Amazonian foods and implications for human biology

Abstract

Based on the limited available data, Amazonian diets are restricted in variety, but appear to be adequate in energy and protein for adults, but likely insufficiently nutrient-dense for children.

Ethnography, ethnobiology and natural history: narratives on hunting and ecology of mammals among quilombolas from Southeast Brazil

“…Especially in Brazil, the invisibility of the role of hunting in the food sovereignty of rural communities [49], together with a fragmented and ambiguous system of norms, has made it difficult to regulate hunting in the country [118,119]. The need for studies that convey the social practices and its concrete dimensions in which hunting takes place and the set of knowledge it embodies appears even more pressing under these circumstances.…”

“…This faunistic group carries out important ecological functions, such as controlling prey populations and shaping vegetation dynamics via seed dispersal and predation, seedling predation, and among other interactions [7,[45][46][47]. This fauna also represents a significant source of calories and protein for neotropical rural populations in general [3,48,49], including inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest [50].…”

Human Biology of the Amazon

“…They are grouped by general subject such as growth and diet, health and disease and climate change. Some are review papers (Brond ızio et al, 2016;Dorea & Marques, 2016;Dufour et al, 2016) while others are research articles Ferreira et al, 2016;Marques et al, 2016;Silva et al, 2016;Urlacher et al, 2016;Vallinoto et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2016). The papers present perspectives about ecology, public policy and traditional populations and also discuss theoretical issues such as adaptation, impacts of modernisation/westernisation on vulnerable populations and aspects of life history and health of different groups.…”

“…The contribution by Dufour et al (2016) is a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of traditional Amazonian foods and diets in which they are incorporated. They argue that, although the general characteristics of Amazonian diets are known, there is a paucity of quantitative data on actual food intake, which limits our ability to link diet with biology and understand the nutrition transitions occurring in the region.…”

Ribeirinho Food Regimes, Socioeconomic Inclusion and Unsustainable Development of the Amazonian Floodplain

“…In the Amazon the tradition carbohydrate staples for the ribeirinhos have been manioc -which includes a wide range of varieties and a diversity of edible derivatives (e.g., flour, tapioca, and bread)-and plantains (which also includes a wide range of varieties). Protein has been obtained mainly by wild fish and bushmeat (Dufour et al, 2016). Manioc flour and its subproducts such as tapioca and tucupi are a reliable local source of energy and when mixed with other products, especially dry fish (piracuí flour) is an important source of calcium (Castro, 2008).…”