The Overlooked Secret of the Tarahumara 

When I lived there in the 90's, I would see 50# bags of USA government commodity corn that we sent them. The Tarahumara have about a dozen varieties of heirloom native corn that they plant and eat that has about 60-some % protein--wildly more nutritious than our bastardized corn! So, The bags just sat there and I asked them why they didn't eat it? Their answer: Neither they nor the chickens liked the USA corn!!!! They fed it to the chickens first and they refused to eat it. So, the people refused to eat it! Smart people....and chickens.....

My great grandma is a tarahumaras from Chihuahua Chihuahua. She is 102 years old and still roams the earth.. at first I thought she must be blessed.... but no... shes possesed... hahaha... thats wat my cousin told me...

I’m actually Mexican-American and I am part Tarahumara! I also like to run a lot too! So, hearing all this as a vegan and runner is totally awesome!!!

Go to any vilage in Mexico and you will see many old people (late 90s early 100s) walking on the streets. It's so weird coming back to the US and seeing no old people on the streets...they're all locked up in old people prison (nursing homes).

My girlfriend is a Tarahumara Indian from Mexico and she introduced me to her language and her culture, show me thing I never thought you can do, hard working she is and her people

Not all of it's bc of diet. Mr. McDougall has also mentioned an important part of it is their running from fights (a peaceful, forgiving nature), putting little importance on physical belongings, as well as lots and lots of heavy work in a very demanding terrain & climate.

My Great Grandma Calixta was Tarahumara, this was a super cool video to see as a Vegan, and I feel a little bit more connected to her now.

There needs to be more countercultural efforts, more until it becomes the main culture! Killing off such a healthy culture by consumerism is like watching my heart grow two sizes too small

soooo much of it has to do with their foot strike too Mic! no heel striking. ive been looking in to this and doing experiments on myself. its amazing. I'm not all barefoot but im using minimalist running shoes and landing on my forefoot/toe box along with a quicker cadence and better posture. it is a game changer.

almost all food in Mexico is vegan.... I grew up in Calfornia eating the traditional Mexican (Native American) meal...beans, chiles, and corn tortillas.

I love that synth trance theme in the background.

thanks for being a very good source of informtion on RU-vid !!

Hi Mic. Great video as always. Just want to mention that the name Tarahumara is the name given to them by the colonizers. Their self given name is Raramuri. You might already know this, but I feel that it's important to share. Thanks!

My Maternal Great Grandfather was from the Village of Aldama in Chihuahuah Mexico

Thanks so much for providing links by the way!

I lived with them for a year and a half. I saw them eat goat most days as well as small fish. Not much but they did. I never saw them grow or eat Chia seed. Also Tarahumara is not even their real name. I saw Chris and Scott run in the marathon and watched Chris take his minimalist shoes off. He had blisters like you wouldn't believe.

Excellent last bit with the music and the running and the foot- cinematic.

im mexican and ive been trying to eat as half my ancestors (ya know our heritage is pretty mixed nowadays) did and im happy to say it seems to be working pretty great! have pretty stable energy, never tired anymore, i even grew an inch when i hadnt in over two years! (im 16)

3 years after you made this video, I discover this tribe and your video.

I have Tarahumara blood I love running and I’m vegan

awesome video

thank you.regards!:)

hahaha and here I am running 5 miles in my thick sole hoka shoes.

Why do they run tho? Can we track that back to persistance hunting in the past?

Very interesting insights!

Nice video! What is the name of the music track?

I must be part Tarahumara ❤️ i eat it mainly beans, rice, noodles veggies now that im older i eat more meats, and chicken. ❤️🧓😀

Notice how they don’t heel-strike, too.

Thanks for confirming that this tribe was and is not vegan

Their plants / seeds / food and water are probably much more better then any crap we buy at grocery stores here in the good old USA.

im tarahumara through my dads side 🥰

Nitrous oxide or nitric oxide?

In my state we a have tarahumaras, I am so proud n.n

I'm wondering was Forrest a descendant from that tribe or his mom ???

almost all Mexicans that live in rural Mexico eat what the tarahumara eat. Mexican food is moslty plant based.... very little meat

I'm certain that a vegan diet can be healthy, but it seems disingenuous to say that humans didn't advance because of meat-eating, from a neurological sense. Right around the time humans started to hunt for fish on the East African coast is when we started to improve our tool use, and migrate out. Levels of protein that high aren't found in any native African plant, let alone hundreds of thousands of years before our selective breeding of plants bling dressed their nutritional content.. Also, we have canines, and our bodies can process meat.

Serious question. Does this mean benefits are still there with a snickers bar here or there?

Interestingly enough, the pre-contact ancestors of the Tarahumara were persistence hunters. Running was part of their strategy of hunting down prey, chasing after them till they wore out. In fact, many anthropologists believe that was the earliest form of human hunting of large animals. Even though they no longer hunt, they still run as part of their culture. And their diet allows them to run without the deliterious effects of running that plague so many marathon runners in developed nations, because their diet doesn't promote inflammation.

Mom say I'm have native blood and it comes from tarahumara

Watch the new award winning documentary about the Tarahumara, Goshen: Places of Refuge for the Running People. vimeo.com/ondemand/goshen

if you are ever in NYC let me know. i like to surround myself with people who talk about ideas rather than people. it seems even in the vegan community people get caught up with the drama.

It is the running technique, not the diet. If you would rely only on carbs as fuel you would not do it past 20 miles.

I just did a 23 and me and found I’m 25% tarahumara

I bet they are 'nose breathers' too. Breathing this way apparently delivers around 25% more nitric oxide. I've experimented with this and there sure does seem to be benefits Good work as always Mic👍

my grandma can speak thier language ,

Our God made us out of corn my friend, that’s the fuel of our engine

Brother, a diet IS not responsible for their running those distances. Please have anyone eat their food and then try 200 miles runs. It's a learned and trained individual. They're not overweight which you CANT be and run those distances.

not to mention alot of canabis. its just part of the culture

My people are amazing

Wait, what's up with their change of shoes? Is this bad?

At the leadville race in 94 some of them were passing tobacco around smoking it and then they made there way to the back of the line and took many of the top places Not that I would ever ingest it

Bear foot! That’s crazy.

Interesting that you left out the part about the tribe historically being hunters who ran their prey to death. They didn't just do that for fun. They ate the animals. They may not do as much of it now, but I am guessing that the current near vegan diet has less to do with their abilities than you think.

Lol I’m surprised you’re not (or other vegans) offended about those sandals made out of deer skin. 😂 my tarahumara ancestors had a sense of style...

1:53 - Why is fiber only 19g?

Ok give an example recipe for a day

They occasionally eat wild game like deer, but mire commonly...mice and rats from traps.

Thanks for doing this video. I have known of the Rarámuri for many years and their vegan diet is definitely the key factor to their abilities. What’s not widely known is most First Nation Tribes especially those in the Mexican region ate a vegan diet, and it was French and Spanish influence which got them into eating meat and consuming animal products. My people didn’t eat animals, we saw them as other creatures who also needed to be respected. The earth provided such a variety of fruits and vegetables that are now all but extinct if not for certain tribes keeping them alive by storing the seeds and growing them in small numbers. Apples and pears, etc are all invasive species brought here by colonizers. The fruits and vegetables that were naturally occurring on this continent were superior to the European species brought here. But, I guess that’s a different discussion. For me, as this is my history, it’s all connected. A couple continents of compassionate vegans were wiped out because they were too peaceful.

I swear corn is like magic jet fuel :3

I really enjoy reading about them, however put them in a race with jakob ingebrigtsen over 1500m / 5000m and see if they're as good!

Here is a link to an interesting article from "Men's Health" magazine about a gringo who lives among the Tarahumara and starts to live and run more like they do. He also mentions Scott Jurek and a bit about vegan and semi vegan diets. www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19555035/longevity/

I'm 51%

I am hiking 30 miles sometimes

My ancestors

My mom was born in that area and never understood why the fuck she could run 7 miles without stopping and she wasn't anymore athletic than me. I'd do 1 mile and pass out she'd do 7 like nothing. Now I know .... cool shit.

I don't know if a people known to be legendary persistence hunters and sensible enough to practice 'grenade fishing' would appreciate being portrayed as "nearly vegan".

Quasi-vegan? Is this the new way of saying OMNIVORE?

That’s good and all but you also need a safe location to run, if you run 200 miles on sidewalk, or assault you will probably need knee surgery after you destroy them.

In races between the Tarahumara and runners from other states,I dont think they (Tarahumara) ever won,they can run for long time,but not very fast

Veganism with the high carb content is ideal for endurance athletes. However, studies show that beyond age 50, endurance running is contrary to wellness to a point. (In fact the subject of McDougall's book, Mica True - 'Caballo Blanco', died at age 59 of cardiomyopathy, caused by endurance running - look it up). In addition to cardiac fibrosis and scaring, the toll endurance running takes on the body becomes a factor over age 50. After age 50, the need for more protein is appropriate to counteract the natural loss of muscle fiber (sarcopenia) due to aging - including hormone levels - is best supported by HIIT - power training such as sprinting, weights, running hills, etc... Therefore, yes vegan before age 50 and 5ks, then more animal protein and power sports (like masters track sprinting) after age 50 to maintain optimum health. A vegan diet, inherently heavy on carbs is a recipe for weight gain after 50, unless you're an avid endurance athlete. But prior to 50, is the best option for disease prevention. Humans by genetic disposition, are programed to store fat, and this tendency increases with age. Humans were never meant to eat regular multiple daily meals.

When i switched on the tv today there was a Report on how much to from which Food and they seriousely said you shouldhave just one potatoe the sice of a Computer mouse a day, because it has to much carbs!

just guessing but problem run so much to be good hunter or run animals. your said don't eat much meat but I'm guessing do eat some. as if food from plants be no region to run as plants cain run away when go eat them

hi! what's the secret ? I don't get it , you mentioned fact not secrets , please someone tell me the secret!!!!!!!!

I wish you guys don't put background music on your videos, it is very annoying and brings down the desirability of your videos. Many people simply move on. Noise pollution.

You pronounce it wrong

Cocoa Cola, MSG laden noodles (Ramen?) and potato chips are vegan, but not Whole Food Plant Based vegan. Be sure to eat WFPB as much as you can to get the benefits. Here is the spot on the video where he mentions the unfortunate changes to their diet. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MSTqVHJEVl0.html

It may be also they are not heel striking when they walk/run and so do not support the medical industrial complex we have in the west.

Chris Macdougall eats Keto.

not have pebles in feet is good thing so i have no problem with were shoes

1. They did eat meat. 2. Why focus only on the diet? 3. Running techniques are different. Probably the main reason for the barefoot movement.

CHIA seeds.

"Plant-based ... plant-based ... plant-based". All I hear is "plant-based". If the nutrition play an important role, it's not just that they eat vegan, mostly. It also matters that their staple foods are fructarian aka frugan. And that they have super-crops. All the crops they plant there, most of all maize are especially good foods, better than other fructarian foods. And they know how to prepare them, how to properly cook them, nixtamalisation and other tricks.

Facial tension it has nothing to do with nutrition

Yeah they eat and live that way out of necessity, you have the means to live comfortably with modern commodities and to choose what to eat.

Look, the top of the food chain is the omnivore. The herbivore is lunch for everything else. Hey, how about some long pig today?!

What's your beef with women wearing modern footwear?

But one thing he said is true is the white man’s way cannot keep up

they no vegans. dont try to claim them

Don’t they run with impacting their toes? It’s not entirely a vegan diet your just talking about this one aspect to push your beliefs

No genetic difference that YOU know about...

colonizer not using the right word of our people and labeling our omnivore diet as quasi vegan to fit into colonizer vocabulary. then topped it off with anti asian rhetoric of "msg bad". have you never had tomatoes, corn, potatoes , broccoli?

Gonna open up a quasi-vegan restaurant where 5% of the menu is meat lol