The Tibetan Food Pyramid – History 2020-2021
(Copyright: Snowland Children Foundation)
The pyramid in English as PDF:
Pyramide-A3-english.pdf
How we came up with the idea of a Tibetan Food Pyramid
In spring 2016, I started teaching nutrition for the first time in Dharamsala at the local social center LHA and at the Tibetan Delek Hospital (TDH). This was possible because I am a nutritionist/nutritionist by training and have worked in this field all my professional life. At the age of 63 I slowly had enough time to take care of my favorite topic “Tibet and `Tibetans”.
After I had lectured at LHA and TDH for 3 months in spring 2016, I was asked for an appointment by the then director of the “Mother’s Training Centre” of all Tibetan Children Villages (TCVs) Mrs. Kelsang Sharling. She opened up to me that she had heard about these nutrition lectures and would like to have something similar for her house mothers (see >> Nutrition Trainings). However, the approximately 200 house mothers from 8 children’s villages in India and Ladakh (also India), some of which are far away from each other, cannot come to the headquarters for a week. I would have to travel IN /TO the children’s villages and would get 1 week each for the nutrition trainings.
So I developed a 1-week workshop with 10 modules of 3 hours each (PPT) and also had the whole thing printed (the first version in black and white) in India. In 2017 we started with the course “Basics in Nutrition” in the first 4 TCVs, followed by the second 4 children’s villages in 2018. In the meantime, we had received the financial support of ICT (International Campaign for Tibet) Germany (Kai Müller) and could already print the 2nd edition of the training book in color. Each participant received and will receive such a training book.
After we had trained all housemothers (= amalas in Tibetan) with this, I was asked to offer a course in the ITI (Indian Technology Institute = apprenticeship training center, comparable to Switzerland, but on a boarding school basis) in Selakui in northern India for the corresponding professions on the one hand. On the other hand they asked me if I could also train the 10th-11th respectively 12th (in some TCVs there are only 11 classes) classes in a block course of 1 week about nutrition in all aspects.
The pyramid in German as PDF:
Pyramide-A3-deutsch.pdf
So I started in 2019 to give a first (very successful) course in the ITI Selakui and the first 4 children’s villages as in 2017, just the kids themselves. In 2020 we wanted to cover the second 4 children’s villages and again the ITI, because there the students partly change every year and – a repetition course seemed also indicated, so that the knowledge could be strengthened. The interest of both the ITI students (about 20 – 25 years old) and the students of the upper classes (between 15 and 19 years old) was extremely high and I was accordingly enthusiastic.
As everyone knows, the first CORONA wave then came at the beginning of 2020 and travel was no longer possible and has not been since (as of January 2022). We had noticed in the first 3 years of the trainings that we actually did not have a suitable pyramid for chapter 8 = “Food pyramid and balanced diet”: The Swiss as well as the Indian Pyramid are both not suitable for the diet of Tibetans in exile in India or Nepal (see main information “Tibetan Food Pyramid”). Thus, we decided to design a Tibetan Food Pyramid that would emphasize specific Tibetan products such as TSAMPA (roasted barley flour), but also other specialties such as MOMOs and dried fruits.
Well, with that I and the Science Committee of TCV Chauntra, with whom I have worked, have used the time and created a “Tibetan Food Pyramid” (< here they come to the page) in now 3 languages: English, German (a little bit different, because the eating habits are different in the German speaking countries and Tibetan!
Funding
Again, the ICT (International Campaign for Tibet, Germany) kindly supported us. The Snowland Children Foundation itself has also made a financial contribution (in addition to the personal commitment of the president).
The pyramid in Tibetan as PDF:
Pyramide-A3-tibetisch.pdf
The distribution of the food pyramid
After we had finished the pyramid in 3 languages in 2020/21, we added a brochure for explanation (check under Food Pyramid) and for application. In the meantime, the English and German versions are available, the Tibetan translation is still in progress (Science Committee at TCV Chauntra, India).
In addition, I created a new “Chapter 8 of Nutrition Training” (“Basics in Nutrition”). We printed 200 copies of this together with the English brochure and sent them to India. In addition, we printed 50 brochures each in German and Tibetan for Switzerland.
EVERYONE who wants (and takes into account the copyright, i.e. mentions), can and may use this pyramid and brochures. We would be very happy about it, because it can nevertheless contribute to the improvement of a balanced diet and especially also strongly points out the importance of the best, most important and actually most popular and typical Tibetan food: TSAMPA! The roasted barley is easily digestible (due to the roasting) and contains high amounts of beta-glucan, which even got a European claim to “reduce cholesterol levels” at certain amounts in the product!
TSAMPA supports a healthy microbiome (“intestinal flora”) as it is readily consumed by the “good bacteria”. So it could also be called a “prebiotic food”. These are foods that help to promote the good bacteria in the gut. In the meantime, one reads more and more how important good bacteria and a healthy bacterial environment in the intestine (colon) are. Also, practically every day there are new publications that show that there is a close connection between intestinal bacteria and our psyche. They communicate directly with each other! Reason enough for us to take care that our good intestinal bacteria are doing really well And – TSAMPA as food, is a super way to do this!
At the IATS (International Association for Tibetan Studies) in July 2022 in Prague, my paper “TSAMPA as “Super Food – Energy Bite – the nutritional components of Tsampa” was accepted as a presentation!
After we had completed all the documentation at the end of 2021 (only the Tibetan version of the brochure is still missing), we are striving to make the pyramid as widely known as possible. In doing so, we address all Tibetan associations, but also the Swiss Nutritionists (SVDE), the Swiss Society for Nutrition SGE, but also the Tibetan Government in Exile (CTA) in Dharamsala. As soon as traveling will be possible again, we will be able to present the Tibetan Food Pyramid in Dharamsala to the government in exile. The goal would be that the pyramid is also used in the Tinbeti schools that are run by the CTA.
