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Health
Traditional Native foods called more healthy


Tribes and tribal members in Arizona are incorporating more traditional foods into the Native diet in hopes of promoting healthy lifestyles and preserving their culture.

Terrol Dew Johnson, the co-founder and co-director of Tohono O'odham Community Action, said traditional foods are becoming "trendy." The organization is marketing Native goods to consumers and is producing a Native cookbook.

The Gila River Indian Community is holding cooking classes to help people return to a more traditional diet. The tribe's restaurant offers Native foods created by a Native chef from New Mexico.

Traditional diets vary among tribes but relied heavily on vegetables and some wild meats that are less fatty than beef.

Get the Story:
Back to Native American roots (The Arizona Republic 5/18)

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