ARTS , CULTURE & EDUCATION


remains the most prominent of these problems. Warning signals, such as increasing obesity rates and increasing rates of pre-diabetes, are already on the horizon, and childhood obesity is also emerging as a considerable concern. The incidence of this disease remains lower


in Nunavut than elsewhere, but Wakegijig suggests that this may be because people in the region have only shifted away from traditional lifestyles in recent decades. She sees the potential for similar patterns (high rates of diabetes) to emerge here unless significant lifestyle changes take place, particularly with respect to eating habits and physical activity. This is why the food guide and other nutrition education initiatives have become a top priority. The simple four-page document is full of


colourful images that are meant to foster reflection and discussion about the most appropriate diet for Canada’s contemporary North. The expressly Nunavut character of the guide is immediately evident in dominant images of the ulu, the iconic Inuit food-cutting knife. While there is little text, an intricate array of images includes the wide variety of animals that are traditional “country” foods, juxtaposed with examples of healthy store-bought foods. In contrast to many earlier food guides, even those aimed at aboriginal populations, items such as salty snacks and soft drinks are bluntly labelled as “unhealthy”. There is also a section to broach the concept of good versus bad fats, along with recommendations to make water a primary drink. “People talk about healthy food as very


expensive; well, I like to reply that unhealthy food is too,” says Wakegijig. “People spend a lot of money on pop. The average Nunavummiuk drinks two to four cans a day, at $2 to $4 a can. When you do the math, it adds up to about $1,500 a year for the average person, or more than $100 a month just on pop. Recent studies indicate that as much as half of the money spent on food and drink at the store by most Nunavummiut is spent on “treats” such as pop, chips and candy. If freely available water displaces pop in


the diet, then, money is freed up for healthier groceries, such as fruits and vegetables. Clarifying such options is a key aspect of the challenge that is being taken up by the food guide. Susan Beaubier, a nutrition consultant who has worked in the field of Aboriginal nutrition for more than 40 years, began her career in Igloolik in 1969, where it was already evident to her that the influx of southern


foods was going to be highly disruptive. “Food and eating was just how you lived,”


she recalls. “Country food was the norm; store food was simply an add-on. You went into people’s homes and there was always a piece of cardboard with typically a seal on it, or a piece of caribou.” For many reasons, including multiple


pressures both overt and subtle, the transition from a nomadic hunting society to that of a more urbanized, cash-based economy has resulted in a decrease in hunting and a greater reliance on store foods.


Hunting and fishing have become expen-


sive propositions requiring access to vehicles and fuel and time away from wage-based work. While it varies community by community, country food is less available. Meanwhile, Beaubier spent much of her time relating the crucial distinctions between eating well from the land and from the stores. “To go into the grocery store and buy something to eat isn’t as simple as it often seems,” she says. She likes to make that point in a somewhat humorous way by asking young people to compare her skill set with


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March/April 2012 IQALUIT, NUNAVUT above & beyond 49


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