The Diet of The Inuit People Living in the Frigid Zone

The diet of the Inuit people- an Inuit family eating
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The Frigid Zone is the area including and surrounding the Arctic. This encompasses Alaska, Greenland and the most northern parts of Canada. This part of the world has a very low population and is only inhabited by the Inuit people. Due to the cold climate and the sparse environment, the diet of the Inuit people is very unusual.

The Diet of the Inuit People

Traditionally, the Inuit are hunters and fishers who eat what they can catch themselves. They have no access to grocery stores and eat only what is naturally available in the surrounding area.

According to Fork Over Knife, this results in a somewhat limited diet of seal, whale, reindeer, birds, seafood and other animals. This means their diet is high in protein and fat, but lacking in other nutrients.

Their diet is almost carbohydrate-free and fruit and vegetables are generally limited to seaweed, tubers, and berries that are gathered during the season and then preserved. They follow this limited diet for approximately 10 months of the year.

During the two warmest months of the year, some hardy vegetation grows. The Inuit eat more plant foods during this period. They also forage what they can to preserve for the colder months when little vegetation is available.

The Diet of the Inuit People: Food Preparation and Eating Habits

Two important elements of the Inuit people’s diet are the food preparation processes and their eating habits.

According to Wikipedia, the Inuit people usually eat their food frozen, raw, or boiled. In most cases, they do not mix ingredients together, and there is no use of seasoning or spices.

There are just a few examples of combining ingredients in the diet of the Inuit people, including mixing berries with fat, making flatbread, and the preparation of a seal soup called suaasat.

Preservation techniques are used to make food last between hunting sessions. The fish is often fermented, and meat is preserved using a technique called Igunaq, which involves burying meat in the ground below the snow.

The Inuit people eat little and often, and this is partially to keep their body temperatures up in cold conditions. They only eat two main meals a day, but they snack consistently throughout the day.

One of the main eating habits of the Inuit people is sharing food. When one family has a successful hunt, they share their food with the rest of the community.

Is Their Diet Safe and Healthy?

With all the hype about eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, the low levels of carbohydrates and vitamins due to a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet of the Inuit people may seem concerning. It also makes sense to believe that a diet that is so protein-rich could potentially cause health problems.

However, studies have shown that this is not the case. Despite what most would consider a very poor diet, the Inuit enjoy extremely good health. There is research that shows the Inuit people are accessing all the vitamins and minerals they need to maintain good health from the foods they hunt and forage. 

You might also like to read about the eating habits of Americans in the 1900s.

Article updated by the author on 28/09/2020

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