Article: Boning Up on Navajo Food Habits

[Guest guest]

I found this interesting in finding that juniper ash was/is used by tribes

outside of the Northeast & Canada. Never knew its purpose other than a salt

substitute.

Wanita

Contents

....From the pages of Agricultural Research magazine

Boning Up on Navajo Food Habits

An unusual phenomenon draws the attention of ARS nutritionist Judith G.

Hallfrisch. A recent study, published in the Journal of the American

Geriatrics

Society, found Native Americans have denser bones than Caucasians, yet they

don't eat a lot of dairy foods. Hip and other bone fractures are often the

result of weak bones, caused by osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease.

Nearly 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis, which is responsible for

1.5 million fractures annually, according to the National Institutes of

Health.

" Osteoporosis is usually prevented by a combination of things, including

eating

foods—particularly dairy foods—high in calcium and vitamin D, " says

Hallfrisch,

who is with the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, in Beltsville,

land.

Genetic differences have been cited as an explanation for low fracture rates

among the largest group of North American Indians, the Navajo. " Environmental

and cultural practices may also play a role in the sturdy bone structure of

Navajo people, " says Hallfrisch. " We think there's something in their drinking

water or food that's contributing to this unusual occurrence. So, we're

collaborating on a study with investigators at Utah State University to assess

how overall mineral intake is related to bone health and other conditions in

Navajos. "

On the reservation, Navajos get their water from wells, springs, and taps, and

store it in barrels. After several trips to Navajo reservations in Utah,

Arizona, and New Mexico, Hallfrisch analyzed more than 100 water samples for

minerals. She found the average water intake of 2 liters a day can provide up

to 212 milligrams of calcium, 150 milligrams of magnesium, and 8 milligrams of

zinc.

" The water is high in minerals because the ground is alkaline and has lots of

minerals. Although the Navajos don't eat much dairy, they are still getting

good nutrient amounts from their water, " she says.

In addition, a colleague of Hallfrisch's at Utah State University analyzed the

contribution of juniper ash—a gray, finely ground powder traditionally

added to

native dishes—to overall mineral intakes in Navajo people. Navajos burn

juniper

branches and grind them into a powder, which they add to breads and

traditional

corn dishes.

" Juniper ash is rich in minerals that may also contribute to decreased

bone-related injuries, " Hallfrisch says. " Total intake of these minerals,

which

strengthen bones, including the amounts in water and juniper ash, are much

closer to dietary recommendations than diet surveys suggest, and may partially

explain low fracture rates. "

As part of this study, Hallfrisch has been collecting samples of Native

American foods to evaluate their nutrient content. Unfortunately, she says,

intakes of younger Navajos are becoming closer to average U.S. diets, with

high

soda intakes and few traditional dishes or dairy products.—By Tara

Weaver-Missick, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

This research is part of Human Nutrition, an ARS National Program (#307)

described on the World Wide Web at

<http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov/>http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov.

Judith G. Hallfrisch is with the USDA-ARS Diet and Human Performance

Laboratory,

Bldg. 308, Beltsville, MD 20705; phone (301) 504-9061, fax (301) 504-9098.

" Boning Up on Navajo Food Habits " was published in the June 2001 issue of

Agricultural Research magazine.