Program Seeks To Help Native Families Get Better Access To Healthy Food

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Native Americans have some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and profound health problems.

Many of those problems are blamed on poor nutrition.

So, there's a national effort to return to native foods and better diets.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) announced the Seeds of Native Health campaign on Tuesday. They're putting $5 million into the effort to stop this silent crisis.

"Our ancestors lived in close harmony with the land and were able to sustain a healthy diet," said Keith Anderson, the vice chair of the SMSC. "Decades of poverty have resulted in poor and inadequate diets for many native families."

Researchers say 80 percent of the battle in fighting obesity and diabetes comes from inadequate access to healthy food.