A 35-year-old Lakota man from the Pine Ridge Reservation is the subject of a PBS documentary about healthy eating and traditional foods.
The cameras are following Beau LeBeau, an obese, diabetic member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, for 200 days. They want to see how his body changes if he is placed on a "Dakota Diet" and incorporates buffalo, a traditional food, in his life.
"The buffalo is considered sacred by our tribe, of course, but before this, I didn't bring it into my daily life," LeBeau told The Rapid City Journal. "Now, I do. There's always been a spiritual connection for me, but now there's even a better connection to it."
So far, the results are impressive. After 100 days, LeBeau has dropped 46 pound, down from 333 pounds.
He can walk on a treadmill without being exhausted. He no longer has trouble sleeping and his liver functions, blood-sugar levels and diabetes markers have improved.
"Good Meat" will air later this year.
Get the Story:Buffalo-based diet plan includes 'spiritual connection' (The Rapid City Journal 5/25)
