susan,

thank you so much for your interesting and claryfiing contribution.
this is probably the most interesting thread i'd ever read, please carry on!

nina

2009/6/27 Susan Burger <[log in to unmask]>:
> Dear all:
>
> I have already posted on one of the myths that a lactopia exists in developing countries
> with hard core evidence to the contrary.
>
> In fact, there is evidence to show less exclusivity in the countries with the highest
> mortality rates and worst poverty.  The rates of exclusive breastfeeding are higher in
> Eastern and Southern Africa than in Sub-saharan Africa.  Within Sub-saharan Africa, the
> rates of exclusive breastfeeding are lowest in Western and Central Africa.  How low?
> Four out of five infants under six months of age are NOT exclusively breastfed.
> Moreover, the last time UNICEF had statistics on this, the drop off occurred in the 0-3
> month range.  At the same time, the mortality rates are just the opposite.  The infant
> mortality rates are lower in Eastern and Southern Africa than Sub-saharan Africa. Within
> Sub-saharan Africa, the rates of infant mortality rates are extremely high in Western and
> Central Africa.
>
> There are strong myths about some blissful pastoral prior existence we all had with a
> marvelously wonderful diet that was perfect for our optimal development -- the Eden that
> disappeared as we industrialized and overpopulated the planet.  Yet, I do not believe that
> we ever had more than a few pockets of Eden surrounded by struggle and challenge.
>
> Here's what was available when I first joined Peace Corps:
> Main protein sources:
> peanuts (often moldy -- the aflatoxin from these molds has been implicated in liver
> cancer and certain forms of malnutrition)
> dried and salted fish
> termites (only in the rainy season -- very yummy)
>
> Rare protein sources:
> fresh fish
> chicken & eggs (never an everyday item)
> forest game (when you could shoot it -- tiny antelopes, porcupine, monkey -- and rarely
> okapi - an endangered species) -- this was often sold smoked or dried and maggots were
> common
>
> Beans were VERY expensive and almost impossible to find (bugs ate big chunks out of the
> beans I managed to find, so these were put out in the sun to kill the bugs -- which then
> interested the chickens next door who ate the bugs -- I kept the beans)
>
> Main starches:
> cassava - the bitter kind that you had to soak for three days to remove most, but not all
> of the thiocyanate -- which interferes with iodine absorption -- goiter, cretinism and
> hypothyroidism were rampant in this area and THEN you had to turn it into something
> edible by pounding it, wrapping it in banana leaves and then fermenting it)
> plantain bananas
> sweet potatoes
>
> Rare starches:
> rice -- always came with bugs
> wheat flour -- always came with bugs -- had to sift it
>
> Greens:
> Cassava leaves, spinach, and some green that had the texture of tough grass -- you had
> to chop it into tiny little bits to be able to swallow it
>
> Fruits:
> Mangos, pineapple and a couple of other weird things I never identified.
>
> Fats:
> Palm nuts and palm oil
>
> Condiments:
> Hot peppers
>
> And that is the ENTIRE list.  The main deficiencies were iodine among the whole
> population, and protein-energy malnutrition among children 6-23 months of age.
>
> In developed areas of the world, we have the luxury of choice to either create a healthy
> or an unhealthy diet.  In less developed areas, availability of food limits those choices
> and it often takes a lot of hard work and creativity to combine the few foods you have
> available in a healthy way.  Environmental conditions such as a low iodine content of the
> soil can make it simply impossible.
>
> Best, Susan Burger
>
>             ***********************************************
>
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-- 
The newborn who cries is saying: "I need something; something is not
right here. Please make it right."
-Dr Sears-

             ***********************************************

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To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
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