The Slow Cook has a provocative post on what the collapse of the Soviet Union did to Cuba: it improved the diet, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The Cuban economy had become highly dependent on the financial support
as well as fuel, fertilizers and pesticides provided by the Soviet
regime. When that ended in 1989, Cubans had to reinvent the way they feed
themselves. Nationwide, Cubans consumed one-third fewer calories and
most were forced to walk or bike to work. The average Cuban lost 20
pounds, and over a period of years the country reverted to an organic
system of agriculture and planted every available green space for food
crops.
During the decade-long period of adjustment, the prevalence
of obesity in Cuban declined from 14 percent to 7 percent. Deaths from
diabetes dropped 51 percent. Deaths from heart disease declined 35
percent. Overall, Cuba’s death rate was reduced by 18 percent.

Sounds like the post-Peak Oil diet… […]

Original post by Samuel Fromartz and software by Elliott Back

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 10:02 am and is filed under Nutrition. You can follow responses to this entry through the Comments RSS Feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.