I’ve been following Surf & Turf, the new class hosted by Ann Marie Michaels and while Surf & Turf ostensibly acts as a coking class, its real value lies in more than learning how to braise meats, fire up a grill, serve wild-caught shellfish and prepare a palatable liver; indeed, the class focuses on the value of protein for our bodies – the essential nature of amino acids to our health, of omega-3 fatty acids to our children and the value of nutrient-dense foods overall.  So on Wednesday, as soon as Ann Marie posted the first lesson in Surf & Turf, I was at my computer watching the posted videos which discussed the role of traditional, nutrient-dense diets play in our moods and in keeping our bodies free from disease.

here’s the top ten things i learned from watching the first lesson:

Don’t worry, if you missed the first lesson you can still catch up by registering by this Saturday.

1. The nation is depressed. The American public is 100 times more depressed than we were a century ago.
2. Depression disables and kills. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States, and by the World Health Organization estimates it will be the leading cause of death by 2020.
3. The nation is overfed and undernourished.  When Dr. Price analyzed the diets of traditional peoples and compared them to the standard diet among Americans of his time, he found that they were four times richer in minerals like calcium and ten times richer in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K₂.
4. We’re operating at a nutritional loss, and that’s affecting our moods and emotional well-being. When our brains are replete with amino acids and good quality nutrition, we feel great and can better cope with the stresses, rigors and losses that life casts our direction. When we’re operating at that nutritional loss, as so many of us are, we lose this innate capacity of human emotional function.
5. Food can fix what drugs can’t. We’re suffering from a lack of neurotransmitters in the brain, causing cravings for food and drugs and poor moods, and we can fix that problem with real food. Foods rich in proteins contain precursors for these neurotransmitters.
6. Caffeine leads to depression. Caffeine is one of the most powerful anti-serotinin drugs in existence.
7. To nourish our brains, we need to eat more protein. Julia Ross, a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychotherapy, estimates that we need 25 to 30 grams of high quality protein at each meal to properly fuel the brain.
8. Most of our calories should come from high quality fats. Despite the USDA’s lip service paid to the whole-grain mantra, traditional diets are largely founded on wholesome and nutrient-dense fats.  We should consume real fats like butter, pastured lard, grass-fed beef tallow, cream, egg yolks and other forms of animal fat just like our ancestors did before chronic disease prevailed.
9. More than 500,000 people die of cancer each year. Nutrient-dense diets rich in enzymes, and vitamins have provided successful treatments for cancer for many people.  For some people, fast oxiders, this means lots of protein including red meat and plenty of wholesome fats.
10. Omega-3 fatty acids boost IQ and battle depression.  Studies indicate that maternal intake of fish oil, high in omega-3 fatty acids, boosts offspring’s brain development while other studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids can help to ward off depression.

If you’d like to register for the full, 12-week class, you can still do so through Saturday orcontact me for a coupon code.   In the meantime, you can catch a quick segment of the first lesson below: