A dietary survey on the nutritional intake of the Mongolian Gel tribe was conducted while living with the tribe from June to July in 1997. The traditional Mongolian diet consists mainly of dairy products in the summer and meat in the winter, supplemented by flour. The meals are of a very simple style, with five of the nine main dishes being dairy products which are consumed almost daily. The average energy intake for a householdhead is around 2, 200 kcal, which is just sufficient for health maintenance. Dairy products account for 48% of the total energy intake and 40% of the total protein intake. Although the use of flour in the summer diet is thought to ensure an adequate dairy energy intake, flour is also thought to lead to an increase in salt intake. Lactose in dairy products, and collagen in meat both help to make up for the lack of vegetables in the Mongolian diet, while vitamin C is provided by the consumption of internal organs and blood, as well as by-kumiss. The Gel tribe are therefore able to effectively obtain sufficient by utilizing all of the available foodstuffs.
