Healthy eating: nutritious indigenous foods you may never have heard of
Unhealthy western diets should take a leaf from nutrient-rich indigenous fare. Do you know your amaranth from your yacón?
Healthy eating in Senegal. Staff clean niebe, or cowpeas, at a factory in Dakar. Photograph: Seyllou/AFP/Getty
The proliferation of the western diet, which is high in refined sugars, fats, processed grains and meat, has been blamed for a rise in global obesity and diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. As awareness of healthy eating has grown in the west, sales of once obscure grains such as quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) have skyrocketed. The ancient 'superfood' from Peru has a fluffy texture, and is lauded for its health benefits. Unusual among grains, quinoa is packed with dietary fibre, iron, 