Devon Mihesuah, Cora Lee Beers professor in international cultural understanding at the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies, will put her book Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness up against cookbooks from around the world in an international contest.

Devon Mihesuah, Cora Lee Beers professor in international cultural understanding at the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies, will put her cookbook up against offerings from authors including Martha Stewart and Maya Angelou for the title of best in the world.

Mihesuah's book, Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness, won the Special Award of the Jury from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and is a finalist for Best in the World. There were 6,000 entries from 65 countries vying for the title. The award will be presented in May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mihesuah is Oklahoma Choctaw. Her book includes sections on exercise advice, healthy eating and gardening tips. She collected recipes from her colleagues in the U.S. and Canada for the book, including summer salsa, Dakota Waskuya soup, Osage pounded meat, chickasaw pashofa, elk steak, Choctaw banaha, Comanche Ata-Kwasa and Luiseno weewish.

Mihesuah said the book also has frank discussions about the poor state of Indigenous people's health today and how and why many Natives no longer adhere to traditional diets and activities that kept them healthy.

"High incidences of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and related physical problems among Indigenous peoples are pervasive consequences of colonialism," Mihesuah says. "Natives once gathered, hunted and cultivated foods that kept them physically strong. Now, many Natives across the Americas are sedentary and have lost touch with their traditional tribal knowledge, including methods of cultivating, preparing and preserving foods. Taking charge of our health by boycotting the greasy, fatty, sugary and salty foods that are killing us in favor of the nutrient-rich and unprocessed indigenous foods of this hemisphere is greatly empowering," Mihesuah said.

She is the author of a dozen books and edits the international journal of indigenous studies, The American Indian Quarterly.

Mihesuah said eating right and staying active is not only important for a healthy lifestyle but sets an example of good health for future generations.

"We can only do so much to combat racism and prejudice," Mihesuah notes, "but we can control what we eat, what we feed our families and how much we move around. We must take responsibility for our health and for the well being of our children. In so doing, we pass on a legacy of self-respect and tribal strength to future generations."