Guts and Grease: The Diet of Native Americans

[Josiah]

not all natives are meateaters.those that have come in contact with the Hare Krishna movement,many of them,have totally given up eating meat,fish and eggs...the christians say that you can only reach God through Jesus.Our spiritual master,Srila Prabhupada said thats true.if Jesus is their guru,,then thats their way to God.We cant approach or have any knowledge about God unless we accept a Guru.(a bonafide teacher)The vedas describe how some animal sacrifice was allowed in ancient times,because the Brahmins performing the sacrifices,or fire jagna,were qualified and had the power to give the animals a new elevated birth...in this age of kaliyuga,it has gotten so degraded.theres no qualified brahmins possessing these powers,so Lord Buddha came to stop so much unnecessary violence.Maybe theere are some native american chiefs that still do have these powers.that doesnt mean its o.k. to eat the meat bought in the store/also,Hiayawatha went to the mountains to help the native americans from a calamity about to hit the people.the calamity ended up being starvation.he didnt come back with meat.he came back with seeds and sacred weed,and a sacred pipe.

Dude step away from the pipe!
I am not sure where you get your stories and ideas about ndn's
Who ever it is, they are doing you a great deservice!
Your belief is not necessarly the beliefs of others by far.
Ndn's have had there share of missionaries over the years
And from what i can tell we are worse off because of it.
I know my tribe has been greatly affected by this effect, lost and shattered culture all this in the name of GOD!

[stillrezin]

sacred weed,and a sacred pipe.

wow. i think he needs to step away from the weed and pipe too.

[Joe's Dad]

not all natives are meateaters.those that have come in contact with the Hare Krishna movement,many of them,have totally given up eating meat,fish and eggs...the christians say that you can only reach God through Jesus.Our spiritual master,Srila Prabhupada said thats true.if Jesus is their guru,,then thats their way to God.We cant approach or have any knowledge about God unless we accept a Guru.(a bonafide teacher)The vedas describe how some animal sacrifice was allowed in ancient times,because the Brahmins performing the sacrifices,or fire jagna,were qualified and had the power to give the animals a new elevated birth...in this age of kaliyuga,it has gotten so degraded.theres no qualified brahmins possessing these powers,so Lord Buddha came to stop so much unnecessary violence.Maybe theere are some native american chiefs that still do have these powers.that doesnt mean its o.k. to eat the meat bought in the store/also,Hiayawatha went to the mountains to help the native americans from a calamity about to hit the people.the calamity ended up being starvation.he didnt come back with meat.he came back with seeds and sacred weed,and a sacred pipe.

I don't understand. In a post above, you stated that 'Native Americans' never ate meat. In this post, you state 'not all natives are meateaters'. You need to put the 'sacred pipe' down.

And you need to get ur facts straight about the indigenous people of this land.

STEP AWAY FROM THE PIPE!

[Joe's Dad]

humans dont have meateaters bodies.we have long intestines and meat rots for twenty or thirty years in your intestines,causing so much disease.Especially with such a sedentary life that people lead now.
FRom what Ive read,the native americans never ate meat,fish,or eggs unless they were totally desperate,with harsh winters,etc.tigers have short intestines and when they eat meat,it gets digested right away.
Lord Krishna appeared 5,000 years ago in vrindavan,India,as a cowherd boy.Also,Lord Budha,was an incarnation of Lord Krishna...they didnt appear for nothing...

There is a big difference between READING it and living it.

[Joe's Dad]

Well,its 2008,and theres plenty of ancient knowledge out there to be found.the rainbow warriors are supposed to take evryone to the spiritual way of life to prepare for all the devastations that are going to occur.According to the Bhagavadgita,humans are not supposed to eat meat,fish,or eggs,unless there is nothing else available or they are a warrioir on the actual battlefield. people that eat those things get the karma of an animal birth in their next birth,instead of going back home to the spiritual world,where we belong.ghee(clarified butter) is considered gold in India,and the wealthy people have huge wells filled with ghee,clarified butter from cows milk. lord Krishna is etermnally a cowherd boy,so killing the cows and eating them is serious bad karma.You have to be slaughtered for as many lifetimes as there are hairs on the cow.Also,it is better to grind grains fresh before making frybread or puris because flour loses all its minerals and vitamins after seven days....frying in Ghee is an awesome taste and great way to get the fats we need.it is also great for your health to break fast with 4 oz.of wheatgrass juice,and raw vegi juices.The warrors in China,would eat tons of chlorella for their energy,in ancient times.1 out of three people in America get cancer,due to meat eating...

Dude. I couldn't belong to whatever this belief is.

I've eaten every part of the cow except the penis and the moo. I've eaten and enjoy fried blood. Still do when I get a chance.

[silence is golden]

not all natives are meateaters.those that have come in contact with the Hare Krishna movement,many of them,have totally given up eating meat,fish and eggs...the christians say that you can only reach God through Jesus.Our spiritual master,Srila Prabhupada said thats true.if Jesus is their guru,,then thats their way to God.We cant approach or have any knowledge about God unless we accept a Guru.(a bonafide teacher)The vedas describe how some animal sacrifice was allowed in ancient times,because the Brahmins performing the sacrifices,or fire jagna,were qualified and had the power to give the animals a new elevated birth...in this age of kaliyuga,it has gotten so degraded.theres no qualified brahmins possessing these powers,so Lord Buddha came to stop so much unnecessary violence.Maybe theere are some native american chiefs that still do have these powers.that doesnt mean its o.k. to eat the meat bought in the store/also,Hiayawatha went to the mountains to help the native americans from a calamity about to hit the people.the calamity ended up being starvation.he didnt come back with meat.he came back with seeds and sacred weed,and a sacred pipe.

[Josiah]

Well,its 2008,and theres plenty of ancient knowledge out there to be found.the rainbow warriors are supposed to take evryone to the spiritual way of life to prepare for all the devastations that are going to occur.According to the Bhagavadgita,humans are not supposed to eat meat,fish,or eggs,unless there is nothing else available or they are a warrioir on the actual battlefield. people that eat those things get the karma of an animal birth in their next birth,instead of going back home to the spiritual world,where we belong.ghee(clarified butter) is considered gold in India,and the wealthy people have huge wells filled with ghee,clarified butter from cows milk. lord Krishna is etermnally a cowherd boy,so killing the cows and eating them is serious bad karma.You have to be slaughtered for as many lifetimes as there are hairs on the cow.Also,it is better to grind grains fresh before making frybread or puris because flour loses all its minerals and vitamins after seven days....frying in Ghee is an awesome taste and great way to get the fats we need.it is also great for your health to break fast with 4 oz.of wheatgrass juice,and raw vegi juices.The warrors in China,would eat tons of chlorella for their energy,in ancient times.1 out of three people in America get cancer,due to meat eating...

hmmm
I wonder then why cancer was unkown on this Continent until just the past 300 years. Afterall the article mentions the fact that WE Natives ARE MEAT EATERS
And if I am not mistaken that would be for the Past 20 THOUSAND YEARS

[Josiah]

I think what struck me about the article is the fact that we hear so much about the evils of Saturated Fats...

I agree though that the root of our problems lay with too many Carbs in our Diet especially from Flour (Fry Bread)
Processed foods need to disappear from our Diet also

Eat in Moderation and excercise

Still its a good article

[wyo_rose]

Humans are omnivores. And the right fats are REQUIRED, ie. ESSENTIAL fatty acids. And if you remember from Biology 101, ever cell in your body is contained in a lipid layer. Lipid - fat.

It's such a hard thing for Americans to take in. Eating fat makes you fat, right? How far from the truth. I encourage anyone interested in eating healthy to read Protein Power by the Drs. Eades listed above.

The one nutrient that is NOT required for good health (and energy) is carbohydrates. Nutritionists will disagree, but they're all being taught the "wrong" thing. It has only been in the last few years that our local diabetic nutritionist will agree that eating carbohydrates is bad for diabetics. My dad followed the American Diabetic Associations recommended diet of low fat flour, potato, and corn diet until it killed him.

Somewhere here I posted the Eskimo diet, where it showed optimum health among the primitive Eskimos who ate hardly anything besides meat dipped in grease.

The people that have trouble with high fat diets are either eating the wrong kind of fats or combining them with high amounts of carbohydrates.

What to eat? Any kind of meat, eggs, and fish. Any kind of vegetables, except those that high in carbs like potatoes and corn (not really a veggie). Most fruits, but the lower carb ones are berries and melons. Eat in moderation corn, quinoa (the only complete protein grain), and wild rice.

If you want to lose weight, stick to moderate amounts of protein and LOTS of low carb veggies. And GOOD fats: Olive Oil, Butter (or Ghee), Omega-3's and Coconut oil (NOT hydrogenated). Other good oils: Avocado and nut oils along with safflower oil. Avoid like the plaque: margarine, other transfats, canola oil.

Of course if you have high cholesterol levels, you might want to eat more fatty fish, and the olive or nut oils. But remember your body makes 75% of your cholesterol and only 25% comes from your diet.

[Blackbear]

No we are omnivors... we need to eat more than just piles of meat. See the problem with people today is that they want to eat just tons of it and it's all farmed meat. If we ate more wild game it would'nt be as bad for us, not to mention the exercise we'd get in tracking it down, cleaning it and preparing it to eat.
I don't know what you read but for my people deer and seafood were as much as staple as corn, beans and squash and for the nomadic tribes buffalo was their main staple as opposed to farmed foods. The alaskan natives meat was primarily what was in their area so there's whale, seal, walrus, otter, beaver, moose, bear, salmon, geese and geese eggs, salmon eggs...... Bears I believe have long intestines too and they eat meat and plants (berries roots etc) and they are omnivours as well..... everything in balance.

convenience is our biggest killer of health

[silence is golden]

humans dont have meateaters bodies.we have long intestines and meat rots for twenty or thirty years in your intestines,causing so much disease.Especially with such a sedentary life that people lead now.
FRom what Ive read,the native americans never ate meat,fish,or eggs unless they were totally desperate,with harsh winters,etc.tigers have short intestines and when they eat meat,it gets digested right away.
Lord Krishna appeared 5,000 years ago in vrindavan,India,as a cowherd boy.Also,Lord Budha,was an incarnation of Lord Krishna...they didnt appear for nothing...

[Blackbear]

But part of the reason why our diet worked back then is also becuase we got the proper exercise to go with it. keep that in mind before you go out eating everythign with high concentrations of fat in it. My white grandpa ate food high in fat everyday of his life without complications .. at least while he was still working and had his garden going. He'd spend alot of time in his one acre garden before and after he put in his hours at his barber shop where if he was'nt cutting hair he'd be relaxing and enjoying himself. He had a nice mixture of work and play and probably would have lived longer than 86 if he had'nt retired ten years before.

[silence is golden]

diet

Well,its 2008,and theres plenty of ancient knowledge out there to be found.the rainbow warriors are supposed to take evryone to the spiritual way of life to prepare for all the devastations that are going to occur.According to the Bhagavadgita,humans are not supposed to eat meat,fish,or eggs,unless there is nothing else available or they are a warrioir on the actual battlefield. people that eat those things get the karma of an animal birth in their next birth,instead of going back home to the spiritual world,where we belong.ghee(clarified butter) is considered gold in India,and the wealthy people have huge wells filled with ghee,clarified butter from cows milk. lord Krishna is etermnally a cowherd boy,so killing the cows and eating them is serious bad karma.You have to be slaughtered for as many lifetimes as there are hairs on the cow.Also,it is better to grind grains fresh before making frybread or puris because flour loses all its minerals and vitamins after seven days....frying in Ghee is an awesome taste and great way to get the fats we need.it is also great for your health to break fast with 4 oz.of wheatgrass juice,and raw vegi juices.The warrors in China,would eat tons of chlorella for their energy,in ancient times.1 out of three people in America get cancer,due to meat eating...

[Joe's Dad]

Good article, Josiah.

[Josiah]

Continued

The authors are grateful to Don Coté for his help with this article.

References

1. S. Boyd Eaton, MD with Marjorie Shostak and Melvin Konner, MD, PhD, The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet & Exercise and a Design for Living, Harper & Row
2. Loren Cordain, PhD and Boyd Eaton, "Evolutionary aspects of diet: Old genes, new fuels. Nutritional changes since agriculture," World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 1997:81
3. Jean Carper, USA Weekend
4. Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, "Stone Age Diet," SHAPE, October 1998
5. Weston A. Price, DDS, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, (619) 574-7763, pages 73-102
6. Ibid., p 91
7. The explorer Cabeza de Vaca is quoted in WW Newcomb, The Indians of Texas, 1961, University of Texas.
8. Ibid.
9. Eaton, op cit, p 80
10. USDA data, prepared by John L. Weihrauch with technical assistance of Julianne Borton and Theresa Sampagna
11. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, The Fat of the Land, MacMillan Company, 1956
12. Frances Densmore, "Chippewa Customs," Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 86, page 43
13. Stefansson, op cit
14. Beverly Hungry Wolf, The Ways of My Grandmother, pages 183-189
15. John (fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes, Lame Deer Seeker of Visions, Simon and Schuster, 1972, page 122
16. Stefansson, op cit, page 27
17. The Journals of Samuel Hearne, 1768.
18. Hungry Wolf, op cit
19. Hungry Wolf, op cit
20. Inez Hilger, "Chippewa Child Life," Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 146, page 96
21. William Campbell Douglass, MD, The Milk Book, Second Opinion Publishing 1994, page 215
22. Personal communication, Florence Shipek, expert on the Californian coastal Indians.
23. Mary Ulmer and Samuel E. Beck, Cherokee Cooklore, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 1951
24. Cabeza de Vaca, op cit
25. Samuel Hearne, op cit
26. Frances Densmore, op cit, page 39
27. "Wildman" Steve Brill with Evelyn Dean, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants, Hearst Books, New York, 1994, page 220
28. Personal communication, Florence Shipek, op cit
29. Mary Ulmer, op cit
30. Keith Steinkraus, ed, Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1983
31. Weston Price, op cit, page 31

Sidebar

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Native Americans and Diabetes


American Indians know all too well the havoc that Type II Diabetes can wreak on the human body. What they may not know is that Uncle Sam is to blame.

Thousands of American Indians depend on the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). What do participants receive? It should come as no surprise that the commodities are loaded with carbohydrates with very little protein on the menu and even less fat. And the fats Indians do receive are loaded with trans fats. These foods are cheap and the multinational giants that produce them are equipped with lawyers and lobbyists to ensure that their products are the ones our government buys. The federal government feeds 53 million people per day. Is it any wonder they're out to cut costs, whatever the consequences to our health?

Even in light of the latest research on the ill effect of excess carbohydrates on the human body, federal agencies have no choice. The National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990, also known as Public Law 101-445, states that all federal agencies shall promote the current US Dietary Recommendations in carrying out any federal food, nutrition or health program. The USDA Food Pyramid is more than a recommendation; it's a federal prescription written in stone. And it's speeding the death of most if not all Americans.

The Indians are hit harder and faster than the rest of us because they are only two generations away from the "old way" of life, based on game animals and fish. Uncle Sam will never admit that the Indians were tall, lean and healthy just two generations ago. If ever someone wanted proof that humans weren't designed to eat a grain-based diet, look at the American Indian population—almost all of them are battling overweight, diabetes, and heart disease. Addictions are common. Yet many Indians have vivid memories of life before federal handouts, a time when diabetes and other diseases of civilization were unheard of among the Indians.

The US government has failed miserably when it comes to treating its native peoples. But without a change in US law, Indians will continue to receive a recipe for death. One possible remedy is the Tribal Self-Governance Project, created by Congress in 1988, which allows tribal governments more flexibility in the decision-making and administration of their contracted programs. Indians must take a stand and demand that government subsidies reflect their native diet. Better yet, Indians who can should refuse their "gift" from the government and return to hunting and fishing—the only way to reclaim their health.

Michael Eades, MD
Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades are the authors of Protein Power Lifeplan (Warner, 2000)

About the Authors

Sally Fallon<http://www.westonaprice.org/images/portraits/fallon_06.jpg> Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats <http://www.westonaprice.org/bookreviews/nourishing_traditions.html> (with Mary G. Enig, PhD), a well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods with a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. She joined forces with Enig again to write Eat Fat, Lose Fat, and has authored numerous articles on the subject of diet and health. The President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk <http://www.realmilk.com> , Sally is also a journalist, chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker, and community activist. Her four healthy children were raised on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat.

Mary G. Enig, PhD<http://www.westonaprice.org/images/portraits/enig.jpg> Mary G. Enig, PhD is an expert of international renown in the field of lipid biochemistry. She has headed a number of studies on the content and effects of trans fatty acids in America and Israel, and has successfully challenged government assertions that dietary animal fat causes cancer and heart disease. Recent scientific and media attention on the possible adverse health effects of trans fatty acids has brought increased attention to her work. She is a licensed nutritionist, certified by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists, a qualified expert witness, nutrition consultant to individuals, industry and state and federal governments, contributing editor to a number of scientific publications, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association. She is the author of over 60 technical papers and presentations, as well as a popular lecturer. Dr. Enig is currently working on the exploratory development of an adjunct therapy for AIDS using complete medium chain saturated fatty acids from whole foods. She is Vice-President of the Weston A Price Foundation and Scientific Editor of Wise Traditions as well as the author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol, Bethesda Press, May 2000. She is the mother of three healthy children brought up on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat. See her website at http://www.enig.com/trans.html.
________________________________


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This page was posted on 01 JAN 2000