Diets Around the World
In jungle environments food is eaten from fresh local sources and is unrefined. Depending on the area, a typical day of eating may consist of pan seared fish, tropical fruits, free range chicken, shredded hearts of palm (also known as jungle spaghetti), plantains and hot pepper salsa.
In her work in a medical clinic in a Peruvian village along the Amazon basin, Dr. Daphne Miller, author of The Jungle Effect (2008, Harper Collins) notes seeing almost no patients with chronic health conditions, owing she believes to their natural diet. In her book Dr. Miller, who is an MD, highlights diets from indigenous people in remote parts of the world. Dr. Miller observes that in areas where modern refined diets have not been introduced there is a lower incidence of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Notably, research shows these areas of the world, known as “cold spots,” exhibit low incidence of particular health conditions in the population in these areas. Dr. Miller and others have analyzed the reason for the low incidence of disease in these areas and have concluded that it is indeed the indigenous diets that are responsible for the phenomenon.
This conclusion is based on the fact that when people leave these areas and adopt a modern “western” diet, their incidence of chronic illness quickly rises to that of the general population. Dr. Miller documents her travels to five “cold spot” areas where she observed locals gathering and cooking their meals. Below are some of her findings:
Iceland: A Cold Spot for Depression
On the island of Iceland in spite of long hours of darkness for much of the year, they have the lowest incidence of depression in the world. The diet of residents on Iceland includes large amounts of fish that contain omega-3 fats. Additionally Icelanders eat lamb from local animals that graze on moss containing high levels of omega-3 fats making their muscles and fat high in that substance. Still another source of omega-3 fats in the Icelandic diet is wild game, the most popular being two species of birds--puffins and guillemots.
Indeed, research on omega-3 fats and their ratio to omega-6 fats in the diet has shown a great benefit for mood. While fruits and vegetables are not abundant on the island, antioxidants and other nutrients are obtained by eating bilberries that grow wild on the hillsides for two months per year. Local residents gather these berries while they are in season and often eat them with sklyr—a fermented form of yogurt. In addition, Icelanders drink a lot of tea which is a great source of antioxidants.
Other interesting foods of Iceland include:
• Harkl—putrified shark that is buried for months before being served
• Svio—halved singed sheep’s head
• Hrutspungar—pressed and pickled lamb testicles
• Lamb ofel—a mix of internal organs including liver, kidney, brains and intestines.
Copper Canyon, Mexico: A Cold Spot for Diabetes
In a country where rates of diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate, Copper Canyon is unique. A remote area 400 miles south of the US border, this area is home to people who still largely live off the land. Many have gardens in their back yards that supply much of the food they eat. Staples of the diet include the three ingredients that make up “Three-Sisters Stew”:
• Maize—ground corn soaked in lime and used to make the traditional tortillas. The corn is dried, boiled then
soaked over night in a mineral lime solution to remove the outer shell. The maize is then hand ground. This
method along with the absence of additives makes this a highly nutritious food.
• Beans—many varieties grow in the local gardens as well as in the wild. Beans are an important staple in the
Copper Canyon diet and offer many nutritious qualities including, slow release carbohydrates, fiber, low
calorie and being very filling—allowing a little to go a long way.
• Squash—this ingredient makes up the third aspect to what the locals call “Three-Sisters Stew.” Squash is
abundant in the gardens. It is a nutritious food offering a variety of nutrients depending on the type.
Many herbs are known to help blood sugar control and are abundant in the diet in Copper Canyon. These
include:
• cinnamon
• cloves
• fenugreek seeds
• parsley
• garlic
• cumin seeds
• ginger
• mustard leaves and seeds
• curry leaves and coriander seeds
Other foods that seem to contribute to the good health of the locals are jicama, a tuber that is rich in the carbohydrate amylase and the paddle from a prickly cactus known as nopal—which is a food that is known to have a lowering affect on the blood sugar. Nopal’s juice is somewhat slimy like that of okra, but grilling it causes the sliminess to disappear.
Crete, Greece: A cold spot for Heart Disease
The Mediterranean diet has often made the news as one that can reduce the risk for heart disease. A researcher by the name of Ancel Keys began the landmark study called The Seven Countries Study in 1958. After 40 years, the conclusion was that the men who lived the longest and were the healthiest were living in 11 villages on the island of Crete. This island is the source of the true Mediterranean diet. Components of this diet and their health benefits are:
• Olive oil—made the old way in a stone mill. This method preserves the phenols in the oil which have a
powerful antioxidant effect. Buy only extra virgin olive oil and preferably one made by this method. Cretans
use it to dip their bread in and to drizzle on greens.
• Wild seafood and snails— which contain omega-3 fats that have an anti-clotting effect to prevent arterial
clotting.
• Wild greens or horta—in the traditional Cretan culture, gathering horta is an art form. These greens are
packed with antioxidants and micronutrients. When combined with lemon or vinegar the nutrients become
more bioavailable.
• Rusks—very hearty bread made with stone ground whole grains are a staple of the traditional diet. They are
dipped in wine, vinegar and/or olive oil.
• Cheese— present in the Cretan diet, but used sparingly. The animals from which it is made are grazing on
wild greens and their milk contains omega-3 fats. According to Dr. Miller, some food researchers believe that
the isoflavones in the horta, wine and olive oil block the negative effects of the saturated fat in the cheese.
• Legumes—lentils, black-eyed peas, red and white beans and fava beans are all abundant in the local Cretan
diet. Often they are served in a pool of fresh herbs and olive oil. Combining them with wild greens makes
highly nutritious combination.
• Dessert— often Greek yogurt drizzled with a little honey or fruit preserves. The cultures used to make
yogurt provide the “good” bacteria that are so essential to proper intestinal functioning.
Cameroon, West Africa: A Cold Spot for Bowel Trouble
Dr. Miller visited a small village in the rainforest of central Cameroon called Ntui. In this region, colon cancer as well as other intestinal conditions is a rarity. Dr. Miller identifies the five “F”s of colon cancer prevention:
• Fiber—appears to play a key role in protecting the lining of the colon from injury. Sources of fiber from
whole starches include millet, sorghum, teff, local hybrids of maize, plantain and brown rice (which are
indigenous to West Africa).
• Less Flesh—there is a connection in the literature between red meat and incidence of colon cancer. In the
Cameroonian diet, meat is used more as a condiment than as a main meal. Only on special occasions will the
locals eat a hunk of meat. Otherwise, it is used sparingly in stews and the like.
• Fermented foods—by providing “good bacteria” to the gut, fermented foods help to maintain intestinal
health. New research is beginning to show the benefit—something that traditional cultures have instinctively
known. Prior to the age of refrigeration, fermentation was a standard way of preserving food. This process
is dependant on bacterial action. These good bacteria are essential to proper bowel functioning. Examples of
fermented foods in the African diet include relishes or pickled foods, fermented corn, anoic and millet and
sour milk (yogurt).
• Foraged foods—wild greens are a staple in the West African diet. The local villagers go out during the rainy
season and sort through the vegetation to find the most desirable ones. These greens are packed with
nutrients, most notably folate which has been shown in research to be protective against colon cancer.
• Select Fats—diets high in saturated fats tend to be related to higher incidences of colon cancer. In the
village of Ntui , fats are used sparingly and when they are present—it is in the form of omega-3 found in wild
game (porcupine is a favorite) nuts, seeds, fish, wild greens and unrefined peanut oils.
Okinawa, Japan: A Cold Spot for Breast and Prostate Cancers
Much has been written in recent years about the Okinawa lifestyle due to the fact that they are among the longest lived people in the world. Among other positive health benefits, the Okanwina diet appears to be protective against breast and prostate cancers. Several elements of the diet contribute to this phenomenon.
• Colorful fruits and vegetables—the traditional diet on the island is chock full of things that contain
substances that are linked to breast and prostate cancer prevention including garlic, cruciferous vegetables,
goya, tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, guavas, imo (yams) and green tea.
• Sea vegetables—Okinawans eat pounds of seaweed in many forms including dried, pickled, raw in salads and
sweetened in jelly or ice cream. Seaweed has been shown to stop the promotion of cancer cells.
• The Asian diet—very high in unprocessed soy products including tofu, edemame and soy sauce. This is
thought to contribute to the lower incidence of cancers in the breast and prostate and also to the relatively
minor symptoms of menopause that Asian women experience.
• Fish—abundant in the Okinawan diet, again bringing in the omega-3 fats as well as adequate vitamin D
intake.
• Pork—a staple in the Japanese traditional diet, but in moderation as a side dish, not the main course.
• The “right” rice—older Okinawans still prefer the brown, less processed rice known as Haiga to refined white
rice.
Lessons Learned from Indigenous Diets
Obviously returning to the diets of our ancestors is not always possible. However, there are some principals we can apply from Dr. Miller’s findings that can help to bring our diets and lifestyles back in the direction of our ancestors.
• Eat small portions
• Make meat a condiment, not the main meal
• Eat foods that are as unprocessed as possible
• Eat good fats, particularly omega-3
• Eat dark green and other colorful fruits and vegetables
• Get “good bacteria” in yogurt or fermented foods
• Eat whole grains
• Use healing herbs and spices
• Whole foods are better than supplements
• Live an active lifestyle
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