For twelve years, my life’s mission has been to protect Tibetan culture and support my community. My roots are in PudgÄ“ Village, a serene rural area nestled in a stunning valley within the rugged mountains of Gansu Province, western China. This region shapes who we are and, fundamentally, what we eat.
Many Tibetans today lead semi-nomadic lives, a rhythm dictated by the seasons. We spend the warmer months in tents high in the mountains, migrating with our herds, and retreat to our valley homes during the colder winter months. In my community, self-sufficiency is key; most families cultivate their own food, minimizing trips to stores to perhaps just twice a month. Hunger is thankfully not a common concern in our way of life.
Barley is more than just a crop for us; it’s a symbol of our cultural heritage. This grain thrives in the high altitudes of the Tibetan Plateau, and it’s packed with essential nutrients. Our primary sources of meat and dairy come from yaks, animals perfectly adapted to our environment. Grazing freely on lush mountain pastures, yaks provide us with organic and incredibly healthy meat and milk. The natural mountain water we drink is also a treasure, rich in over 300 different minerals. Our traditional diet is naturally low in sugar, a stark contrast to many modern diets. However, one challenge we face is the limited availability of vegetables, particularly during the long winter months when fresh produce becomes scarce.
The daily meals in my region are simple yet nourishing, built around the ingredients available to us:
- Breakfast: A typical Tibetan breakfast might include warming yak milk or yak butter tea, along with tsampa porridge. Tsampa, roasted barley flour, is a staple, often flavored with yak butter and tea. We also enjoy Tibetan cheese and hearty wheat bread.
- Lunch: Traditionally, lunch might be a quick and portable meal for those herding livestock on pastures – often just tsampa and cheese. If at home, lunch could be pan-fried vegetables with rice or bread, depending on availability and season.
- Dinner: Dinner is usually a more substantial meal, often featuring noodles with mutton, pork, or yak meat, combined with vegetables like green onions, spinach, or potatoes.
A flavorful Tibetan tofu soup, showcasing the adaptability of Tibetan cuisine.
Hearty Tibetan rice noodle soup, a comforting and nourishing dish.
For centuries, Tibetan nomads have thrived on this traditional diet, a testament to its nutritional completeness and balance within our unique environment. However, modernization and globalization are introducing new foods and dietary habits that pose a threat to our traditional foodways. When a community loses its connection to its traditional diet, it loses much more than just recipes. It loses a vital part of its culture – including the deep knowledge of the local environment and geography, understanding of where to find edible wild plants and how to prepare them, the practices of sustainable farming and land management, and even the rich vocabulary associated with indigenous foods. This erosion of cultural knowledge is a serious concern.
Over the past five years, I have dedicated myself to teaching nutrition in rural Tibetan villages across Diqing and Amdo regions. Collaborating with local schools, doctors, clinics, and village leaders, I conduct workshops and educational programs. My primary focus is on women and children because I believe that women are the cornerstones of families, and children are the future of our society. Empowering women with health education is crucial, but discussing women’s health directly can be culturally sensitive in my community. Nutrition, however, offers a more accessible entry point. By talking about food and its impact, I can indirectly address broader health and well-being issues. I remember my own lack of knowledge and the taboo surrounding women’s health when I was younger, highlighting the urgent need for open and accessible education.
Women actively participating in a workshop focused on traditional Tibetan nutrition, highlighting community engagement and knowledge sharing.
My personal experience with pregnancy further reinforced my understanding of nutrition. Having been a vegetarian for six years, my doctor advised me to reintroduce meat into my diet for the health of both myself and my baby. I learned firsthand the importance of a balanced diet, especially during pregnancy. Our bodies require a diverse range of proteins for optimal function. While vegetables are a source of protein, obtaining all the necessary proteins solely from plants, especially in a region with limited vegetable availability, can be challenging. Meat and fish offer a concentrated source of various proteins essential for good health, which can be particularly beneficial for pregnant women in our region.
Working with schools is also a vital part of my mission to educate children about healthy eating habits from a young age. Recently, primary schools in my area began providing meals for students, often consisting of soft white toast and sweetened milk. Unfortunately, I started observing a rise in health issues among children linked to these new dietary habits and increased consumption of junk food: dental cavities, childhood overweightness, and even malnutrition in some cases. I collaborate with schools to advocate for more nutritious meal options, emphasizing the importance of traditional Tibetan ingredients and cooking methods.
Among children and teenagers, there’s a growing trend of viewing Western junk food as “cool” and desirable. Parents, often unaware of the detrimental health effects, sometimes reward their children with soda, instant noodles, or processed sausages for good grades or behavior. Junk food has also infiltrated traditional celebrations, such as Tibetan New Year, where processed snacks and candies are increasingly given as gifts.
This dietary shift is largely driven by the rapid economic development in Tibetan areas of China. Increased affordability and wider availability of new, often foreign, products in stores have changed consumption patterns. Processed and packaged foods are becoming increasingly common in Tibetan households. For some, buying processed food is seen as a symbol of upward mobility and success, creating social pressure to adopt a modern, Westernized diet. Those who continue to primarily consume locally produced, traditional foods are sometimes looked down upon, adding another layer of complexity to this dietary transition.
My work focuses on re-emphasizing the inherent value of traditional Tibetan ingredients, foodways, and even herbal medicine as a healthy and culturally relevant alternative to the encroaching fast-food culture. Local Tibetan products are naturally nutritious, minimally processed, and deeply connected to our cultural heritage. Furthermore, I believe that supporting local and traditional Tibetan food systems is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. In regions like Diqing, where I currently live, wild edible plants, rich in nutrients, are abundant. Historically, these plants complemented our traditional diet, but today, they are often overlooked or harvested for sale rather than for local consumption, another aspect of traditional food knowledge that is fading.
Engaged Tibetan children learning about nutrition in a hands-on workshop, fostering healthy habits from a young age.
Initially, when I started conducting nutrition workshops, I encountered skepticism and resistance. Some people were even upset by my message, perhaps feeling it was critical of their current choices. However, by the second year, I noticed a shift towards more positive attitudes. By the third year, people began to genuinely listen and agree with the importance of what I was teaching. To make nutrition education more accessible and understandable, I categorize food into five simple groups:
- Energy Foods: Carbohydrates such as tsampa, bread, and rice noodles, are crucial for providing sustained energy throughout the morning and day.
- Growing Foods: Proteins found in meat, dairy products, and fish are essential for building and repairing cells, muscles, and bones, supporting growth and bodily functions.
- Protective Foods: Vitamins and minerals, primarily obtained from vegetables and fruits, play a vital role in strengthening the immune system and preventing illness.
- Glowing Foods: Healthy fats from oil, butter, meat, and seeds contribute to healthy hair, skin, and nails, and are crucial for overall well-being.
- Junk Foods: Fried foods, sugary drinks, and heavily processed foods. I deliberately minimize discussion about these, focusing instead on promoting the positive aspects of traditional and healthy foods.
My dedication to learning and teaching within my community led to a remarkable opportunity: traveling to the United States as part of the Professional Fellows Program sponsored by the Department of State. This six-week exchange program brought together 300 professionals from around the globe, allowing me to explore how U.S. nonprofit organizations address nutrition challenges. I spent a significant amount of time with Feeding America Southwest Virginia, learning and exchanging ideas about diets and nutritious food options for children’s lunch programs and after-school meals. I observed their approach to meal preparation, which typically included a starch, a protein, and a vegetable in each serving. While I appreciated their efforts, I still had some reservations about whether these meals were truly optimal for long-term health.
Navigating different cultural understandings of health, and even conflicting recommendations from health professionals, is a fascinating and ongoing challenge. At Feeding America, for instance, skim milk was promoted, while in my understanding, whole milk, with its natural fats, contains essential proteins, vitamins, and minerals that our bodies need. Similarly, vegetarian diets are often lauded as the healthiest option, but in my region, concerns about pesticide use on market produce raise questions. Is it better to avoid vegetables altogether if they are potentially heavily treated? Conversely, while small amounts of meat can contribute to a balanced diet, concerns exist about the use of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals in animal agriculture, as well as the practice of feeding animals processed waste products.
My journey of learning about healthy eating is far from over. However, one thing remains clear: if you live in a place blessed with clean, nutritious, locally produced food, and your cultural heritage provides the knowledge of how to cultivate and utilize these resources sustainably, why would you choose to eat anything else? Traditional Tibetan food is not just sustenance; it is a connection to our land, our culture, and our well-being.
Samtso Kyi is the founder of Shangri-La Gyalthang Culture Conservation & Heritage Academy and former director of the Eastern Tibet Training Institute, where she oversaw the Advanced Beekeeping Entrepreneurship Program.
