Page 21 - Senior Scene Magazine November 2018

Past and present
of these processed foods contribute
to diabetes, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Now, the researchers are exploring ways to improve these diets and coming up with strategies that could help reduce those high rates of disease. At the same time, people are rediscovering the rich culinary heritage of Native Americans.
Researchers concede that the challenges helping Native Americans make the shift to earlier – and better – better ways of eating are, in many ways, as daunting as they are for the rest of the population. The high cost of eating healthier meals and the additional time needed to prepare them play a role,
as they do for many. But the isolated nature of many Native American communities make access to healthier food choices particularly dif cult. In some areas, for instance, the nearest modern grocery store is hours away.
An initiative, called THRIVE – Tribal Health and Resilience in Vulnerable Environment – the project targets
the convenience stores that people within the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma rely heavily on for their food. The idea is to facilitate healthy “makeovers” of these rural stores by encouraging owners to stock more fruits and vegetables and other healthier foods, make those foods
Senior Scene® | November Issue
easier to identify and access, and lower their prices. A sign at one store reads – in large, bold letters – “Achukmvt i shahli”, which means “Fresh food has arrived”. It stands as a beacon to lure consumers to an array of healthier snack options displayed beneath the sign.
Preliminary results of the THRIVE study, which is ongoing, indicate that these strategies are working. Sales of fruits and vegetables are on the rise, and people are choosing healthier snacks. In some cases, healthier foods are selling out. The leadership of both tribal nations have supported these efforts from the beginning,
and have continued to help them improve the tribal food environments even when it meant working with new suppliers who could actually get the fresh produce to these remote, rural communities.
In addition to already familiar foods like tortillas, salmon, shell sh, and venison, traditional foods containing beans, squash, and corn are getting renewed attention. And they are taking center stage with recipes more in line with today’s nutrition guidelines.
FOOD continued on pg 24
food of Native
Americans
Dr. Arvind M. Dhople, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Florida Tech
As we commemorate November as Native American Heritage month,
it is important to remember the
many valuable contributions to the people who rst inhabited what is now the United States. Among those contributions is a rich variety of natural foods.
Yet, in a bitter twist, many American Indians today have become disconnected from their traditional ways of eating. Canned meats and sugary snacks have largely replaced healthy diets one rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. That shift, along with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, has dramatically affected the health of many now living in rural communities.
Nearly 50 years ago, heart disease was virtually unheard of in the Indian community, but rates of the disease are now double the general population. Several studies have shown that unhealthy, nontraditional foods like meats and fast foods, are
a large part of the problem. Many
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November 2017 | Senior Scene® Magazine | 21