FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Chef Kirk Ermine demonstrates food preparation techniques for a group taking part in the Breaking the Cycle of Diabetes training event Thursday at the Gathering Place. Representatives from about 20 First Nations received culturally appropriate tools and t
Maureen Yuzicappi is no stranger to diabetes.
Both of her parents died from the condition and her grandson, now 11, was diagnosed when he was just 17 months old.
“A lot of our people don’t even know they have it and when they do have it they don’t know where to go, what to do,” said Yuzicappi.
A community health representative from Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation, Yuzicappi attended the second annual Breaking the Cycle of Diabetes Ambassador Training event put on by Diabetes Canada on Thursday.
Aimed at providing diabetes education and support to Indigenous people, the all-day event was held at The Gathering Place in Regina and gave participants culturally appropriate teaching tools and information on diabetes prevention and treatment to share with their home communities.
About nine Indigenous communities from across southern Saskatchewan were represented by approximately 20 participants.
“A lot of people don’t care what they put in their bodies anymore. We have to make them aware,” said Yuzicappi, adding that people are also getting so absorbed in technology that they aren’t walking, exercising or socializing like they used to.
But she said she’s seen a difference in her community since attending the training last year and taking that information home with her, with fewer people going to the hospital for diabetes emergencies and residents choosing healthier options at the grocery store.
“We asked our local store to serve fresh fruit and vegetables,” she said. “It has been successful. People have been buying fruit instead of a bag of chips. That’s the beginning of a change.”
Helen Tootoosis is the Aboriginal program co-ordinator for northern Saskatchewan with Diabetes Canada, and runs the event in southern and northern Saskatchewan once a year.
She described the prevalence of diabetes among Indigenous peoples as rampant, and said their goal is to help communities get the issue under control.
“They like the information because it’s grassroots-level information that they can take back to their people and talk about how important it is to change their lifestyle and their diet,” Tootoosis said of the participants.
Three workshops were offered this year, including a presentation by a pharmacist on blood-glucose-lowering therapies with vascular protection for people with Type 2 diabetes, a presentation on how traditional and western medicines can complement each other by Larry Oakes and a cooking demonstration by chef Kirk Ermine, which focused on healthy eating using traditional Indigenous foods.
Tootoosis said some of the barriers to Indigenous people getting culturally appropriate treatment is that some doctors resist the combined use of traditional and western medicine.
“It’s really important because as traditional people, lots of us practise our culture (and) take our traditional medicines,” she said. “Sometimes when you go to the doctor and you admit you’re taking traditional medicine, there’s doctors refuse to treat you because you’re following that lifestyle.”
She pointed to the work being done at the All Nations’ Healing Hospital in Fort Qu’appelle as an example of how the two worlds can work together.
“Some people take both and it really helps,” said Yuzicappi.
Yuzicappi shares the information she gets with her home community in several ways: Once a month at a wellness day organized for diabetics and people with chronic illnesses, once a month at a diabetic cooking class supported by the File Hills Qu’appelle Tribal Council, and on a regular basis through home visits.
“We try to help them the best we (can),” she said, adding she’d like to see more people attend the training program next year and perhaps see it held twice a year.