Indigenous Foods: Resilience against Emerging Diseases

Achla Pritam Tandon,Soma Mondal Ghorai

doi:10.11594/ijmaber.03.02.07

Abstract

The harmful effects of processed food have seen a worldwide increase in the number of people falling prey to lifestyle-related diseases. The latest in the row of diseases striking humans has been the deadly COVID-19, which also we would like to critique as a consequence of reduced immunities besides compromised health and sanitation restrictions being exercised. Ironically, Indigenous people, despite their greater challenges with the natural elements, lower levels of infrastructural and medicinal access, we're able to garner their coping mechanisms to curb death counts in their communities. It was observed that support groups at the village level emerged along with traditional food choices as well as them choosing holistic ways of healing. This paper is an attempt to the forefront the idea of ‘going back to basics along with our modern-day lifestyles, dietary preferences, and food consumption patterns.

Highlights

It has always been an established and researched fact that local, traditional knowledge, practices and community-driven resilience have helped protect Indigenous families and communities around the world from the more virulent dimensions of diseases, including COVID-19
Overall it is estimated that low intake of fruits and vegetables is attributable to approximately 2.7 million (4.9%) annual deaths,11% of stroke, and 19% of gastrointestinal cancers and is still significantly associated with lung/pharyngeal/laryngeal/oral cancer, type-2 diabetes mellitus, bone-health, vision/cataract, and micronutrient deficiency state (Sachdeva, 2013)
The COVID-19 vaccine has been developed within a record time and disseminated in many parts of the world, but 80% of the third world population still relies on traditional medicines for almost all ailments (Pathak & Das, 2013)

Summary

Background

It has always been an established and researched fact that local, traditional knowledge, practices and community-driven resilience have helped protect Indigenous families and communities around the world from the more virulent dimensions of diseases, including COVID-19. AP Tandon & SM Ghorai, 2022/ Indigenous Foods: Resilience Against Emerging Diseases family and community members, including giving special attention to elders, children, those with health concerns and those in quarantine. Problematizing the conceptual understanding of food security, we wish to demonstrate that it means to secure the availability of food, but it attempts to locate the problem within a macro-level understanding, embedding it with routinized daily practices of buying, cooking, sharing as well as awareness and discussions on the material (water, energy, land, seeds, soil) and non-material (knowledge, social norms, cultural values) dimensions. COVID-19 virus can be transmitted by touching contaminated food or food contact surfaces which could include food which is packaged, even if a healthy person touches these contaminated edibles, and the same hand touches eyes, mouth, or nose

Social Challenges

Findings

Conclusion