BISON, AND THE NATIVE HUNTER-GATHERER DIET

As a bison producer and concerned member of society, I speak from my own experience, and from numerous studies I have read on the subject. These studies prove unequivocally that virtually all chronic disease, including dental disease, and developmental abnormalities are not present in tribes of traditional hunter -gatherer peoples. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, tuberculosis and a myriad of other diseases are virtually non existent in dozens of tribes of hunter gatherer communities studied over the last one hundred years. As soon as these tribes change to the modern high carbohydrate, unnaturally raised and refined food diet, all the maladies that are endemic today among modern people strike these native people also.
Ten different diet books will give ten different diets, often diametrically opposed to each other. Nevertheless, the Eskimo, Inuit, and the plains Indians of North America, and the Nilotic tribes including the Masai, the Neurs, the Muhima of Africa and many more tribes of hunter gatherers that relied almost solely on wild animals and fish for their diet were virtually free of heart disease, cancer and all chronic disease. They had perfect teeth, with almost zero decay, and perfect dental arch structure. At least 250,000 members of these tribes still follow there native diet and they are still virtually free of these diseases. This is hard for most modern people to believe, and is exactly the opposite of what we are told to eat through mainstream media and nutritionists. It is a diet very low in carbohydrates of any kind, and very high in fish and animal protein. The tribes that follow this diet derive almost all their energy from fat, and yet there is virtually zero heart disease recorded among them!
These people ate raw or rare meat and organs of wild animals and fish, and whatever edible plants grew in season, unadulterated by man made additives. Yet on this diet of mostly meat and fish, they thrived, not only in physical health and strength, but also in spiritual development and virtue. Those few westerners that lived among the traditional Eskimo describe them as extraordinarily intelligent and courageous, and heroically virtuous and loyal to their families. Diet has a direct effect on all aspects of our being, and improper diet is one of the major causes of the physical and mental health problems of people today.
Traditional family farmers and ranchers share the same fate as the bison did in the late 1800's, they too are an endangered "species", but the results of these studies show that the very food these families can provide is the food the world is in desperate need of. The argument against meat because it takes more energy to grow as food than plants, is erroneous in the context of the traditional family farm. Livestock are the major resource in soil building and fertilizing, and the major source of feed for bison comes from grassland range.
With this awareness, the family farms and ranches of the prairies, rural regions, and coastal communities can supply the world with big medicine! Look at what is spent on health care, and look at our health. Then look at these studies! Look at the money spent on drugs, then look at the opportunity we have to provide the people of the world with the potent foods they need for healthy lives, and provide the people of Canada and the United States with prosperous livelihoods in harmony with their environment and unique culture.
It is not only incorrect, but also ineffective, to promote bison meat as the best of a not so good thing. Bison meat is the best of a good thing! It is the high carbohydrate diets, and refined, unnaturally raised foods that are clogging our arteries up with undigested fats. Eat less than 60 g. of carbohydrates a day and after three days your body will burn fat for energy 24 hours a day whether you exercise or not. Of course, exercise is essential to health, but, If you abstain from carbohydrates, there is nothing else present in your body to burn for energy but fat. Without going hungry you will return to your natural weight, and build muscle, faster than on any other diet. The body builders you see on the covers of magazines know this and they eat skinless chicken for at least a month before competitions,
if they knew more, they would be eating bison. Our task is not so much to promote, but to educate, and flood the media with the facts of these native diet studies.

For the majority of people today, a diet consisting mainly of large amounts of green vegetables, rare bison meat and organs, fish and seafood is big medicine. Ancestry and blood type have a direct influence on what type of diet is optimum, but for all diets, low carbohydrate, or low fat, Bison is at the very top of the list. If we continue our commitment to raise our herds as close to nature as possible, we will continue to be able to provide society with one of the best sources of animal protein available today.
Every bison rancher I have met cares deeply for the health and well being of their bison. This is critically important for the future of our industry. Very few people today have any realistic awareness of the inter connectedness of life. The food they eat is so removed from itself by the time they eat it, there is little or no connection to the nature of the living creature, plant or animal, it once was. Traditional and native philosophy regarding food has much to teach us in this regard. I believe as all traditional tribes do, that each animal is a gift from the Creator, and must be treated that way in life and in death. They give their lives to provide us with the ultimate foods, clothing, sinew, and even sacred gifts. The person that eats bison meat should be confident that the animal was raised naturally on grass, fresh air, pure water, and the seasons. Slaughtering on our ranch is done with fasting and heart felt prayer, and as humanely as possible. These traditional ways teach self discipline, and I have found the hunger of a fast is a priceless lesson in compassion, gratitude, and humility, among other things. I realize this practice may seem impractical in big operations, but even a little of this awareness towards our animals can help in many ways, not the least of which is in its way of helping people to understand death and the natural cycle of life.
I am relatively new to bison ranching and I have a lot to learn, but I share the concern of a growing number of bison producers regarding the pushing of bison with too much grain. I do not want bison meat to lose the very qualities that make it so valuable in building healthy strong bodies. We feed very little grain, and no grain for 7 days prior to slaughter. This prohibits the growth of E. Coli bacteria in the animal at slaughter. Studies have shown there is absolutely no need to irradiate or overcook healthy bison meat if this simple practice is followed.
As bison producers we have a unique privilege of actually sharing in some of the ancient wisdom and experience of our ancestors. One of the strongest promotions we can give is to simply follow and live the diet that those people that depended on the bison followed, try it for a month and see the results for yourself. For me, bison, and the knowledge of the native hunter- gatherer diet, is like striking gold, once the word gets out, the world will rush to gather it for themselves.

Leo Hilger Downey, Sanctuary Buffalo Ranch, Golden B.C.

Resources
Native Nutrition,Ronald F. Schmidt, N.D.
Francis M. Pottenger, "Essentiality of Fats in Nutrition"
Dr. Weston Price and His Studies of Traditional Societies
Sir Robert McCarrison, "Nutrition and Health"
David Davies, "The Centenarians of the Andes"
Renee Taylor, :"Hunza Land, The Fabulous Health and Youth Wonderland of the World"
H. Bang "Plasma Lipids and Lipoprotiens in Greenlandic West Coast Eskimos"
Max Gerson, "A Cancer Therapy, The results of Fifty Cases"
Clarence W. Lieb "The Effects of an Exclusive and Long-Continued Meat Diet, Based on the History, Experience, and Clinical Survey of Vilhjalmur Steffanson, Arctic Explorer"
Atkins Diet, Dr. Atkins
Eat Right for Your Type, D'Adamo
* reprinted from the June 2000 issue of Smoke Signals, C.B.A. national magazine

Sanctuary Buffalo Ranch, RR1 S16 C7, Golden, BC VOA1HO. Tel: 250-344-4779; Fax: .