I was watching that bizarre foods show on the Travel Channel, and the host was in Samoa, explaining how the Samoans eat and farm and fish in the traditional ways they always have, and then he participated in a traditional Samoan meal. The meal consisted of pork kidneys, liver, and heart; eel; mutton fat; and some fruit, all cooked over a fire. Sounds pretty H-G and paleo to me. So, why is it that Samoans are so well known for being overweight to the point of obesity? This article talks about the problem, with the recommendation from the island Ministry of Health that Samoans start cutting back on consumption of fat! So...what gives?
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Simple, they don't really eat that "traditional diet". They eat a more processed diet on cheap, easily available food and are substantially more sedentary now. This affects more than the Samoans as well. https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/uploadedFiles/moynihan/dst/curtis5.pdf?n=3228 |
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You saw a television show where they prepared a traditional meal for Andrew Zimmern. What you didn't see was the refined SAD that they eat for the other 99% of the time. Diabetes and obesity run rampant in recently (last 200 years) Westernized cultures such as Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. Their traditional foods (albeit high in natural fructose) are not the culprit. |
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The first page google page I came up with says this "We recommend that people reduce the amount of lamp flaps being eaten.� Lamb flaps, however, are not the only source of fatty food in Samoa. Turkey tails top the fat content chart with 32 grams of fat per 100 grams. Lamb flaps follow closely with 27.4 grams of fat per 100 grams. Common daily foods such as Mackerel canned in oil contain 12 grams of fat per 100 grams served and Samoan banana chips have a high 32.6 grams of fat per 100 grams. " Blatant meat-hating aside, notice how their mockerel is canned in oil. Oil...as in soy oil? Which oil? If I was eating shit canned in soy oil every day I would be fat too. See the work of Ray Peat for that. A depiction of lean and robust plains Indians who followed the buffalo http://www.indiandogs.com/images/map/plains%20old%207.jpg edit: oh and Mark Sisson http://ezinearticles.com/members/mem_pics/Mark-Sisson_203382.jpg I just like posting pictures of Mark Sisson. I know I'm not the only one titters |
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Samoans like the pima indians have whats known as "thrifty genes". Most of them naturally store lots of body fat efficiently. These people are the types that would survive a famine. In modern times, food is in abundance, they eat more than what thier bodies require, they get fatter. Most of them are Endomorphs. Endomorphs are naturally big boned and store fat easily. It's an enviromental and evolutionary thing. Do reasearch on google about it. Main reasons are the industrial crappy food they eat. They dont eat their natural diet as often. Refined sugars and grains, veggie/seed oils can make any group of people fat. Even people with superior athletic genes can get fat eating like a typical westerner. |
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Staples of the diet remain taro, breadfruit, bananas, coconuts, papayas, mangoes, some chicken, pork, canned corned beef (pisupo) and seafood. Lots of fructose and carbs......Onions, potatoes, lettuce, cabbages, carrots, beans, and tomatoes are also eaten occasionally. And the big issue.....Supermarkets carry most foods found in a U.S. market!!! Even the tradional diet was not what I call ideal but when add american diet to it......forget it. |
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The traditional diet in Samoa is not the culprit. Yes, taro breadfruit and fruit are still the staples for most but the culprits are cheap junk food. Samoans are well aware of what food is healthy and what isn't. So really - the culprit is the individual. There is also a mentality of fat equals wealthy and skinny equals lowly farm labourer (poor)...let's not forget Samoa is a developing nation. Samoans are often rewarded with food; when the award wage is less than US$1/hour yet living costs as high as developed nations, food is big reward. At weddings, funerals, events etc. If you are a priest, politician etc. you get fed first. Children are last and get what is leftover, opposite to societies that believe in going without to provide for their offspring. This creates a mentality of 'get it when you can'. This also explain why chicken and pigs get scraps (as they can be eaten) yet dogs are treated as if they are the devil and starve. Samoans are expected to share and provide what they can for their family (and church) - so when an individual gets the chance it is common that they gorge themselves - it's one of the few things they get to do for themselves. Again, creating a 'get it when you can' mentality. The 'thrifty gene' theory is disputed and wasn't used as an excuse until Samoans and other Islanders started to get FAT. And remember that Samoa is 'based on God' - and many....most use God as the reason for anything happening. Being fat, being in debt, turning up late to work every day and getting fired, stealing from your boss, the 2009 tsunami...all God's will. Knowledge or availability of healthy food does not make the majority of Samoans FAT - their culture does. Not their culture from 100 years ago - their modern culture. |
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As a government Programs employer, government programs do not promote process food and unhealthy food selections. As a matter of fact, they provide professional nutrional education to help the public fight obesity. Many of the foods provided through WIC and SNAP governemnt programs have been carefully selected to avoid, not only processed food products, but to avoid high fat foods as well. Food choices offered by these programs are fruits and vegetables, no processed foods authorized, dairy, protein, and grains. For Samoans who are on these programs, they receive certain amounts of food that are considered healthy in nature, but it is up to them, whether they take heed to professional support on dietary guidelines, its up to them to make that choice on food portions, but are they eating in moderation, is the question? |
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The Samoans are a classic example of what Taubes and Shanahan discuss in their books. (Good Cal Bad Cal, and Deep Nutrition). The closer a people group is to their traditional diet (generation wise), the more havoc the western diet wreaks on them. The Native Americans, the Australian aboriginal tribes, the Samoans, etc. Their genes have absolutely no adaptations for dealing with this new food stuff. Even though they are obese, they are starving at a cellular level as their bodies cannot extract enough nutrients from western foods. |
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Same as everyone who's fat. Away from the stares of others they're pigging out on sugar and starch snacks. |
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From what I've seen and heard about Samoans and also Japanese Sumo Wrestlers is that they may have a high body fat percentage, but that it is the loose, jiggly fat - not the hard fat that makes your arteries clogged and unhealthy. So there may be a difference. |
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They read Jimmy Moore's books? |
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