Dietary Change and Traditional Food Systems of Indigenous Peoples

Abstract

Traditional food systems of indigenous peoples are defined as being composed of items from the local, natural environment that are culturally acceptable. Rapid dietary change of indigenous peoples worldwide is posing threats to use of this food and the traditional knowledge required for traditional food system maintainance. This review describes the many influences on choice of food by indigenous peoples, the qualities of traditional food systems, the forces of non-directed dietary change causing decline in use of traditional food systems, and the consequences of change for indigenous peoples. Several examples are given of dietary change research with indigenous peoples.

A scoping review of traditional food security in Alaska

“…Though traditional food security has been loosely defined in the literature [13,14], it can be conceptualised as paying particular attention to traditional foods when considering food availability, access and utilisation. Studies that estimate the prevalence of food insecurity in remote Alaska Native communities, where poverty is pervasive and food availability is limited, are virtually absent from the literature.…”

“…This research gap could be significant for understanding the health status of urban indigenous peoples, because as noted, the increased consumption of store-bought foods has been shown to decrease nutrient and diet quality and increase the potential for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease in both Alaska and the Circumpolar North [4,48–50]. Conversely, an increased intake of traditional foods has been associated with better health outcomes such as improved glucose tolerance and lipid profiles [51], lower risk of cardiovascular disease [28] and higher diet quality [13,52]. A fuller understanding of the role traditional foods play for those living in urban communities will also support policies to increase availability and access of these foods, such as provision of subsidies to help secure traditional foods or explicit allowance of traditional foods in food assistance programs.…”

The perceptions of first nation participants in a community oral health initiative

“…The fossil record suggests that dental health during the pre-contact period was quite good, as dental caries affects less than 1% of all teeth in pre-colonial mummies and skulls from the North West Coast and the Artic [10]. The rise in tooth decay accompanied the development of other previously low prevalence diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, that were directly caused by drastic changes in lifestyle and diet [11,12]. Diets changed when treaty agreements substituted traditional hunting and gathering lifestyles with poor quality government food [12].…”

“…In other words, the high prevalence and severity of dental caries in FN/I populations today is related directly to food insecurity [13]. Ancestral land resources have been redirected to cash crops or other industrial uses, and are no longer available for their traditional use as a source of family food [11]. Therefore, it is not surprising that traditional models of wellness do not extend to describe a disease that was essentially non-existent prior to European colonialism.…”

Factors associated with the intake of traditional foods in theEeyou Istchee(Cree) of northern Quebec include age, speaking the Cree language and food sovereignty indicators

“…The dietary shift from TF to MF has resulted in a contemporary Eeyouch diet that is high in saturated fat, free sugar, refined foods and low in fibre; this combination is often termed the “Western diet” [3,11,12]. Evidence that a compromised diet and increased sedentariness have accompanied this nutrition transition is the rise in nutrition-related chronic disease (NRCD) among Eeyouch such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [13,14].…”