The Story Behind the Weston A. Price Foundation

Background on Foundation: The Weston A. Price Foundation (WPF) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded by Sally Fallon in 1999 to disseminate the research of Dr. Weston Price, DDS. Dr. Price, a dentist from Cleveland, traveled the world observing the health status and diets of isolated non-industrialized peoples in the 1920s and 30s. Dr. Price sought the factors responsible for good dental health and straight teeth among the “isolated primitives”. From these observations, Dr. Price formulated a dietary theory that people who consume a primitive diet rich in animal foods have straighter teeth with less decay, stronger bodies, and higher resistance to disease than those who abandon their native diets for a more modern Western diet. Dr. Price authored the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which details his observations of non-industrialized populations around the world.

Funding:WPF reports financial support coming solely from membership contributions and private donations, and not from the meat or dairy industry. The WPF web site displays the sponsors of the 2004 Wide Traditions conference on October 1-3 in Arlington, VA that include:

  • New Trends Publishing that includes titles for The Cholesterol Myths, Untold Story of Milk, The Yoga of Eating,and Nourishing Traditions.
  • Mother Linda’s, a cookbook author.
  • Garden of Life, ad distributor of health care products such as cod liver and coconut oils.
  • Vital Choice Seafood, processor of canned or fresh/frozen wild salmon,
  • Real Foods Market, online food market featuring organic meats, fish, poultry, Alta Dena and Brown Cow organic milk.
  • Radiant Life, purveyor of cod liver oil and butter oil and a publisher of two books, The Untold Story of Milk and the Milk Story, both books about benefits of raw milk.
  • The Grain and Salt Society, purveyor of sea salts, sea vegetables, fruit and nut butters, and health products.
  • Body Ecology, purveyor of Body Ecology Diet products to benefit microorganisms in the digestive track.

Nutritional Theory:For optimal health, WPF advocates a diet based on animal foods such as butter, fish, eggs, shellfish, lard, cod liver oil, organ meats, and whole unpasteurized non-homogenized raw milk from healthy cows (for babies, children and adults).

WPF recommends avoidance of among other foods, vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed, pasteurized milk, low fat milk, skim milk, fluoridated water, white sugar, white flour, white rice, caffeine-containing foods or beverages, synthetic vitamins/foods containing synthetic vitamins, and soyfoods. The full, lengthy list of prohibited foods is on the web site, and the WPF Dietary Guidelines appear on the final page of this memo. Vegetarianism is discouraged.

Specific Claims on Soy:WPF is devoted to publicizing what they consider to be studies showing adverse effects of dietary soy. The WPF website lists over 50 studies conducted between 1971 and 2004 with results they have interpreted as negative with regard to soy consumption. The WPF website also features numerous anti-soy publications claiming that soy causes numerous disorders and diseases including kidney stones, cancer, thyroid disorders, weakened immune systems, and sexual dysfunction. WPF seeks to organize a grassroots effort to warn consumers about the dangers of modern soyfoods and to have soy infant formula removed from the marketplace through educational and lobbying efforts.

WPF Representatives:Mrs.Sally Fallon, founder of the WPF, is a journalist, chef, homemaker and community activist who received a Bachelors Degree in English with honors from StanfordUniversity, and Masters Degree in English with high honors from UCLA. She authored with Dr. Mary Enig, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. This publication includes a chapter entitled Feeding Babies which recommends homemade raw milk formula as an alternative to breastfeeding. In a recent radio interview, Mrs. Fallon gave advice on feeding the elderly, where she endorsed copious amounts of lard, butter, cream, and egg yolks for seniors as well as avoidance of cholesterol lowering medications[1].

Dr. Mary G. Enig has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is a Fellow of The American College of Nutrition, a member of The American Society for Nutritional Sciences, and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association. She is not affiliated with a college or university. Dr. Enig’s research focuses on fats and oils and she has numerous publications on the WPF website. Dr. Enig is the author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol and co-author of Nourishing Traditions.

Controversial Public Health Recommendations:The following summary reports the conflicts between the major Weston A. Price Foundation positions and the preponderance of scientific evidence and recommendations from major public health institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the US Food and Drug Administration, the American Dietetic Association, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US Department of Agriculture.

Raw Milk:

  • The Weston A. Price Foundation encourages consumption of non-homogenized, non-pasteurized, full-fat milk from healthy cows for infants, children, and adults. Pasteurized, homogenized milk is implicated in the development of allergies, asthma, and heart disease by the Weston A. Price Foundation[2].
  • The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) advise against the consumption of raw milk because of the risk of gastrointestinal illness caused by human pathogens present in raw milk including Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. Coli, Lysteria monocytogenes, Brucella, andYersinia enterocolitica. In 1987, FDA published 21 CFR Part 1240.61, a final regulation mandating the pasteurization of all milk and milk products in final package form for direct human consumption.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics also discourages feeding raw milk to infants and children.

Low-fat and Skim Milk:

  • The Weston A. Price Foundation recommendsavoiding low fat or skim milk. Low-fat milk is thought to be toxic because of proteins and calcium that are said to be poorly absorbed and perhaps even toxic in the absence of fat[3].
  • The US Departments of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend low fat or skim milk[4],[5]. Full fat milk contains an average of 4.5 grams of saturated fat per serving. Saturated fat is known to increase cholesterol which increases the risk for heart disease. For this reason, both DHHS and AHA recommend consumption of low fat or skim milk for children over the age of 2 and adults.

Blood Cholesterol and Health:

  • The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends ignoring public health recommendations on keeping blood cholesterol levels low.
  • The Weston Price website states that “people with high cholesterol live the longest[6]” and that it is a myth that “for good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl[7]”. They also state that “there is no greater risk of heart disease between cholesterol levels that are "high" (over 300 mg/dl) and those that are "low" (under 200 mg/dl)” and that for women “there is no greater risk for heart disease, even at levels as high as 1,000 mg/dl[8].”
  • They go on to state that “the LDL cholesterol plays many important roles and it is not bad—nor are high levels of LDL a marker for proneness to heart disease[9].”
  • The National Institutes of Health(NIH) considers total blood cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dl to be ‘borderline high’ and those over 240 mg/dl to be ‘high’ with respect to heart disease risk. NIH also states that “high blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease.[10]” NIH recently reported that the preponderance of scientific evidence shows an even stronger link between LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk than previously thought. NIH advises that high-risk patients lower their LDL cholesterol to 70 mg/dl or less for optimal health[11].

Saturated Fat:

  • The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends ignoring public health recommendations on reducing saturated fat and consuming up to 25% of total calories from saturated fat[12].
  • The USDA/DHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend consuming no more than 10% of calories from saturated fat. High amounts of saturated fat are strongly linked to the development of elevated blood cholesterol levels and heart disease.

Vegetarianism:

  • The Weston Price Foundation warns of the “dangerous effects of a diet devoid of healthful animal products” and states that studies showing lower heart disease rates among vegetarians are flawed because they rely on “phony” markers of heart disease like HDL and LDL cholesterol levels[13].
  • According tothe American Dietetic Association, “vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non vegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.” ADA goes on to conclude that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

Hypertension:

  • The Weston Price Foundation recommends avoidance of anti-hypertension drugs due to their side-effects and states that one option for hypertensive individuals with blood pressure under 180 over 110 is to “do nothing” meaning avoiding pharmaceutical treatments, as well as diet and behavioral therapies. These claims are supported by an anecdote about an apparently healthy woman in her 50s who has done nothing to treat the hypertension she was diagnosed with ten years ago[14].
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) considers normal blood pressure to be below 120 over 80 and blood pressure of 140 over 90 to be high. Individuals with blood pressure above 140 over 90 are urged to try dietary and lifestyle changes and pharmaceutical treatments, if necessary to decrease the risk of complications including stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness[15].

Credibility: The Weston A. Price Foundation is reviewed by two of the most respected nutrition and health site review organizations: Quack Watch ( and the Tufts Nutrition Navigator – Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (

Quack Watch questions the validity of Dr. Price’s research on “natives” which they describe as “poorly designed studies” that jump to “simplistic conclusions.” The Tufts Nutrition Navigator scores each website they review on a 25 point scale. The Weston Price website scored a total of 10 out of 25 points which is rated as “Unacceptable.” Their accuracy rating is a 1 out of 10. The Tufts site states that “they appear to select obscure studies, take study results out of context, and use undocumented ‘facts’ from their own publications to forward their agenda.” They go on to point out that the promotion of raw milk presents a food safety risk and that the practice of feeding whole cow’s milk to babies, as promoted by WPF, is discouraged by the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics.

The Tufts Nutrition Navigator also reviews the SANA website ( which received a total score of 19 out of 25 which ranks our site as “Better than Most.”

Quack Watch Review:

Tufts Nutrition Navigator Review:

Weston Price -

Soyfoods Association of North America -

SANA s Response:We have published a brochure entitled A Primer on Soy that addresses many of the issues raised by WPF and is available on our website ( We would be happy to assist you with responding to consumer questions related to information distributed by WPF. The “Members Only” portion of the SANA web site stays current with the latest and best information to answer questions related to the health and safety of soyfoods raised by WPF.

Dietary Guidelines of the Weston A. Price Foundation

  1. Eat whole, natural foods.
  2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
  3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
  4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
  5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
  6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
  7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
  8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
  9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
  10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
  11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
  12. Use unrefined Celtic seasalt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
  13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
  14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
  15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
  16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
  17. Use only natural supplements.
  18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
  19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
  20. Practice forgiveness.

Groups and Individuals Echoing Weston Price Foundation Views on Soy

1. Price-Pottenger Foundation (

2. Dr. Mercola (

3. Soy Online Service (

4. Richard and Valerie James (UK)

References

1

Soyfoods Association of North America

[1]Sally Fallon on WS Radio.com 7/12/03 Accessed 8/6/04

[2] Campaign for Real Milk – A Project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Accessed 4/29/04.

[3] Campaign for Real Milk – A Project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Accessed 8/7/04

[4] USDA/DHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Accessed 4/29/04

[5] American Heart Association backgrounder on milk: Accessed 4/29/04

[6] The Weston A. Price Foundation. The Benefits of High Cholesterol. Accessed 8/7/04

[7] Weston A. Price Foundation Myths and Truths about Nutrition. Accessed 4/29/04

[8] The Weston A. Price Foundation. What Causes Heart Disease. Accessed 4/29/04

[9] Dietary Recommendations for Children – A Recommendation for Future Heart Disease. Accessed 8/7/04

[10] The National Institutes of Health. High Blood Cholesterol: What you need to know. March 2001. Accessed 4/29/04.

[11] National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Update on Cholesterol Guidelines: More-Intensive Treatment Options for Higher Risk Patients. . Accessed 8/7/04

[12] The Weston A. Price Foundation. The Importance of Saturated fats for Biological Functions. Mary Enig. Accessed 8/6/04

[13] Weston A. Price Foundation. Myths and Truths Abtout Vegetarianism. by Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP

[14] Weston A. Price Foundation. Everything you ever wanted to know about blood pressure drugs…and how to avoid them. By William Campbell Douglass, MD Accessed 8/7/04

[15] National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure. Accessed 8/7/04