The Importance of Traditional Foods and Subsistence Activities for Healthy Aging in Alaska Native Communities

• Main Authors: Howell, Britteny M., Fried, Ruby L., Hiratsuka, Vanessa Y.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: University Press of Florida 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5744/florida/9780813069593.003.0010

In many Indigenous Alaskan communities, important components of healthy aging include access to traditional foods and engagement in subsistence activities. Although many Alaska Native people currently reside in cities, the importance of subsistence activity and foods remains crucial and meaningful for healthy aging in both rural and urban locations. This chapter reviews 20 years of research on the role of traditional foods and activities for healthy aging among Alaska Native Elders. Studies demonstrate that engagement in traditional activities and diet promotes greater cardiovascular health, higher intakes of certain vitamins and nutrients, and increases in physical activity. Also highlighted are adaptive strategies older adults employ to obtain these important foods, such as urban harvesting and food-sharing networks. This body of research shows that traditional foods and harvesting activities are culturally meaningful, serve as protective factors against chronic disease, and are vulnerable to rapid social and climate change occurring across the Arctic.