/paleo-diet
Written by Michelle Goldstein, Holistic Health to Go
Article first published at Natural News on April 15, 2014; See Paleo and Weston Price diets beat SAD diet for Nutrition
