Traditional foodways create healthier ecological environments, foster interconnection within communities, and promote physical wellness. Perhaps the most obvious of these is the ecological benefit of traditional cultivation, as it is clear that using pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modification can and do have adverse effects on the environment. Fostering interconnection occurs because traditional foods systems are generally local, therefore supporting community growth and interdependence. The nutritional benefits of traditional diets are not always clearly understood, but it is apparent that eating whole foods is health affirming, whereas eating processed foods filled with hydrogenated oils, sugars, and sodium can be health depleting. The difficulty arises because traditional diets can vary enormously (ex. the percentage of calories from fat differ greatly between traditional Japanese and Greek diets). However, these differences do not diminish the diet’s overall effect, mainly the promotion of physical health and normal weight maintenance.
It is a collective effort in much of the nutrition industry to reduce the health benefits of traditional diets to a specific food such as olive oil, fish, or red wine. Although within the context of a healthy diet these foods can certainly support health and longevity, taken out of context they are not going to dramatically shift the health of anyone, except perhaps in adding calories. This is why I’m so impressed with the non-profit food issues “think tank,” Oldways. This organization centered in Boston, Ma, looks at traditional diets holistically without reducing them to a specific food or nutrient. One of the organization’s main efforts is involved in creating food pyramids from different parts of the world (thus far they have the Mediterranean, Latin American, Asian, and Vegetarian food pyramids). This allows interested people, like myself, to view these traditional diets in a familiar way and comparisons can easily be made between these diets and the infamous “Western Diet.” Oldways is dedicated to preserving these traditional diets and to begin their implementation into the modern western culture. Such a shift might greatly reduce the growing obesity epidemic in America. Check out their website to keep yourself informed on Oldways upcoming events.
