“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

Abstract

Objectives. Culture, history and social circumstances shape how people understand their relationships to food, what foods are eaten, when, how much and how often. This ultimately shapes overall health. This study aims to connect research about food, culture and health by positioning south-eastern Labrador Inuit understandings of food at the forefront of how we begin to address chronic disease within southeastern Labrador Inuit communities. Study design. This study collected stories about food from 3 generations of men and women who live in the south-east Labrador Inuit community of St. Lewis, Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods. Qualitative interviews (n=24) and 1 focus group (n=8) were conducted with 3 generations of men and women who were asked to share stories about how they experience and understand their relationships to food. Results. Local plants and animals have historically been used for shelter, clothing and medicines, and their procurement provided opportunities for physical activity, sharing with others and passing along generational knowledge. The historical absence of government services has meant that stable food supplies were unavailable; local sources of food have, until the recent past, been essential for survival. The significant change over a short period, from having to ensure that one has enough to eat and avoiding nutritional deficiencies, to having both healthy and unhealthy food choices constantly available, has required a different "way" of understanding food. Conclusions. It is imperative that nutrition programs and resources directed towards improving the health of south-east Labrador Inuit take into account how cultural, historical and social circumstances have shaped south-east Labrador Inuit understandings of food.

Dietary intake of vitamin D in a northern Canadian Dené First Nation community

“…This could be due to the “nutrition transition” from country food sources to market foods, observed in many Canadian Aboriginal communities (3, 29, 30). Other explanations include participation in the global “nutrition transition” to high sugar/fat/salt processed foods, real or perceived contamination of wild foods with heavy metals and pollutants, and the high cost of equipment to fish and hunt (4, 30–32). These factors have led to profound food insecurity in many, northern communities (2, 4–7, 30–33).…”

Eating habits of a population undergoing a rapid dietary transition: portion sizes of traditional and non-traditional foods and beverages consumed by Inuit adults in Nunavut, Canada

“…The traditional diet upon which Inuit of Arctic Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Chukotka (Russia) survived for millennia was based on a wide range of nutrient-dense foods obtained from the local environment, including wild game, marine mammals, fish, birds, and seasonal roots, stems, tubers, wild berries and edible seaweed [1-9]. Within the last fifty years, Inuit have come under increasing pressure to leave behind their traditional way of life and acculturate to the values of Western society [3,7,10].…”

Using Photovoice to Understand Intergenerational Influences on Health and Well-Being in a Southern Labrador Inuit Community

“…Historically, St. Lewis relied heavily on the seasonal employment of local cod fisheries; however, with the recent decline of this industry, residents of St. Lewis have been forced to search elsewhere for stable employment (Hanrahan, 2008;Martin, 2011). That search often leads to employment through offshore fishing, which, although more stable, requires workers to leave their homes for weeks or months at a time.…”

“…Lewis, NL, is situated in southeastern Labrador, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The community is within NunatuKavut territory, an Inuit-settled area, currently home to Inuit, mixed-Inuit, and European descendants (Martin, 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2013). St. Lewis has an allgrade school (kindergarten to Grade 12) with 33 students.…”