Full Title: The Pursuit of Health Through Heritage — Exploring A Diet Rooted in African Traditions for Optimal Health – Orleatha Smith (AHS21)

Diet plays an essential role in human development and growth, contributing to health and well-being. While an ancestral diet has been shown to be beneficial, culturally specific dietary guidelines have yet to be presented. The central question addressed in this overview presentation is whether the eating patterns of African American ancestors are best for those of African descent. The studies on diet patterns of the African diaspora inform the discussion. Healthy or prudent, as opposed to Western, eating patterns are identified in groups of African origin. It appears that a different group of foods predict diet quality and health outcomes in a 2-year anecdotal experiment. A diet was followed that was based on staples from the African diaspora and promoted greens, beans and peas, whole grains, fruits, peanuts and nuts, vegetables, tubers as well as fish as the main source of protein.

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