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More than a third of Canadian aboriginals are obese, and about a fifth told the 2011 First Nations Regional Health Survey they had diabetes, according to its preliminary results.

Mr. Ducharme himself was 223 pounds, and managed to drop to 145 pounds, without exercising. He has more energy, and both a clearer complexion and mind, he says.

“But mostly it was that I felt so present in my daily life,” he said. “That is definitely something that I wouldn’t have anticipated before starting this.”

Mr. Ducharme, who is in his 40s, has been filming his dietary journey, with the hopes of making a documentary, and inspiring others to make similar changes.

He does not eat beef, chicken or pork (none of these are native to North America, he says), dairy, coffee and refined foods of any kind.

Even bannock, a heavy bread traditionally eaten by indigenous peoples in North America, is off-limits, says Mr. Ducharme.

“The bannock of today is made from white bleached flour, mixed with salt and lard and yeast to make it rise… my own people think it’s traditional and it’s not. And it’s certainly not good for us native people,” he says.

Mr. Ducharme’s diet is not what his family ate while growing up in suburban Winnipeg, said his brother, Ronald.

“It wasn’t very easy for us to eat as healthy,” he said. “When you are born into poverty, you kind of eat what you can afford. You spend the money on bigger portions — the pastas, the sugars. That was our diet and our upbringing.”