CINE in collaboration with the offered during the summer of 2024 & 2025 to high school, CEGEB, and undergraduate students from Kahnaw脿:ke the opportunity to explore food, nutrition, and health in their community. Through participation in KSDPP projects that support food security and food sovereignty, students may be inspired to pursue further education and careers in health and research. These positions were supported by the ,听迟丑别 and IMPRESS.
Using Onkweh贸n:we Food Systems to promote nutrition, well-being, and food sovereignty in Kahnaw脿:ke
During the initial weeks, students received training on nutrition basics, nutrition issues in Kahnaw脿:ke, food security & food sovereignty, qualitative research, and ethics. The training was tailored to support the development of the two projects undertaken by the students. The students participated in activities such as:
Visiting the Kahnaw脿:ke food basket
Meeting with dietitians from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre
Attending an interview workshop with Indigenous methodologies听听
Attending KSDPP research team & Indigenous food lab听meetings听
Creating an infographic to share project outcomes
Developed and conducted a workshop on healthy eating for local youth
serves as a national resource to help Canadians make informed food choices and promote overall health. However, it often fails to account for cultural, historical, and environmental contexts of Indigenous communities. This project aims to address these gaps by integrating Onkweh贸n:we (Indigenous) Food Systems, which emphasize traditional听 and cultura knowledge, local food practices, and community-based approaches to nutrition.
Methods
This work is ongoing. Individual interviews have been conducted with community members who are health professionals, gardeners, seed savers, hunters, fishers, and land-based educators as well as focus groups with youth to explore traditional food practices and views on food systems.
搁别蝉耻濒迟蝉听
These are some preliminary recommendations for a culturally adapted food guide for the community of Kahnaw脿:ke.
Representation of Traditional Foods听(翱苍办飞别丑贸苍:飞别/Tionhekwa)
Participants stressed more representation of local foods, to highlight Tionhekwa, foods that are native, culturally significant, and tied to the land and waters of听Kahnaw脿:ke.
Food Sovereignty
The guide should emphasize the importance of food sovereignty and hands-on participation. Educational materials could include information on foraging, gardening, and the spiritual aspects of food preparation. Work-equity programs and building mentorship in hunting and fishing to sustain knowledge transfer.
Seasonal & Ceremonial Integration
The guide should highlight the benefits of eating with the seasons, reflecting traditional Kanien鈥檏eh谩 practices. Provide seasonal recipes and link the cycle of ceremonies with food education.
Barriers to Healthy eating
Factors that limited access to nutritious food were high prices, convenience and affordability of junk food, contamination, time constraints, loss of knowledge, and lack of gardens.
Personalized Nutrition
Given the diversity of dietary needs within the community, the guide should promote a personalized approach to nutrition, encouraging individuals to listen to their bodies and adapt their diets according to their unique needs and preferences.
Visual and Language Integration
The guide should be visually appealing and incorporate Kanien鈥檏茅ha alongside English, with clear translations to support language learning. This would make the guide more accessible and culturally resonant.
Community Engagement
To increase engagement, the guide could include interactive elements such as cooking classes, challenges, and short educational videos tailored to the community鈥檚 needs and preferences.
Cost of healthy eating
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods that meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (World Food Summit, 1996).听In Canada, food prices have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to document and compare the current cost of healthy eating in Kahnaw脿:ke and compare these findings with the 2016 )
Methods
is a survey tool used by the government and stakeholders to monitor the cost and affordability of healthy eating. The updated 2019 version, aligns with the Canada鈥檚 Food Guide. Key updates from the 2008 version include removing suggested package sizes, with cost now recorded as 鈥渄ollar per kilogram鈥�, and including more whole grain foods and plant-based proteins.
In Kahnaw脿:ke, there are limited groceries stores on reserve, so many community members shop in surrounding areas. To identify where听Kahnaw谩ker贸:non purchased their groceries, we conducted a survey on social media. The most popular stores were Mohawk Market, Creekside, Walmart, IGA, Pasquier, and Super C.
We used the 2008 NNFB tool to compare food costs in 2024 with the results from the 2016 FNFNES, which used the same tool at Super C.
We conducted food pricing using the 2018 NNFB tool in 2024 and 2025.听We were unable to consider stores in the community (Mohawk Market, Creekside) in听the 2024 analysis, as many items were missing at these locations. By 2025 we included local stores and substituted the 17 missing items with prices from Super C.
The NNFB tool is an spreadsheet listing 61 food items, with built-in formulas to calculate the weekly cost of a healthy diet based on the price of each item. It provides estimates for different age groups, sexes and life stages.听 To calculated the price for a family of four, we sumed the total for a听2-3-year-old female, a 31-50-year-old female, a 14-18-year-old male, and a 31-50-year-old male.听
The 2019 tool version has听significant updates, such as higher quality in the food list that reflects a more plant-based, protein-rich diet. Additionally, all prices are now standardized per kilogram.
Results
Cost of healthy eating for a family of four* per week
2016
2024
$216
$290
Family of 4: Male 31-50, Female 31-50, Male 14-18, Female 4-8; 2008 NNFB
We can see that there was a 34% increase from 2016 to 2024 using the 2008 tool however these prices are higher using the updated version
Cost of healthy eating for a family of four* per week in 2024
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2024
2025
IGA
$398.27
$339.81
Super C
$304.23
$297.10
Pasquier
$374.64
$341.22
Walmart
$316.09
$272.25
Maxi
-
$300.36
Local stores
-
$376.74
Average
$348
$321.25
Family of 4: Male 31-50, Female 31-50, Male 14-18, Female 4-8; 2019听NNFB
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Communications听
As a part of their training, students develped two communications on sport nutrition and the cost of healthy eating.
This communication was created by Kane Phillips,听Senior High School
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Acquired Knowledge and Competencies
Conducting interviews and focus groups
Qualitative research abilities
Data collection
Ethics in research
Analyzing data
A deeper understanding of the complex relationship between food, culture, and community health
Importance of integrating traditional knowledge into modern nutritional guidelines
Role of food sovereignty in promoting overall well-being
鈥淭he term research is sort of mysterious, and this job has shown me that it is not some secret and mysterious thing鈥�
鈥淭he ability to engage with communities, understand their unique perspectives, and create resources that resonate with their cultural values will be critical in any role I pursue鈥�
PRE & POST WORKOUT NUTRITION