The Role of Nutrition in Health
Why is Nutrition Important?
The food habits of First Nations people have changed drastically in a short time and this has had a big impact on our health. What we eat helps us to grow and develop properly, and stay healthy and strong. Food plays an important part in a healthy pregnancy, promoting healthy babies and children that grow to their best mental, physical, social and emotional potential. 
Food plays an important role in preventing and treating conditions affecting your community such as diabetes, heart disease, hyperactivity, obesity and HIV/AIDS. Our food choices take place in a social, cultural, political and economic environment that can aggravate the health of communities unless active measures are taken to make the environment a health promoting one.
Community Nutrition Needs and Assets Assessment Nutrition Needs and Assets Report | pdf download |
Thank you to everyone who completed the Community Nutrition Needs and Assets Assessment (CNNAA). The results of this survey have been compiled the following priorities for community nutrition were identified:
1) Training priorities include those that increase community capacity to address food security, healthy meal planning for cooks and build traditional food knowledge and skill.
2) Communities would like support and training in food policy development.
3) There is a need for part-time community based health promoters with a nutrition focus.
Hard copies of the report can be mailed out at individual request and will also be available at upcoming Health Council gatherings.
Traditional Food Fact Sheets
The First Nations Traditional Food Fact Sheets detail commonly used traditional foods throughout BC and provides relevant nutritional information about traditional foods. The fact sheets are being used by BC First Nations and Health Authority support workers to re-introduce Traditional Foods into community Health Programs. This resource was developed by the First Nations Health Council in response to community requests for culturally relevant nutrition information.
Traditional Food Facts Sheets | pdf download |
Healthy Food Guidelines for First Nations Communities
These guidelines are intended to support community members in educating each other about better food and drink choices to oᴀer in schools, meetings, homes, cultural and recreational events, and in restaurants.There is information presented for various types of community members, from general background information on the issues facing communities to special handouts that can assist individuals in choosing better snacks for lunches.
Healthy Food Guidelines for First Nations Communities| pdf download |
Want an eye opener? Download this presentation:Nutrition 101
Find out how much sugar these widely consumed drinks contain Sugar Display | pdf download |
Find out how much fat these popular fast foods contain Fat Display | pdf download |
Contribute to the health of our people by getting involved in issues such as:
• Nutrition for pregnant women
• Infant and child nutrition
• Promoting the use of traditional foods
• Nutrition for athletes
• Prevention of Chronic disease such as Diabetes
• Nutrition for people with diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, or heart disease
• Advocating for access to healthy foods in the community (gatherings, schools, administration, business)
• Advocating for a safe and adequate food supply, both store bought and wild foods
Nutrition allows you to combine traditional knowledge about food, health and the environment with the science of food and nutrition.
How better nutrition will close the gaps and support the First Nations Health Plan Action Items:
Getting involved in food and nutrition issues will help to close the health gaps that exist with respect to infant mortality, diabetes prevalence and childhood obesity as outlined in the First Nations Health Plan Action. Specifically, food and nutrition will support the follow actions outlined in the First Nations Health Plan:
• Development of a First Nations / Aboriginal specific Act Now BC Program.
• Improvement of prevention and primary health services on-reserve so that they meet or exceed those services provided off-reserve.
• Develop an integrated approach to Chronic Disease Prevention and Management.
Two Year Workplan Highlights
• Nutrition education resource development - highlighting traditional foods of BC First Nations.
• First Nations Act Now Community Tool Kit Development
• Community Nutrition Assets and Needs Assessment
• Food Skills For Families – Cooking program curriculum – Canadian Diabetes Association
• Community Food Educators Training (Year 1 - Development Stages)
Committee Representation:
BC Food Systems Network – Indigenous Food Sovereignty Working Group
Assembly of First Nations – Diabetes Working Group
First Nations Inuit Health – Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative – Diabetes Prevention Resource
Interesting Websites:
Indigenous Nutrition (videos about the value of traditional foods around the world)
http://www.indigenousnutrition.org/
BC Food Systems Network: (Resources & Links for Indigenous Food Sovereignty links)
http://www.fooddemocracy.org
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Metis:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/fnim-pnim/index-eng.php
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – My Food Guide (create your own personal food guide)
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/myguide-monguide/index-eng.php
Fresh Choice Kitchens – Community Kitchens Toolkits
http://www.communitykitchens.ca/main/?CKToolkit#FoodSafe
Dial A Dietitian
http://www.dialadietitian.org/
Aboriginal Nutrition Network – Nutrition Career Info
http://www.nutritioncareerinfo.ca
Centre for Indigenous People’s Nutrition and Environment
http://www.mcgill.ca/cine/
Article: Feeding Mind, Body and Spirit to Increase our Health
Good nutrition is crucial in determining the health and welling being of First Nations people in BC. In Canada, it has been estimated that the economic burden of nutrition-related conditions represents 23% of the dollars spent on health care. As a Registered Dietician and Nutritionist for the Health Council, my role is to promote health by helping communities improve knowledge of nutrition and increase ability to ensure that everyone can make healthy food choices. Through my own personal health challenges as well as the health challenges that I have seen family members face, I am motivated to create opportunity through food and nutrition to promote wellness, prevent disease and support our people to live healthy and strong. My family has been my greatest motivators and teachers. Through them I have learned how much our current state of health has been impacted by changes in lifestyle and our history.
To feed our mind, body and spirit and overcome many of the barriers to good health, involves many things: a blending of traditional and contemporary knowledge around food and nutrition including the role in health and disease; supportive environments in our community (friends, family, stores, restaurants, land); the ability to access adequate amounts of personally acceptable food (food security); increased capacity in the community to promote healthy foods; as well as collaboration with other sectors of community including housing, lands & resource management, education, social development and political leadership.
My goal over the next two years is to create opportunities for community to increase knowledge, supportive environments, access to food and capacity. These goals are supported by the feedback given at Gathering Wisdom for a Shared Journey, however, not everyone was able to give their input here. I would love to speak with anyone who has suggestions or questions about nutrition and nutrition programming for our communities. As well, keep your eyes open on the nutrition section of our newly developing website for program updates and new resources.
For more information contact: