Fry bread: a succulent side-dish or death by dough? You decide.

There have been many newspaper articles where people have bad-mouthed fry bread, saying that it is leading to diabetes, heart ailments, obesity, and basically every ill that our Indian Country faces today.

The Native Voice, a Native American newspaper, featured one such article, titled "The Great Debate Over Fry Bread: Cultural icon or health hazard". Angie Wagner writes of Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne/Muscogee), a woman who was "exhausted with yet another one of her relatives dying of diabetes" and pointing an accusatory finger at fry bread.

For those of you that are not familiar with fry bread, then you must either be (a) non-Native or (b) living under a rock for your entire life. Think of it as a doughnut. However, you can't get these beauties at the Krispy Kreme. They're only available at koukum's (grandmother's) house, made with bread dough, some oil, and a whole lot of love. Think of these as doughnuts without the creamy centers, glazing, chocolate frosting or sprinkles. Basically, it's a plain doughnut, although it's more than just a breakfast snack.

My father's family lived on fry bread. The majority of them are still alive in near-perfect health (all of my aunts and uncles are alive, ranging in age from 56 to 73). My great-grandparents were unfortunate enough to be felled by other diseases (tuberculosis for my great-grandfather, influenza for my great-grandmother); however, all of my great-aunts and uncles lived to be at least seventy, if not almost crossing the century mark.

Take my grandmother for instance: the black-haired matriarch of our family, who, up until her early 80’s, would make fry bread (or “bangs” as we called them) for all holidays. I can imagine that fry bread was among the many items in her diet for almost her entire life; that is when the ingredients were affordable for her modest budget. My grandmother lived to be eighty-seven years old, leaving behind a legacy and fond memories.

When she passed away in 1996, my parents and I took on the responsibility of making fry bread for New Years Eve. We did not feel guilty for making this food, which doubles as a dessert and as an appetizer, for we did not feel that fry bread was bad. And we still don’t.

I feel that fry bread is not bad. It should not be the scapegoat for Indian Country’s current health problems. While I do agree that fry bread is not exactly the healthiest of foods, it is not the sole perpetrator in the case of the decline of Indian Country’s physical health.

In Wagner’s article, she writes:

Among Indians, the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes – the most common form – is more than double what it is in the general population. Fueled by obesity, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, Type 2 diabetes is occurring a full decade sooner in Indians, when people are between 20 and 29 years old.”

Fry bread does not necessarily equal obesity. The article even states “poor diet and a sedentary life style (i.e. a lifestyle without exercise)” can cause poor health.

My fry bread making ancestors lived in the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s (etc) when food was fatty. Food was cooked in lard, guarded by preservatives to keep it fresh, and kept in holes throughout the North Dakota countryside (this was before Maytag came along). This was also at a time before sugary-sweet candy treats and pop by the six-pack were available. They lived long, healthy lives. Coincidence?

Diets made completely of sugar (and spice, and everything nice) seem to be commonplace not only in Indian Country, but throughout the nation. I have seen families where children that are still in diapers have developed quite a taste for pop (a/k/a soda). For example, my two-year old “niece” Madison loves gum and candy. Whenever we go to the store, her eyes light up when we cross the candy aisle. “Gum, gum, gum!” she chirps, looking at me with her big brown Ojibwa eyes. How could anyone refuse those puppy dog eyes? But, when health is the issue, Uncle James has to say no. She may cry now, but in the long run, it’s worth it to know that a tantrum did not stand in the way of being healthy.

Instead of pop, I give her water or some type of fruit juice (apple, orange, cranberry). IN addition, I try to refrain from drinking pop in her presence. Out of sight, out of mind, the old saying goes. (There’s nothing like trying to quit something and having people flaunt its very existence).

While I in no way consider myself to be a prize-winning nutritionist, I still see these modern diets of sugar as a threat to our health. Fry bread is no way responsible for the complete breakdown of Indian Country’s health.

Now, go ahead and serve that fry bread. Just hold the powdered sugar.

NOTE: Wagner's article can be read at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6448213/did/9022063