The Heart of the Amazon - The Tsimane Tribe
Intro:
Amongst the luscious greenery, dense forest, and soul sucking humidity of the Amazon lies: 1300 bird species, 378 species of reptile, 400 species of amphibians and is home to 427 mammals species. The Amazon is home to some of the most powerful, colorful, unique, and alien like beings that fly, crawl, slither, and walk the Earth, but it’s more than just a home for these creatures. The Amazon also holds the secrets to the healthiest hearts that walk the Earth; In 2017, a study was made public that revealed this Amazonian tribe called the “Tsimane” people had the lowest levels of coronary artery disease ever recorded in any population study.
Small Population:
The Tsimane tribe have made their home in the Beni department of Bolivia, east of the Andes Mountains; Their incredible health is associated with their lifestyle and daily habits that help them endure the harsh environment of the rainforest. Their preindustrial culture consists of farming, hunting, gathering and fishing. The villages consist of roughly 50-150 people, often made up on extended family. You could argue that the small village plays a huge role on their health, a smaller population can lead to less pollutants and this just doesn’t mean garbage from plastics or noise, but also mental pollutants. Less people equates to less drama, fewer problems, greater resource availability, and not to mention they are surrounded by nature 24/7 without the intrusion of Instagram, Snapchat and retail notifications begging you to spend more money on their products. Studies done have found that people who live in small town or rural environments tend to be happier than those who reside in cities. This theory is likely a contributing factor to how their aging/brain atrophy is 70% slower than Western industrialized adults.
Diet:
The Tsimane live off a diet that is rich in fiber and healthy fats, not to mention the food is always fresh. If you’re hungry the only option you have is to hunt an animal, scavenge for fruit and vegetables, and you better hope whatever you eat is non venomous. Unfortunately pizza hut and uber eats don’t make deliveries 375 miles deep into the jungle. Nearly 70% of what they eat consist of non processed carbohydrates such as corn, potatoes, rice, and nuts. The rest of their diet comes from protein that includes freshly caught fish, howler monkeys, and capybara. Their clean and unprocessed diet is a direct byproduct of their snail pace aging and non existentence of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition that occurs when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. The plaque formed consists of sticky substances compromising of fat cells, cholesterol and other harmful substances. A study conducted of 705 Tsimane people found that their low fat diet was contributing to 85% of the population over the age of 40 having no signs of atherosclerosis. To put into perspective almost 85% of Americans over the age of 45 have atherosclerosis. Just like fine wine, the Tsimane’s age with grace; over 65% of the people over 75 had no plaque in their arteries. These numbers tell us that your average 80 year old Tsimane person has the heart of an American in their 50’s! These numbers are astonishing and implicates the statement we’ve heard from fitness gurus that “food is 80% of the work”.
Behind the diet (BTD):
LACK OF TRANS FATS: Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that is created artificially through genetically modified cooking oils (canola, corn, soybean). These trans fats habituate in highly processed foods such as Cheetos, Takis, crumbl cookies, and deep fried foods that are so easily accessible and found on every street corner. The more trans fats you consume elevates LDL (bad) cholesterol, increases your risk of stroke, and heart disease. As we’ve learnt in our previous article, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States with an outlandish number of over 700,000 casualties in 2022.
LOW SUGAR: Sugars, specifically added sugars are ubiquitous in our western diet. The fruit juices you buy from the supermarket are 99.9% guaranteed to have added sugar, which is bizarre. While doing my weekly grocery haul I stumbled upon a can of beets. As I read the nutrition label I discovered it contained 11 grams of added sugars!! 11 grams is not the end all be all but it’s incredibly unnecessary. Is adding sugar to veggies the only way for people to get their fiber? I digress.. the Tsimane people have very little sugar and zero added sugars involved in their diet. Their only sugar intake comes from the small amount of fruits that they eat; A study that spanned over 15 years found that participants who received 25% of their calories from added sugars were twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who consumed less than 10% of added sugars.
Lifestyle:
Apart from their ultra clean diets, the Tsimane people are highly active. They spend 6-7 hours a day hunting, gathering, and being on their feet looking after their families. From the moment they open their eyes and tuck away in their hand crafted beds they spend 10% of their time sitting around. From the young to the elderly, everybody has a contribution or a purpose involved in their society. I came into this research thinking the young did the physically demanding tasks. But to my new profound knowledge, even the elderly from as old as 90 are doing their part shooting animals, gathering fruit, veggies, and carrying them back to their villages. They don’t run marathons or go to Planet Fitness to get a pump, their gym is the environment they inhabit, and the daily tasks that requires them to endure. They may not have an olympic physique or the athleticism of Ja Morant, but they sure do have the hearts to prove the benefits that comes with always being in motion. I’m sure majority of people wish they could be more active but the environment we’re surrounded by makes it harder, and lets face it most people love being lazy. Our bodies are built for performance but our minds are built for efficiency which comically leads to a slippery slope. We’re naturally primed to do the easiest task because this behavior increased our chance of survival back when we were hunter gatherers and this behavior remains hardwired even in our comfortable society. Between the time spent traversing in cars, office jobs, and dense variety of Netflix shows, Americans spend MORE than eight hours sitting a day with little to no exercise. I am 99.9% sure everyone reading this does not live in a society where the culture revolves around hunting and gathering like the Tsimane people, however there are several tricks/tips to combat the sedentary culture we live in.
TIPS TO COMBAT SEDENTARY ENVIRONMENT (NO GYM REQUIRED):
WALK: Walk to your pharmacy, restaurants, gym, yoga class, friends house, etc. If the environment you live in allows you walk to these amenities DO IT. If you have a business call, take a stroll while on the phone. If you’re a student studying for an exam, create flashcards so you can walk and review them.
COOK YOUR MEALS: Remember that exercise shouldn’t only be seen as dedicated 30 minute windows of time, moving around your kitchen and cooking your meals is a great way to increase movement in your life. Ditch the Uber eats, save money, and live better like Walmart tells us.
CLEAN YOUR HOUSE: Cleaning your living space is a great way to get more steps. Cleaning your place everyday is a beneficial habit to implement that helps you in getting more movement and decluttering your environment. Want to impress your mom, dad, girlfriend, husband, wife, side-chick or side-man? Clean your space!
There is a lot we can learn from the Tsimane people, not only how to be healthier physically but also mentally. Their small tribe, daily movement, and clean eating habits are examples of how to achieve a healthier and happier heart <3.
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