Frybread Sucks!

[fivecrows (deleted)]

Most natives who know the truth about "frybread" get a sick feeling in their gut. The truth is that frybread isn't truly "native" at all.

Where did it come from?

Here it is. During our World Wars, many of the Indian men were forced or "encouraged" to serve. Well...why they were out fighting for our freedom the women were left alone. Large cities like LA and Vegas needed water so the US government diverted most of the river waters, which left crops and animals to die as the rivers perished. If it wasn't your water that they took then it was your land and food supply or your right to hunt when you needed to.

When the men came back from war and saw their crops dead and fruitless, they asked the women what happened. Their reply was¦theres no water in the river, only mud and rotting fish.

The men complained to the Bureau of Indian Affairs about the crisis.

So good ol' Uncle Sam said "don't worry I'll help".
From there the government sent "commodities" like milk, sugar, lard, cheese and flour.

So we learned how to make something with it...and that's where frybread was born

The whites did the same to other cultures as well.

When they take your main food supply a people will find a way to make something with what youve got.

Diabetes is now killing our people. 75% of Indian men age 35 and up have diabetes or at serious risk. Thats a high percentage people.

We wouldnt be dying and losing limbs if we had our “natural diet back.

Don't get me wrong it tastes great, but so does everything else that's fried.

Hey BIA, thanks for the illness¦you can keep the free lunch.


Fivecrows

[johnmarlon (deleted)]

You could say the same for anything else, McDonalds, Burger king, KFC...

Excessive eating of frybread is bad. Eating frybread is awesome.


There is much more to it then just frybread, but yea frybread is a large culprit. From what I've heard sugar is the worste of em. We didn't have the kind of sugar we eat today, the only sugar we had was a different kind that was very very hard to obtain through maple trees. My teacher mentioned that native people have a hard time processing sugar like other people.

[fivecrows (deleted)]

johnmarlon wrote: You could say the same for anything else, McDonalds, Burger king, KFC...

Excessive eating of frybread is bad. Eating frybread is awesome.


There is much more to it then just frybread, but yea frybread is a large culprit. From what I've heard sugar is the worste of em. We didn't have the kind of sugar we eat today, the only sugar we had was a different kind that was very very hard to obtain through maple trees. My teacher mentioned that native people have a hard time processing sugar like other people.

True, but the hidden message is that frybread has only been "native" since the whites came. Many of the western tribes grew sorghum for sugars along with cactus fruit.

The other thing is that we only call it frybread at the pow wows to pacify the non natives. When you're on the rez and you say frybread to other natives ...well they'll laugh at you. On the rez frybread is termed "pop overs".- fivecrows

[blackfootedgirl]

`Thank you Fivecrows for a post that speaks of substance, Diabetes is at an epidemic rate among not only the Native Americans,but African Americans and our young people of all races. It has to do with many things like, genetics, what the indigenous diet was for a certain group of people and what their diet is now as well as food additives like High Fructose corn syrup, Hydrogenated fats and oils(Trans Fats) that have been introduced into our processed foods at an alarming rate.
Look into the Glycemic Index, that is what diabetics use and it is healthy, Watching fat grams will round out a healthy diet.

[johnmarlon (deleted)]

fivecrows wrote:

True, but the hidden message is that frybread has only been "native" since
the whites came. Many of the western tribes grew sorghum for sugars along with cactus fruit.

The other thing is that we only call it frybread at the pow wows to pacify the non natives. When you're on the rez and you say frybread to other natives ...well they'll laugh at you. On the rez frybread is termed "pop overs".- fivecrows




Well, you give an example of differences in our parts of this land. Since I've never heard of the term "pop overs". I've actually never heard of the term frybread being used to pacify the non-natives, again an example in our different areas in which we live. Just like your example of different sources of sugar. Today sugar is in nearly all products in an unnatural amount. In native days we never took in so much sugar, especially the sugar we eat today, from sources were not accustomed to.

I got this off a site, sounds right though. It's an example of how people got sugar in my areas.
Quote:
It takes approximately 40 liters of sap to be boiled down to 1 liter of syrup. A mature sugar maple produces about 40 liters of sap during the 4-6 week sugaring season.

As you can imagine you would probably have to turn that one liter into sugar. To have sugar was a rarity and was an extremely generous gift that one would give if you ever recieved some.


Lol, sorry I just don't like your title. Frybread is my favorite food. My family usually only has frybread when there is a family gathering or something. Mostly because it always tastes better during those gatherings because they always get the best frybread cook to make it (my mom). I can make frybread but it takes a lot of messy work so I avoid doing it. Frybread always tastes better when you go long periods without eating it.

[piecrust]

`I heard that salt and sugar are bad for our bodies. So I switched to sea salt and it's very safe for our hearts. Fruits have natural sugar. You can mix them with whipped cream without the processed cane sugar. Green vegetables help keep our blood clean and fight cancers more effectively. I drink water a lot. I eat very little of red meat but I eat fish a little more and I eat vegetables a lot. So this combination is good and so far I have no diabetes. My Dad's dad did have one (type 1). I snack on raw carrot stick daily. Sometimes I paste mayo on the top of brussel spouts and eat them together. But the problem is mayo has fat in it. So I stopped snack on those. I sometimes paste Dijon mustard on tomatoe slices for snack. I love it.

[piecrust]

`I laughed when I read the word "Pop-overs" Very funny. HIlarious. Hahaha!

[piecrust]

`If I want to eat white fish, I like to rub the bottom in the fry pan with garlic bits then butter it up the fry pan first then throw the raw pink or white fish in and then squeeze lemon juice in a little bit. Yummy! I usually cook it slowly so it won't turn black. I love seafood and sushi rolls. It's a little wonder that people in Asia are rarely obese. They did a good job maintaining a healthy diet. Northwest natives eat seafoods.

[riverotter]

AllI can say is don't eat the frybread. More for me! Frybread is the perfect food. It's shape symbolizes the circle of life cause you can start at one side and eat you way a-a-a-ll the way around it. It is the perfect mixture of life-giving water and natural grain. These are large ones, small ones crispy ones...burnt ones. That and a mess o'beans and your in heaven. Just a minute........I smell frybread. Gotta go. Ciao!

[pahinhwinh]

`About the remark that if you call it frybread on the Rez, people will laugh - depends on the Rez.
On my Rez, we call it frybread in English, or wagligagapi in Lakota. That's "wah-GLEE-gah-gah-pee" for anyone who needs a pronounciation guide..
Up North & East about 200 miles, they call frybread "bangs" - & they generally serve it with -- CHILI!
As for diabetes - it comes from eating canned & 'ready-made', rather than fresh & homemade, foods. In non-US Third-World countries, wherever the people eat their original diet, there is NO diabetes. if/when they start eating a Western majority culture diet of 'canned' & 'ready made' "food", they have diabetes within 5 years, exactly the same as we did after we were "given" (ie, forced) to use commodities.
We were herded in from our Traditional tiospaye lands to agency towns when we were "given" Indian Reorganization Act in 1932, & we had our first case of diabetes in 1937. Poison works pretty fast in one sense, & not in another.
However - all is not lost - diabetes is a nutritional disease. I am our family's Traditional Healer, as was my Grandmother Pearl, and her mother before her.. I also have a whiteman college degree in chemistry. The fact about diabetes is:
If you stop eating the Western majority culture diet - particularly canned & 'ready made' foods - & make your own food, using mainly fresh, frozen, or dried but not 'ready made' ingredients, you will lose fat, you will lose weight, your blood pressure & heart disease from diabetes will go away, and SO WILL your diabetes.
READ LABELS, takoszja.. Look for "high fructose corn syrup" & avoid it. It has been in the majority culture food supply since the late 1960's & since the early 70's, I am one of those who have been raising a stink about it, because it causes an allergic reaction in the pancreas. Irritate the pancreas enough - or, long enough - & you will get diabetes.
It's much easier to avoid it than it is to get rid of it, but most of you can do it. Recent studies show that not only do the Islets of Langerhans - which produce insulin - produce wrong amounts of it, the insulin they produce is changed from what it should be to something that doesn't work properly. And every one of these studies showed that this happens with "high fructose corn syrup", & not with sugar of any kind.
I'll post more on my blog, & here when I can get here. The key thing to remember is, "HFCS" is an artificial or "man made" sweetener & it causes serious problems when consumed. People who eat natural, fresh, and not canned or 'ready made' foods don't get diabetes. It really is that simple.

[emme2009 (deleted)]

Hi,
I'm new here. 2nd day on the site.
I think it's important that people understand the nature of diabetes and that people who eat natural CAN get diabetes.

Here's a link to the WEBMD article on diabetes.
(removed)

I agree that prevalent of fast and processed foods, can certainly assist if one is ingesting a majority of these types of foods and is overweight, but I don't think you can say eating natural will prevent diabetes, either.

But I agree with you, that eating as natural as possible, is the best way to go!
(hand in hand with exercise of course)....




Em

[jodyne]

`I have heard that our health can be affected by our parent's health conditions through their years. We can be affected even by our grandparents health. Here's a web: (removed)

There are several sites on-line on the subject of Health and Diabetes in the Native American population. Here is one: (hope it wasn't suggested already) (removed)

[redragdoll (deleted)]

`We make fry bread at our house as a family bonding thing.
We all have our own way of making it and we like to make it together to make it that much better.
In no way is it a staple food, it's just a nice treat once in a while.

[facelesssmile (deleted)]

`Frybread was made from the imagination of what was given, and or left, to our ancestors/elders when there was little left to use for food. Survival was all that was thought of. Although health issues are a concern frybread is not to blame. This is the age of knowledge and means. When I returned home to Oklahoma I brought a different view on cooking. Moderation and knowledge through cooking can help change the pattern of a rez diet. I cook and eat frybread, but not in excess. I get regular checkups and, because of habit, my diet is pretty healthy. If you have concerns help change as well as be the change. Thank you for reading.

[kit (deleted)]

`If the fry bread was cooked in olive oil it would be healthier for you of course you would have to watch what you put on the fry bread. If the fry bread was made out of wheat flour that would be healthier OR if you mixed ½ white flour and ½ wheat flour, that would be healthier too.

People need to know which are the good fats and the bad fats. The bad fats cause food related diseases. (See the below link)

Here's a great book for counting calories it also counts fat grams and carbohydrates and protein grams. There’s a formula in the introduction where you can figure out your own personal requirements.

The Protein Counter
By Annette B. Natow, Ph.D., R.D.
and Jo-Ann Heslin, M.A., R.D.

The Harvard School of Public Health
(removed)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein-full-story/index.html&__utmv=-&__utmk=154170808#the-bottom-line

Good Fats

How Fat and Cholesterol in Food Affect Blood Cholesterol Levels

“Unsaturated fats are called good fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms, and play a number of other beneficial roles. Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. They are liquids at room temperature.

There are two types of unsaturated fats:

Monounsaturated fats are found in high concentrations in olive, peanut, and canola oils; avocados; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans; and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and also in foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, and fish; canola oil, though higher in monounsaturated fat, is also a good source of polyunsaturated fat. Omega-3 fats, which are fast becoming the darling of the supplement industry, are an important type of polyunsaturated fat. The body can't make these, so they must come from food. An excellent way to get omega-3 fats is by eating fish two or three times a week. Good plant sources of omega-3 fats include chia seeds (sold as Salvia), flax seeds, walnuts, and oils such as flaxseed, canola, and soybean.â€Â