Traditional Foodways
Here are some resources to help you understand more about traditional foodways across the globe.
IFA AND YORUBA FOODS
Tomi Makanjoula’s website is an incredible resource for African functional foods and food as medicine recipes.
Esosa Edosomwan is a raw foods nutritionist who focuses on longevity and works with African superfoods for hormonal health and balanced weight.
CHINESE MEDICINE
This TCM eBook is a wonderful introduction to this ancient nutritional therapy.
This is an overview of the Five Element Theory of TCM.
Here is another perspective on the energetics of the five elements.
Learn more about the nine body constitutions of TCM here.
AYURVEDA
This a Dosha Quiz from the Ayurvedic tradition to help you understand your constitution. Once you know about your dominant dosha(s), you can eat in accordance with them by following these guidelines:
Here is an excellent resource about what we can learn from the chakras.
THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY
Here is the Med Diet food pyramid.
Oldways is a wonderful resource for learning more about the Mediterranean way of eating.
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
What do you know about your ancestors? Please write down who your great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents were and what their ethnicity is/was. If you have time, do some research about the traditional foods consumed by those ethnic groups. These foods are programmed into your DNA to be the most nutritious and digestible choices for you.
The more we eat in accordance with our ancestors, the better we feel and the more we learn to appreciate and respect the wisdom of traditional cultures.
Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations (Food Sovereignty Alliance). In Vermont, for example, the Abenaki indigenous community has created the Seeds of Renewal project, which is a seed bank for and by native peoples.
Hunger and lack of access to enough healthy food for everyone remain tremendous problems, worldwide, in the United States as well as in other countries. The latest figures from the United Nations report 815 million people who are chronically lacking enough food for normal daily activities, a significant increase from the 2012-2014 figures attributed to the effects of conflict and climate change. In the US, over 41 million people live in households that are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, at some time during the year, enough food to meet the needs of all of their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food insecurity has been measured consistently since the mid-1990s in the US. During that time period, the prevalence of food insecurity has fluctuated between 10.5% of households (2000) to 14.6% (2008) to the current level of 12.3% of households. In other words, the United States’ approach to ending hunger has not been working, at least since the mid-1990s. It’s time for a new approach!
Food sovereignty is both a way to care for yourself and your community and an act of tolerance and respect. What does it look like for you to take control over your food?
You can learn more about the international struggle for food sovereignty via the Food Sovereignty Alliance and Why Hunger.
Can you connect with a local farmer and get your food from them? Do you want to join a community garden or expand your own garden? Can you set up a seasonal food swap with friends and neighbors?
