Any tips on making Indigenous/Traditional foods healthier?

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steamingcoffee
steamingcoffee Posts: 55 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Any other indigenous people on here struggle with or have good solutions to eating healthier?
I very much miss frybread and other fatty comfort foods that I've been staying far away from since I started eating healthy
Anyone have some good suggestions or compromises that still feel like home cooking?

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  • Hotmess2012
    Hotmess2012 Posts: 37
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    This may be a dumb question but what is Indigenous Food? I may be able to help if I knew what that was... lol
  • steamingcoffee
    steamingcoffee Posts: 55 Member
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    haha no not a dumb question at all. I'm indigenous so I meant traditional food from indigenous cultures. Most of the food my family makes is cooked in oil and mainly meat and carbs like elk and moose with potatoes and rice.
  • Jennieam
    Jennieam Posts: 300 Member
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    OK. That makes more sense. I am in Australia, and indigenous food here does not include elk or moose!!!
  • brittigno
    brittigno Posts: 193 Member
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    So I saw the topic title on the side of my homepage when I was going to go closeout my food log for the day and was like 'holy crap!' then i saw who posted it and was like 'HOLY CRAP'

    small internet worrrld.
  • LisaRN9
    LisaRN9 Posts: 75 Member
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    saute instead of deep fry? Or change up spices...garlic, onion?
  • maluprincess
    maluprincess Posts: 22
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    I don't know if I qualify as indigenous being american by nationality and indian by heritage/ethnicity. So I'm not sure if I qualify to answer but I like the topic! And perhaps give some ideas for others to try out!

    I think eating Indian food is almost easier on my diet! I don't count herbs and spices as really having any impact on my diet (other than salt), so I use them liberally. Eating well seasoned food doesn't make me feel like I'm dieting all the time. A little bit of kick from heat or just mixing different spices keeps the food interesting. Personally, I stray from my diet when I have to eat the same thing for too many days in a row, so variety is great for me.

    Restaurant style indian food (and almost all food) is made delicious by using lots of creams and butter especially (keeps you coming back for more). But at home it's just as easy to cook meat or veggies with cooking spray or a little bit of oil under under your own discretion.

    For those wondering looking for some Indian-ish spices keep reading...it not best of luck!

    Some of the major spices are coriander, turmeric (in meat dishes only and just a bit), cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, chili powder and paprika are a few that I mix up occasionally. Garam masala I use sometimes which is just a general mix of most of the spices I just named and a couple more, available in any (almost) grocery store. It's easier to buy just the one mix than all the individual ones especially if they aren't something you'd normally use.
  • mr_pickles
    mr_pickles Posts: 1
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    Now you have me curious if I can make fry bread without frying it in oil! I know it's not traditional to do it this way, but I wonder if brushing each side with just a little oil and baking or cooking in a hot pan (like cast iron) with a lid might work? I will try this later in the week and let you know. I've had luck doing this with other kinds of things that are normally fried, including breads. If you try it, maybe do it sometime when others aren't watching so they aren't horrified. (smile.)

    Elk and moose are pretty low in fat as far as meats go, so if you can grill, bake, parboil or stew without a lot of extra oil instead of frying, that should be ok.

    Can you add other vegetables to the potatoes? Like maybe carrots, onions, even cauliflower or broccoli? (My access to affordable fresh vegetables is limited right now/in winter, but I can usually find reasonably priced kale or collards, carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes.)

    For the rice, are you eating white, brown or wild rice? If white rice, see if you can switch to brown for more fiber and nutrients. If wild rice, try and cook it in vegetable broth and leave out any oil or margarine.

    I hope some of these suggestions help! As a disclaimer, I was not raised Indigenous, but my great-grandmother was. Her daughter/my gramma was sent to an orphanage, but she still remembered some things about cooking indigenous foods after she grew up and she taught me a little. Feel free to use what is helpful and ignore what is not. Good luck!
  • steamingcoffee
    steamingcoffee Posts: 55 Member
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    thank you! Those are awesome suggestions, especially the cooking my bread on the pan with the lid. I'll try that and let you know how it works out :D

    I just learned how to make "rice" out of cauliflower so I'm so excited about that!

    Also love love love Indian food and spicy food in general so thanks

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