Diet and nutritional status of Ameridians: a review of the literature

Abstract

This paper reviews and evaluates the available data on diet and nutritional status of Amerindians living in the tropical forests of Amazonia. The diets of most Amerindians are based on cassava and plantains/bananas, with high quality protein coming from fish, game and invertebrates. The composition of Amerindian diets is known for only a few groups. In these groups the dietary intake of households and adults appears to be adequate in energy and protein. However, the high bulk, low caloric density of the diets suggests that they are not concentrated enough for children. Anthropometric data is available for a number of groups. Adults are small in size, but nutritional status assessed in terms of weight-for-height is generally good. Children are small for their age, and in some groups more than 10% would be classified as undernourished on the basis of weight-for-height, and/or clinical signs.