The Tarahumara Indians live high in the Sierra Madre Mountains of mainland Mexico, in the area known as Copper Canyon, as it is referred to in the U.S.
Unlike many indigenous people, the Tarahumara still live in relative isolation from Western society. They make their homes in caves, under cliffs and in small wood and stone cabins and are considered expert farmers and runners.
Yes, runners.
According to University of Arizona archeologist Michael Jenkinson, "The Tarahumara may be the finest natural distance runners in the world."
Matter-of-fact, the Tarahumara's running ability is legendary. They routinely run hundreds of miles on rocky terrain in home-made sandals on bare feet, yet suffer from none of the foot or hamstring problems that plague many runners in western culture.
Even more interesting, the seemingly super-human Tarahumara suffer no instances of heart disease, obesity or other degenerative diseases that plague Western civilization.
While conditioning and bio-mechanics may help to explain their running ability, how is it that the Tarahumara are able to avoid disease, and is there possibly a correlation between the Tarahumara's dietary practices and endurance performance?
To answer these questions we need to look at the Tarahumara diet itself.
According to the book
The Running Indians, The Tarahumara's rely primarily on a plant-based diet that consists of complex carbohydrates (80%) and small amounts of protein and fat (10% each). The mainstay of their diet is corn, squash, beans and chili peppers, in addition to various wild plants found throughout Copper Canyon.
It is fairly well accepted in this day and age that plant-based diets rich in vegetables, whole grains, fruit and legumes decreases the risk of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and even cancer.
There is probably less awareness that this same type of diet has special advantages for endurance athletes, and may well be the key behind the Tarahumara's ability to run ultra-marathon distances on a regular basis.
Important findings that support the relationship between endurance exercise and carbohydrate ingestion include
"Ingestion of a high carbohydrate meal 3-4 hours prior to exercise ensures adequate carbohydrate availability and enhances exercise performance." (Costill DL, Hargreaves M, Carbohydrate nutrition and fatigue. Sports Med. 1992 Feb;13(2):86-92. Review. PMID: 1561511)
"Increased dietary carbohydrate intake in the days before competition increases muscle glycogen levels and enhances exercise performance in endurance events lasting 90 min or more." (Hargreaves M, Hawley JA, Jeukendrup A. Pre-exercise carbohydrate and fat ingestion: effects on metabolism and performance. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):31-8. Review. PMID: 14971431)
"As carbohydrate ingestion does not slow the rate of glycogen utilization in working muscle, it is also advisable for endurance athletes to start exercise with an adequate supply of muscle glycogen, irrespective of whether or not they ingest carbohydrate during exercise." (Dennis SC, Noakes TD, Hawley JA. Nutritional strategies to minimize fatigue during prolonged exercise: fluid, electrolyte and energy replacement. J Sports Sci. 1997 June;15(3):305-13. PMID: 9232556)
Food for thought for anyone training for their next marathon.
Train hard; stay strong.
Peace.
Susan
Unlike many indigenous people, the Tarahumara still live in relative isolation from Western society. They make their homes in caves, under cliffs and in small wood and stone cabins and are considered expert farmers and runners.
Yes, runners.
According to University of Arizona archeologist Michael Jenkinson, "The Tarahumara may be the finest natural distance runners in the world."
Matter-of-fact, the Tarahumara's running ability is legendary. They routinely run hundreds of miles on rocky terrain in home-made sandals on bare feet, yet suffer from none of the foot or hamstring problems that plague many runners in western culture.
Even more interesting, the seemingly super-human Tarahumara suffer no instances of heart disease, obesity or other degenerative diseases that plague Western civilization.
While conditioning and bio-mechanics may help to explain their running ability, how is it that the Tarahumara are able to avoid disease, and is there possibly a correlation between the Tarahumara's dietary practices and endurance performance?
To answer these questions we need to look at the Tarahumara diet itself.
According to the book The Running Indians, The Tarahumara's rely primarily on a plant-based diet that consists of complex carbohydrates (80%) and small amounts of protein and fat (10% each). The mainstay of their diet is corn, squash, beans and chili peppers, in addition to various wild plants found throughout Copper Canyon.
It is fairly well accepted in this day and age that plant-based diets rich in vegetables, whole grains, fruit and legumes decreases the risk of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and even cancer.
There is probably less awareness that this same type of diet has special advantages for endurance athletes, and may well be the key behind the Tarahumara's ability to run ultra-marathon distances on a regular basis.
Important findings that support the relationship between endurance exercise and carbohydrate ingestion include
"Ingestion of a high carbohydrate meal 3-4 hours prior to exercise ensures adequate carbohydrate availability and enhances exercise performance." (Costill DL, Hargreaves M, Carbohydrate nutrition and fatigue. Sports Med. 1992 Feb;13(2):86-92. Review. PMID: 1561511)
"Increased dietary carbohydrate intake in the days before competition increases muscle glycogen levels and enhances exercise performance in endurance events lasting 90 min or more." (Hargreaves M, Hawley JA, Jeukendrup A. Pre-exercise carbohydrate and fat ingestion: effects on metabolism and performance. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):31-8. Review. PMID: 14971431)
"As carbohydrate ingestion does not slow the rate of glycogen utilization in working muscle, it is also advisable for endurance athletes to start exercise with an adequate supply of muscle glycogen, irrespective of whether or not they ingest carbohydrate during exercise." (Dennis SC, Noakes TD, Hawley JA. Nutritional strategies to minimize fatigue during prolonged exercise: fluid, electrolyte and energy replacement. J Sports Sci. 1997 June;15(3):305-13. PMID: 9232556)
Food for thought for anyone training for their next marathon.
Train hard; stay strong.
Peace.
Susan