In a land where men and women live to be 100, where everyone has perfect vision, where cancer and heart disease are nonexistent, live the Hunzas. While some claims about these people may be exaggerated, the Hunzas are extremely healthy largely due to their organic diet. Part of that diet includes Hunza bread loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Westerners have recently taken an interest in Hunza bread in the hopes of being as healthy as these curious people.
History of the Hunzas
The Hunzas are a small group of people that reside about 9,000 feet above sea level on the peaks of the Himilayas. There are myths about the Hunza's longevity. According to the Personal Development Institute, it is believed that centenarians are not uncommon and that many claim to live to 130. These truths may be exaggerated; however, Hunzas are healthy and strong. Because they are so isolated from the rest of the world, the Hunzas are free of disease. The secret to the boundless energy and vitality of the Hunza has everything to do with their diet.
Diet
According to the Personal Development Institute, Hunzas eat just two meals per day. Although the Hunzas are up at 5 a.m. working in the fields, the first meal of the day is served at noon. The food is completely natural and fresh. They live organically. A large part of their diet consists of grains like barley and wheat. They eat many fruits and vegetables, mostly raw, and meat is consumed rarely, and usually reserved for special occasions like weddings. However, the most significantly different thing about their diet is Hunza bread.
Hunza Bread
According to HunzaDiet.com, Hunza bread is full of nutrients, protein and vitamins. The combination of ingredients and the bread's heavy texture creates a "full" feeling. This makes it easy to eliminate snacking between meals and to eat less overall. It is extremely important that flour is whole and not refined. Refined flour --- like the kind most Westerners use --- has had its germ removed. Germ gives the flour vitamin E. According to the Personal Development Institute, the high amount of vitamin E in the Hunza bread preserves the reproductive power of even 90-year-old Hunza men.
What to Eat
Most Westerners would have a hard time sustaining themselves on simply Hunza bread alone. To eat like Hunza, you must pay just as much attention to what you should not eat as what you should eat. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the average daily food intake for Americans of all ages amounts to 3,300 calories, with 100 g of protein, 157 g of fat and 380 g of carbohydrates. Dr. Alexander Leaf of National Geographic reported that studies by Pakistani doctors show "adult males of Hunza consume a little more than 1,900 calories daily, with only 50 g of protein, 36 g of fat, and 354 g of carbohydrates. Both the protein and fat are largely of vegetable origin." The key is to eliminate processed food and eat as organically as possible.
Making Hunza Bread
To make Hunza bread, or chapatti, you should keep the grain intact as long as possible. Hunza bread can be made with wheat, barley, buckwheat or millet. Typically a Hunza housewife will grind the grain and knead it with water. She does not add any yeast. Next, she beats it until it is very thin and flat. The dough is placed on the grill for only a minute and it is finished. This baking time is extremely short. According to BibleLife.org, many modern Hunza bread recipes contain canola oil, sugar, honey, molasses, soy milk, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple, mayonnaise, olives, shrimp, curry powder, parsley, avocado, coconut, ginger, papaya, bananas, molasses and baking powder. None of these ingredients, however, are used by the Hunzas.
Member Comments