African diet

AFRICAN DIET
Traditional staples in Africa consisted of whole grain millet, rice, sorghum, teff, and other grains, as well as tubers, roots, seeds, nuts, and fresh fruits and vegetables, and small, modest amount of animal food. The value of traditional African foods and the harmful effects of modern foods are coming under increased review. See AIDS, Genetically Engineered Food, Infectious Diseases, Schweitzer, Seaweed, Seeds, Sugar, Whole Grains.

• Traditional Legumes High in Protein Digestibility - In a study of the protein quality of traditional diets, scientists at the University of Nigeria reported that the protein in African yambeans and pigeon peas was nutritious and highly digestible. “The need for its [yambean] reintroduction into the fare of the populace through increased production and appropriate processing technology is stressed,” the researchers concluded. “The results of this study can form a base for the standardization of Nigerian diets based on these legumes. .”
Source: H. N. Ene-Obong and I. C. Obizoba, “Protein Quality of Some Nigerian Traditional Diets Based on the African Yambeann and Pigeon Pea,” Plant Foods and Human Nutrition 48(4):297-309, 1995.

• Dietary Status of Lese Women Healthy - People living in the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo eat primarily manioc, groundnuts, rice, and other traditional foods. Carbohydrates make up 64 percent of their daily diet, protein 14 percent, and fat 22 percent. In a study of the relationship of diet to energetic status and ovarian function, British scientists reported that in a study of 64 Lese women of reproductive age, the low-fat, high-fiber diet was essentially healthy despite seasonal deficiencies.
Source: G. R. Bentley et al., “Dietary Composition and Ovarian Function Among Lese Horticulturist Women of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52(4):261-70, 1998.

• Traditional Remedy - Medical researchers in Senegal produced a cough syrup from gueira, a native plant that is as effective as codeine-based medicines imported from Europe. They also made a laxative from the lam plant. At the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center of Traditional Medicine at the University of Illinois, these and other medicinal plants from Africa and around the world are available in a computer database.
Source: Thomas Land, “Folk Cures Gain Respect and Save Money,” Toward Freedom, April/May, 1991, pp. 17-18.

• Modern Diet and Spread of HIV - One of the most intriguing observations in Africa is the significant correlation between AIDS and upper-class status. This strongly suggests a possible association with environmental factors. Urban centers throughout Africa have been increasingly influenced by Western technology, including the typical American diet of refined sugars and flours, meats, eggs, dairy products, food additives, and other foods. In the highly Westernized city of Kinshasa, capital of the Republic of the Congo, this dietary pattern is far more typical of urban people in the upper income bracket.
“It seems plausible that the rapid modernization of Africa’s urban population, particularly for the upper class, may have set the stage for compromised immunity and thereby predisposed them to the pathogenic effects of the AIDS virus,” concluded Martha Cottrell, M.D. who gave seminars on diet and AIDS in West Africa.
The typical upper-class diet, based on the haute-cuisine of French and Belgian, includes imported red meats, eggs, white sugar, baked white-flour products, dairy, hydrogenated oils, and imported fruits and vegetables. “Heavy reliance on imported products has introduced high levels of artificial preservatives and agricultural chemicals to the urban elite’s food supply. Clearly this is not the kind of diet one would expect to support resistance to infectious diseases.”
By contrast, the native lower class diet includes locally grown fruit, cassava meal (a starchy root vegetable), avocados, red onions, and small amounts of fish, game, and insects. “In sum, the typical diet of low-income Kinshasans is basically low in protein, low in fat, and high in complex carbohydrates and fiber. By nutritional standards, this type of dietary pattern would clearly favor strong immunity.”
Source: Michio Kushi and Martha Cottrell, M.D., with Mark Mead, AIDS, Macrobiotics, and Natural Immunity (Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, 1990), pp. 216-17.

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