Factsheet for American Indians and Alaska Native People

American Indian and Alaska Native People

Keepers of Wisdom To
Strengthen the Hearts

Treat your heart to a healthy celebration!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American Indians and Alaska Natives today. We can do something to prevent heart disease. Healthy eating is one way to keep a healthy heart.

Native foods and traditional ways can help us stay healthy. Native foods can still be found in many places today.

• Grow traditional plants such as beans, corn, chile, pumpkin, squash, and melons.
• Choose berries, nuts, plants, fish, caribou, deer, rabbit, duck, and other native foods more often.
• Use traditional ways of preparing food like drying, baking, stewing, and boiling.

Today, many American Indian families choose foods that are higher in fat, saturated fat (animal fat), cholesterol, calories, salt, and sodium. We also eat more than we used to. These habits can lead to heart disease.

Here are tips for making heart healthy choices:

• Choose fish, fowl, deer, and caribou.
• Eat lean cuts of beef, pork, and mutton.
• Cut the fat from meat and throw it away. Take off the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Remove fat from canned meat.
• Eat rice, corn, oats, and beans.
• Eat salads and sandwiches with little or no dressing.
• Eat fruits and vegetables.
• Drink fat-free or low-fat milk and choose fat-free and low-fat cheese.
• Bake, boil, broil, steam, or roast! Fry foods less often. Use small amounts of vegetable oil instead of lard or shortening.
• Drain the liquid from canned vegetables and the syrup from canned fruits.

Indian Health Service
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.