Dietary Characteristics of Eastern James Bay Cree Women

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Food use and nutrient intake were studied with Cree women of Wemindji and Eastmain, Quebec. During summer 1994 and winter 1995, 24-hour recalls and food frequency questionnaires were collected from 219 women of three age groups (20 -40; 41 -60; >60 years). While reported energy intakes were somewhat low, 94% of the women exceeded 2/3 of the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for protein, and 80% exceeded 2/3 of the RNI for iron. However, 44% of the women reported calcium intakes of less than 1/2 the RNI. Mean total fat intake reported by young and middle adults was greater than 30% of total energy. Primary sources of fat were market food, indicating that education efforts targeting fat intake should emphasize market food choices. Species and amounts of traditional food consumed varied by season. The percentage of elders who consumed traditional food was significantly higher (p < 0.001, χ 2 = 29, Mantel-Haenzel) than those of traditional food users in the middle and younger age groups. Dietary data for the James Bay Cree, which were lacking prior to this research, are important resources for those working in health and wellness with this population group and other aboriginal groups that use traditional food.

Macronutrient, Mineral, and Fatty Acid Composition of Canada Goose (Branta canadensis): An Important Traditional Food Resource of the Eastern James Bay Cree of Quebec

“…Canada goose has been and continues to be an important food resource for the Eastern James Bay Cree (Hanson and Currie, 1957;Elberg et al, 1975;Berkes, 1978;Delormier and Kuhnlein, 1999). Canada goose is documented as the most frequently consumed traditional food species by Cree women.…”

“…In summer months, it was shown as the top contributor of energy, protein, iron, and dietary fat of all foods consumed. For most women all traditional food provided only about one-third, or less, of total dietary fat (Delormier, 1995;Delormier and Kuhnlein, 1999). Poulin and Lefebvre (1993) described the native waterfowl harvest as the most important traditional activity along the James Bay coast.…”

Socioenvironmental changes in two traditional food species of the Cree First Nation of subarctic James Bay

“…BMI (body mass index in kg/m 2 ) estimates for Aboriginal people are generally higher than for the Canadian population as a whole. Delormier and Kuhnlein (1999), in their study of Cree women in the Province of Quebec, found that 30% had a BMI of 25-9.9, and 57% were in the obese category with a BMI of more than 30. A study of Aboriginal people aged 19 to 50 in Ontario and the western provinces (excluding reserves) found that, in 2004, they were 2.5 times more likely to be obese or overweight than non-Aboriginal Canadians.…”

“Now we got lots to eat and they’re telling us not to eat it”: understanding changes to south-east Labrador Inuit relationships to food

“…Increasingly, traditional Inuit diets have been supplemented or replaced with store-bought foods (4,5,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Several recent studies have attributed declining health in Inuit communities with the increased availability of imported foods (5,11,12,16).…”

“…Increasingly, traditional Inuit diets have been supplemented or replaced with store-bought foods (4,5,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Several recent studies have attributed declining health in Inuit communities with the increased availability of imported foods (5,11,12,16). Moreover, the subsequent decrease in the physical activity associated with procuring and preparing traditional foods is also thought to play a role in spiralling rates of chronic disease (12,14,(16)(17)(18).…”