Hunza Diet - #1 Health Secret of People of the Valley

The first, and certainly the most important secret of Hunza Valley people's health and wellness is their diet and nutrition. The Hunzakuts diet approach is like that of Hippocrates, father of modern medicine: 

the food you eat is your best medicine

Also Hunza people understand very well the saying:

You are what you eat

Dr. MacCarrisson, who spent 7 years with the Hunzas, understood that their amazing health was mainly due to their diet which is rather unusual. Fortunately, it can be easily adapted to our western way of life.

To confirm his theory that the Hunza diet played an important role in maintaining health and longevity, Dr. MacCarrisson devised the following simple experiment. Using three groups of rodents, he fed each group a different diet. 

The first group, nourished exclusively on Hunza food, flourished, enjoying spectacular health.

The second group was fed a diet similar to that of the people of Kashmir, a neighboring country. They developed a number of diseases. 

The third group received a typical western world diet, and quickly developed all the symptoms of a condition called neurasthenia.

How do the Hunzakuts Eat?

Well, the basis of the Hunza diet, which to a large extent is dictated by the rather harsh climatic and geographical conditions of their home country, can be summed up in one word: frugality.

Hunzas eat only two meals a day. The first meal is served at 12 noon. This may sound shocking, since most nutrition professionals here in the west emphasize the importance of a hearty breakfast, while our life-style is relatively sedentary compared to that of the Hunzas, who engage in demanding physical labor all morning long on an empty stomach.

Unlike most western people, Hunzas eat mainly for hygienic reasons rather than for pleasure, although they are very careful when preparing their food which, by the way, happens to be delicious.

Westerners, who often overeat out of sheer gluttony or habit, rarely maintain a balance of calorie and protein intake, and energy expenditure. In other words, we eat too much. Our stomach, which is constantly trying to process the overload of food, never has a chance to rest, and quickly becomes exhausted. This, in turn, has a negative impact on our nervous system. We keep eating even though we may feel fatigued, physically ill or depressed. We seem to have lost the natural wisdom that is instinctive among members of the animal kingdom. A sick animal, for example, stops eating. The same applies to the Hunzas who go on a long and strict fast once a year.

In addition, Hunza food is completely natural, containing no chemical additives whatsoever. Unfortunately, that is not the case as far as most of our food is concerned. Keep in mind, however, that the most important aspect of the Hunza diet is frugality. Hippocrates advised his patients to eat frugally, with very positive results, notably renewed vitality and enthusiasm, not to mention the more obvious effects of weight loss, accompanied by increased muscular and nervous energy.

The Hunzas eat very little. 

What do Hunza Valley People Eat?

But what exactly do they eat?

1. Hunzakuts Eat Plenty of Grains and Vegetables.

A large part of their diet is composed of grains: barley, millet, buckwheat and wheat.

They also eat fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. For the most part, these are consumed fresh and raw, although some vegetables are cooked for a short time. Their preferred fruits and vegetables include potatoes, string beans, peas, carrots, turnip, squash, spinach, lettuce, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries and blackberries. They also have a particular fondness for apricot pits. 

2. Hunzas Eat Milk and Cheese.

Milk and cheese are important sources of animal protein. 

3. Meat is a Rare in Hunzas' Diet.

Meat, although not completely eliminated, is consumed only very rarely, reserved for special occasions like marriages or festivals. 

This fact is no doubt one of the reasons why the Hunzas have such healthy digestive systems. Even when meat is served, portions are very small: meat is cut into small pieces and stewed for a long time. Beef and mutton are rarely used - chicken is their most common source of animal protein.


The important thing to remember is that although the Hunzas are not wholly vegetarian, meat forms a minimal part of their daily diet. This as opposed to most westerners, who are voracious carnivores. Meat in general, and especially red meat, takes over three hours to digest. In the long run, and especially because of our relatively sedentary life-style, this overconsumption of meat weakens the digestive system and results in a buildup of waste that can be dangerous to health.

Toxins contained in meat accumulate in our organism. In addition, meat, and especially red meat (white meat is less harmful) contributes to the buildup of cholesterol, a prime factor in the cause of heart disease. To a large extent blocked arteries are the direct result of eating too much meat.

Thinking that you have to eat meat at least once a day, as many people in western countries believe, is absolutely false. The Hunzas, know very well that that is simply not true. They generally eat meat only once a week, if that often, and live longer and stay healthier than we do. Although you don’t have to be as austere about your meat intake as the Hunzas, you should limit yourself to two or three meat dishes a week.

4. Yogurt - Another Staple Food of the Hunzakuts

Like grains, fruits and vegetables, yogurt is also a staple of the Hunza diet. Yogurt, which replenishes intestinal flora, is extremely beneficial for the human organism. Bulgarians, who also eat a lot of yogurt, are another people who live to a ripe old age. Bulgaria boasts 1,666 centenarians per million inhabitants, while here in the west the number is only 9 per million inhabitants. That represents a considerable difference, and should encourage you to make
yogurt a regular part of your diet. 

Fortunately yogurt is easily available almost anywhere. You can even make your own - the process is easy and fast - and use it to prepare delicious sauces. It will be sure to include a number of recipes to suit any palate.

5. Nuts, Another Major Diet of Hunza Valley People

Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, beechnuts, etc. also comprise an important part of the Hunza diet. Along with fruit, or mixed into salads, nuts often constitute an entire meal. Here in the west a serving of nuts and fruit or salad would be considered an entree to a more copious main dish, something the Hunzas would view as excessive.

Almonds are eaten whole, or used to make almond oil through a process that has been transmitted from generation to generation. 

6. Hunza Diet Bread - Chapatti

No discussion of the Hunza diet would be complete without mentioning their special bread, called ‘chapatti,’ which is eaten along with every meal. Since it is used so often, it would be logical to conclude that it is one of the determining factors in causing their amazing longevity.

Specialists believe that it is this special bread that endows 90 year old Hunza men with their ability to conceive children, something that is unheard of here in the west. In fact, chapatti bread contains all essential elements. It can be made from wheat, millet, buckwheat or barley flour, but what is most important is that the flour is whole. It is this part of a grain which gives it its reproductive power, as well as its brown color. 

Looking from the highest peak of Hunza mountains and wondering what kind of exotic food do these people eat, nearly everything the Hunza valley people eat is delicious to the westerner taste. These Hunza diets are easily available in United State, Canada, united Kingdom and other western countries - at least if you take your shopping beyond the supermarkets.

Hunza diet is not unusual and there is nothing strange about its health-promoting qualities. Facts we know about diet, health and wellness, collected from clinical analysis and the observation of human nutrition scientists who have traveled the length and breath of the world examining dietary practices and their correlation to health, states to us that it is to be expected that the Hunza valley people diet will do a lot improving the whole health of anyone, anywhere.

The hunza account is only one of the more studied examples of the amazing health given by a diet of organic, fresh unadulterated and unprocessed food.

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