NationStates Jolt Archive

Before Atkins took credit, aboriginal people were eating a traditional diet heavy in protein and fat, and extremely low in carbs. The switch to a 'modern' diet high in carbs, especially simple carbs, has resulted in aboriginal people having the highest instances of diabetes of any other ethnic group.

Alert Bay First Nation (http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=cf0a7395-3f4b-4e74-b77d-7e3404e1be5f&k=53770) participated in a year long study where residents returned to traditional food sources, resulting in a combined total of 1200 lbs lost by the 80 or so residents.


The rules were simple: Eat all the fat you want, and all the seafood and meat and starch-free vegetables. Dairy fats like cream and cheese were fine, but not milk. Everything else with carbs -- bread, pasta, chips -- were off-limits. No ancestor of Wadhams' ever feasted on pasta and rice. Or ice cream bars.

Now, the weight loss overall is good, though of course some would have lost more than others. However, the idea of returning to traditional food sources is in itself something I think that any person of any background would be well served in doing. The switch to convenience food, prepackaged and highly processed, doesn't seem to be doing ANYONE good.

Thoughts?

No ice-cream bars? Madness!
And I'm not giving up chocolate simply because my ancestors didn't life in the Americas.

No ice-cream bars? Madness!
And I'm not giving up chocolate simply because my ancestors didn't life in the Americas.

It's not the chocolate, it's the sugar.

if there are sufficient sources of traditional foods surely it would cut the cost of eating.

erm...looking at my European ancestors I am going to be rather skeptical of this :p (I would of thought the natives ancestors would of taken a diet that involved being fairly obese as well?)

of course they did also stop drinking soda (though its hinted diet soda was used which is madness) and processed goods so I remain doubtful

erm...looking at my European ancestors I am going to be rather skeptical of this :p (I would of thought the natives ancestors would of taken a diet that involved being fairly obese as well?) Huh?

of course they did also stop drinking soda (though its hinted diet soda was used which is madness) and processed goods so I remain doubtful

Where did you see that it 'hinted' at diet soda being used? Ditto with processed foods?

Huh?

well from European history the ideal shape for centuries was stocky and obesity soon became a symbol of wealth (along with the obvious benefits of storing large amounts of fat in the body and skinny girls not making many babies)

it would be odd if the natives of Canada where otherwise

Where did you see that it 'hinted' at diet soda being used? Ditto with processed foods?

"It sounds gross, but it was actually good," she recalls.

Going out required extra restraint, especially when they travelled.

"When we leave the island, people always stop in Port McNeil to gas up their car and go inside [the store] and buy their treats for the two-hour ride to Campbell River. So people's habits were sugar, potato chips and pop," says Cranmer.

"We really had to make an effort not to do that. So we'd go in, buy a bag of pork rind, some of those pepperoni sticks and some people bought water and diet pop.

and I'm guessing most processed foods where out unless McDonald's is older than I think :p

well from European history the ideal shape for centuries was stocky and obesity soon became a symbol of wealth (along with the obvious benefits of storing large amounts of fat in the body and skinny girls not making many babies)

it would be odd if the natives of Canada where otherwise It might have been a symbol of wealth, but the traditional diet was not suited to causing obesity. Which is the point. One, in Europe or otherwise, would have had to have eaten in a distinctly UNtraditional manner to become obese.


and I'm guessing most processed foods where out unless McDonald's is older than I think :p Well note that they only did this when they went outside the community (where traditional foods were not available). They chose the foods that were best suited to the diet they were on. I doubt it made a real difference overall if the bulk of what they ate was still unprocessed, un-diet (:P) and traditional.

Before Atkins took credit, aboriginal people were eating a traditional diet heavy in protein and fat, and extremely low in carbs. The switch to a 'modern' diet high in carbs, especially simple carbs, has resulted in aboriginal people having the highest instances of diabetes of any other ethnic group.

Alert Bay First Nation (http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=cf0a7395-3f4b-4e74-b77d-7e3404e1be5f&k=53770) participated in a year long study where residents returned to traditional food sources, resulting in a combined total of 1200 lbs lost by the 80 or so residents.



Now, the weight loss overall is good, though of course some would have lost more than others. However, the idea of returning to traditional food sources is in itself something I think that any person of any background would be well served in doing. The switch to convenience food, prepackaged and highly processed, doesn't seem to be doing ANYONE good.

Thoughts?

Which traditional diet are you talking about? Are you talking about diets of people in extreme northern locations?

If so, then I say this: its about time someone brought this up!

There were, however, differing 'traditional' diets, depending on the location. People in more tropical zones ate more vegetables and fruit than meat, but people in more northern locations ate more meat because they couldn't grow or gather as many fruits and vegetables.

I think Atkins basically just resumes people back to the diet that we would have evolved with during pre-historical times. Hunter-gatherers had diets high in protein and fat, and carbs were relatively low. The agricultural revolution changed all that, and societies largely ate bread in 'the old world'. If that's pretty much all you're eating, you're not going to get fat. But if you have access to lots of fat and protein AND carbs, well, you're going to pack it on.

Native American/Canadians would have largely been hunter/gathering societies, with an agricultural diet which was nothing like Europeans. Even the Central American societies, with their Maize, didn't consume the amount of carbs that Europeans did.

Really just common sense.

Now, I would have a very difficult time giving up on the wide variety of seriously awesome food that we've created that are high in carbs. *shrugs*

Just eat buffalo.

It's like premium beef with no fat in it.

People should eat healthy food. I don't care what name you call that food, it doesn't make the statement any more revolutionary.

Of course, no one should be forced to eat healthy food either. But as far as this experiment goes: good on them.

Just eat buffalo.

It's like premium beef with no fat in it.

There's some kind of disease that messes with them, I can't remember which. Makes farmers less likely to make the switch.

I do love buffalo, though. And their dung actually fertilizes the soil rather than destroying it, like a cow's does.

On topic:

High-protein, low-fat is supposedly the way we evolved to eat during the stone-age (paleolithic era, whatever). I like it, but I can't afford it. Protein is expensive, and I can only eat so much tuna fish.