For decades, the diet dictocrats have warned us to back away from the butter, minimize the meat and skimp on the salt. The recommended menu might not taste terrific, but it was supposed to prevent heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Unfortunately, the evidence to back these dietary policies up has never been supported by strong science. Even today, policymakers are wrangling over how much cholesterol should be permitted, and whether we really need to cut sodium to 1,500 mg a day or less.

The controversy over saturated fat rages on. Recent articles include a meta-analysis published in Open Heart and a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Our guest, Sally Fallon Morell, advocates returning to traditional foodways. Rather than follow the latest trends, she urges Americans to eat like their great-great-grandparents did and enjoy wholesome old-fashioned food. High on her list: a big bowl of broth.

Sally Fallon Morell is founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education nonprofit organization.

Her books include Nourishing Traditions (with Mary G. Enig, PhD) and The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care (with Thomas S. Cowan, MD). The most recent is Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World (with Kaayla Daniel).

Websites include www.westonaprice.org and http://nourishingbroth.com

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free.

Download the mp3