The Nuxalk Food and Nutrition Program, coastal British Columbia, Canada: 1981-2006

The Nuxalk have occupied their home territory along the rugged British Columbia coast for an unknown amount of time – certainly thousands of years. For many generations,the people relied on a diversity of fish, game, berries, roots and other nutritious food. However, within the past 50 years or so, their traditional food resources have been eroded, salmon runs and other aquatic resources have been depleted, and lifestyle changes have decreased the time available for hunting, fishing and berry picking. As with many other indigenous communities, the Nuxalk experienced a dramatic dietary shift
towards consumption of less nutritious, processed and packaged foods higher in calories and unhealthy fats. Younger people have been most susceptible to this dietary change. The Nuxalk Food and Nutrition Program, originating in 1980, was a collaborative effort to document past and contemporary Nuxalk diet, assess nutritional values of traditional food, determine overall health status, and promote healthy traditional food. With Elders’ advice and knowledge, a multi-faceted programme began with emphasis on documenting the food system: nutrient analysis of fish, berries and other foods, and dietary and health assessments. This led to education programmes aimed at raising awareness and knowledge of harvesting and preparing traditional food, as well as workshops and community meetings to promote healthy lifestyles and diet. The publication of a Nuxalk Food and Nutrition Handbook and a companion recipe book, Kanusyam a Snknic, were very popular. Many publications have been produced documenting various aspects of the overall programme. Over twenty years on, the positive effects of the Nuxalk Food and Nutrition Program are still evident, and it stands as an example for other initiatives to promote traditional food systems in indigenous communities. This chapter describes the Nuxalk food system and nutritional status, the ecological setting, and the background for establishing an intervention initiative by Nuxalk leaders in partnership with their academic colleagues.