By Dr. Kevin Weiland

RAPID CITY, SD — One can only imagine what the Great Plains of the Dakotas might have looked like hundreds of years ago—a land rich in buffalo and abundant with wild grasses. In order to survive, you would have had to gather and hunt your food, consuming only what was necessary. For the indigenous people roaming the land, this was their way of life for over a thousand years.

The human body is genetically programmed to adjust to the environment and develop the most efficient means of subsistence. During times of feasting, the body stored the extra calories consumed by making them into fat. When food was not as plentiful, the body would then tap into those reserves, thus providing the necessary calories to endure. It took thousands of years to develop such an efficient way to survive on this earth. As a result, even today we are programmed to thrive on a diet similar to those of the Plains Indians. 

(Read more in the Fall 2009 Issue…)