Rula Soueida

Use and nutrient composition of traditional baffin inuit foods

Abstract Foods indigenous to one community of Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, are reported for their frequency of use by Inuit families and for their composition for moisture, protein, fat, ash, computed carbohydrate and energy, retinol, and the mineral elements Ca, P, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg, and Mn. Summary data are also reported for the contents of Sr, Ba, Ti, Mo, Cr, Co, Ni, and Sn. This is the first comprehensive report of this spectrum of nutrients in the major foods of the traditional Inuit food system, and it is the first report for many nutrients in several of the foods. In particular, new nutrient information is presented for the sea mammal, land animal, and fish blubbers, fats, and skins. The species of most frequent use reported upon here are ringed seal (Phoca hispida), narwhal (Monodon monoceros), walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), caribou (Rangifer tarandus, ssp groenlandicus), Arctic char (Salvelinus naresi), kelp (Laminaria sp., Rhodymenia sp.), berries (Empetrum nigrum, Vaccinium uliginosum), and tundra greens (Oxyria digyna, Salix reticulata). Data on several other animal species are also presented.

Unique patterns of dietary adequacy in three cultures of Canadian Arctic indigenous peoples

BACKGROUND Information is needed on dietary adequacy of Arctic indigenous populations in Canada. Extensive work has been completed on composition of Arctic food and food use, and dietary reference intakes are available. OBJECTIVE To complete the first comprehensive dietary adequacy assessment of three populations of adult Arctic indigenous people. SETTING AND SUBJECTS Dietary assessment interviews were conducted with randomly selected indigenous adults during two seasons in 44 representative communities of Yukon First Nations (n = 797), Dene/Métis, (n = 1007) and Inuit (n = 1525). METHODS Twenty-four-hour recalls were used to derive adjusted distributions of usual nutrient intakes in four age/gender groups for assessment of dietary adequacy for carbohydrate, dietary fibre, protein, n-3 fatty acids, n-6 fatty acids, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E. RESULTS Nutrients with high prevalence of adequacy for most age/gender groups in all three cultures were protein, carbohydrate, n-3 fatty acids, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, riboflavin and vitamin B6; some individuals exceeded the upper intake level for iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin A and vitamin D. Estimated average requirement nutrients of concern for adequacy were magnesium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E; however, a few age/gender groups were exceptions. Prevalence of inadequacy for AI nutrients which may be undesirably high were fibre, n-6 fatty acids and calcium. Vitamin D was more adequate in Inuit women and men than for Yukon First Nations or Dene/Métis. CONCLUSIONS Unique patterns of dietary adequacy exist among Arctic indigenous peoples. Local wildlife food sources and market food sources should be maximised for their nutrient contributions to Arctic diets.

Lipid components of traditional inuit foods and diets of Baffin Island

Abstract Traditional wildlife foods harvested and consumed by the Inuit resident on the east coast of Baffin Island were analyzed for fat and fatty acid contents. While values for these components in caribou and various species of seals have been reported earlier, this is the first comprehensive report of the major fatty acids in the spectrum of foods consumed by a population resident in the high Arctic. This is the first report of fat and fatty acid contents of several of these foods derived from animal population species. Summary data are also presented on fats, energy, and total fatty acid contents in the average annual diet of adult males and females who consume both traditional Inuit and market foods. It was found that while market foods contribute more total energy, total fat, and saturated and polyunsaturated fats, the total energy as saturated fat is less than 10%. The very low ω-6 to ω-3 fatty acid ratios in the Inuit food dietary profile of 0.26 (women) and 0.29 (men) are the reverse of recently proposed ratios for optimal health. However, since the traditional Inuit diet supported a healthy population supposedly free of cardiovascular disease, the low ω-6 to ω-3 dietary fat intakes may be appropriate for the Inuit.

Contemporary Sahtú Dene/Métis use of traditional and market food

Variation in food and food group intake is defined by traditional and market food sources, season, and age‐group for the Sahtu Dene/Metis in 2 communities in the Canadian sub‐Arctic. Seven hundred and nine 24‐hr recalls were contributed by women, men and children in the communities. In addition, 273 household traditional food frequencies were completed during 3 interview seasons (spring, summer and winter). Land mammals and fish provided a total of 68% of traditional food items mentioned. Significantly more market food than traditional food was consumed by children, teens, and young adults. Older women, 41–60 years of age, consumed the greatest amount of energy as traditional food, 52.7%, in spring. Intake of traditional food in the winter and summer, however, was higher in absolute weight terms. Daily portions of traditional food used by all adults was high, and for men ranged from 198–692 g; when market meat was consumed, daily portions were lower (197–295 g). Less than one‐half of childrens’ recalls re...

Dietary assessment of Indigenous Canadian Arctic women with a focus on pregnancy and lactation

Objectives. To assess the diet of Indigenous women, including pregnant and lactating women, in the Canadian Arctic in terms of dietary adequacy, and to assess the contribution of traditional food to the diet. Study design. Population-based cross-sectional design, using 24-hour dietary recalls. Methods. Twenty-four hour quantitative dietary recalls were collected in 47 communities in 5 surveys between 1987 and 1999, including non-pregnant and non-lactating women (n=1300), pregnant women (n=74) and lactating women (n=117). Unique methods of assessment were undertaken using Software for Intake Distribution Assessment (SIDE) partitioned intra-and interindividual variance that allowed the estimation of the distribution of usual daily nutrient intakes for comparison to North American dietary reference intakes. Results. Contributions of traditional Arctic food to energy intakes varied and the prevalence of inadequacies were generally high for magnesium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin C and vitamin E. Supplement use was infrequent. Many women met their needs for iron, and some exceeded the recommended upper limit for iron with food alone. Average intakes of manganese and vitamin D met recommended levels, but calcium did not. Conclusions. These results are the only data to date reporting an assessment of the dietary intakes of pregnant and lactating Canadian Arctic Indigenous women. Special attention is required for inadequacies of magnesium, zinc, calcium, folate, and vitamins E, A and C; and for use of supplements during pregnancy. Most pregnant and lactating women met iron needs without supplements.

Dietary nutrients of Sahtú Dene/Métis vary by food source, season and age

This article reports nutrient intake from traditional and market food of Dene/Metis people from 2 communities of the Canadian sub‐Arctic. Dietary intake was assessed during 2 seasons for children and adult men and during 3 seasons for adult women. A total of 709 24‐hour recalls were evaluated. Dietary nutrient intake is shown to vary by source of food as well as by age, gender and season. Traditional food provides a large proportion of the total energy intake and is the major source of multiple nutrients, iron and zinc in particular. Market food is the major source of carbohydrate, fat, sodium, calcium and vitamin A. The respective nutrient densities of traditional and market food consumed are presented. Comparison of individual intakes to Canadian RNIs shows calcium and vitamin A to be the nutrients most likely to be at risk.