Alternative n-3 PUFAs Sources in Central European Diet before Westernization – Case Report from Poland

Knowledge of the former food system of a population provides essential information for a better understanding of the nature of nutritional problems. This paper reports on efforts to determine possible n-3 PUFAs sources in the non-westernized diet of a peasant family who lived in an economically underdeveloped region of Poland (the White Forest) in the early 1970s. The observations presented herein led to the recognition of the potential use of wild green plants, animal-based products from extensive agriculture (eggs, diary, rabbit meat) and aquatic food (in a direct way e.g. from the anadromous fish Vimba vimba and indirectly via poultry and pig feed e.g. freshwater mussels) for inland populations with a lack of oily marine fish intake. Directions for future research on foodways as well as applications in fields concerning dietary change and nutritional education have also been suggested.