Food cultural adaptation in Ecuadorian Amazonian indigenous students

Abstract

Introduction: In the Ecuadorian Amazon, a region insufficiently served by public infrastructure, the aspiration of self-identified indigenous youth to access education promotes their migration to provincial capitals and with it, change and adaptation to new foods. Objectives: To analyze the food culture in indigenous communities of the Amazonian province of Pastaza, to examine the changes in the diet of young Amazonian indigenous people who migrate to Puyo-Pastaza from rural areas to satisfy their need to study; to refer to some characteristics of the prevailing foods in the diet of indigenous students in the city.  Methodology: This is an observational study with integrated design in which qualitative methodologies prevail such as ethnographic design, narrative and phenomenological approaches that synthesize information from events of indigenous people where they discuss their development and plan their future through open and in-depth interviews and documentary research.  Results: The food characteristics adapted to the working and environmental conditions in the jungle in Pastaza-Ecuador, the resilience of indigenous students and the qualities of foods such as yucca and plantain, considered to be high in complex carbohydrates, are reported. Discussion: Certain foods do not have a high impact on the glycemic index and there is evidence of the need for further place-based studies to better support public policies on nutrition from a cross-cultural perspective. Conclusions: The Ecuadorian Amazonian indigenous communities show a cultural food tradition based on a broad knowledge of food species that they cultivate in agricultural systems adapted to the environment.