"Summer isn't the best season for watching TV, but the other day I found something inspiring to watch. I tuned in to an episode of Jillian Michaels' new show called Losing it with Jillian, where she vowed to help a family from the Yavapai/Apache tribe of Campe Verde, Ariz.

Michaels is a fitness guru best known for her role on the popular weight loss show The Biggest Loser. She's lean, buff and a little bit mean; it's tough love when it comes to getting people on the treadmill.

Michaels got a call for help from Cora-lei, matriarch of the Plunkett-Marquez family. This Apache family was dealing with health issues like diabetes, as well as obesity in four out of five family members. Their problems weren't an isolated issue either -- it seems the entire reserve was in a bit of a health crisis.

As a tribal cultural leader, Cora-lei hoped her family's quest for a healthier lifestyle would also kick-start other community members to try it as well.

But right off the hop, there was trouble. Michaels' first order of business was to get rid of the fry bread, which later became known as "the fry bread incident." Fry bread is just what it sounds like - deep fried dough.

To everyone's dismay Michaels threw out a box of fry bread at a community celebration. Then one kid threw an Indian taco at her instead of throwing it in the garbage.

It's not surprising that in the U.S. native Americans suffer from high rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases, like diabetes, similar to aboriginal Canadian rates. In fact, it's time we back away from the fry bread, too."

Get the Story:
Colleen Simard: Go easy on that tasty fry bread (The Winnipeg Free Press 7/17)

Related Stories:
Blog: Enjoying traditional foods like fry bread in a 'mindful' way (7/13)
Losing It With Jillian heads to Yavapai-Apache Nation in Arizona (7/7)