The way Africa eats has changed rapidly over the course of the past several decades but it could be time for the world to relearn the traditional dietary lessons of the land where humankind was born.
A new study has found that the unprocessed and fibre-rich food of just one part of just a single country on this vast continent, Tanzania, has astonishing benefits for health, particularly when compared with the nutritionally lacking western diet that is now increasingly commonplace around the world. And scientists believe other African-heritage diets could be equally beneficial.
The largely plant-based diet of the Chagga people, who live on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, features fruit and vegetables, probiotic-rich fermented food and greens, ancient grains such as teff, as well as beans, plantains, cassava (otherwise known as manioc or yuca), millet and sorghum.
The research, published in Nature Medicine, recruited 77 men from rural and urban parts of northern Tanzania, and asked those on a traditional Chagga diet to swap diets with those who ate a western diet. That meant pitting eggs and chips or sausage and pancakes against ugali (cassava porridge) and greens or kiburu (boiled plantain) and kidney beans. The western dieters were also asked to supplement it with mbege – a traditional beer of fermented bananas and millet.
The positive effects of the diet were apparent after a fortnight, with the Chagga diet found to decrease inflammation – which has been linked to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis – as well as lower the blood proteins that are associated with heart attack, stroke and insulin resistance. Those who were newly trying the western diet not only gained weight but saw inflammatory markers in their blood rise, and their immune systems struggled with infections.
“The Mediterranean diet has been extensively studied, but African heritage diets hold untapped potential for promoting health,” said Quirijn de Mast, one of the authors of the study, referring to the diet traditionally enjoyed by countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Spain and Greece. “These diets are diverse, rich in fibre and feature unique food products that may offer specific health advantages.”
He added: “Africa harbours an extraordinary diversity of traditional diets, many of which are still under-explored in scientific research, and are at risk of disappearing before we fully understand their potential. Time is ticking because you see that these heritage diets are being replaced more and more by western diets.”
Don’t have the time to trek all the way to Kilimanjaro to find fantastic healthy African heritage food? Simply head to the MFM website, where we have delicious recipes including Attieke and Vegetable Stew and Okra Stew with Fufu.