traditional food dietary guide for alaska native cancer survivors changing patterns in cancer in...

Traditional Food Dietary Guide for Alaska Native Cancer

SurvivorsChanging Patterns in Cancer in Native

Communities

September 7, 2007Christine A. DeCourtney, MPA

Karen M. Mitchell

• Alaska is one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states. • It measures 2,400 miles east to west. • It measures 1,420 miles north to south.

Project Background

• Maintaining a healthy diet is important for cancer patients.

• During treatment and survivorship, dietary recommendations are often unfamiliar to Alaska Natives.

• They told me to eat kale when I was getting cancer treatment. I don’t even know what kale is. I wanted sea asparagus. Ethel Lund,

Alaska Native cancer survivor

• There are no culturally appropriate nutritional resources available for Alaska Natives.

• Lance Armstrong Foundation provided funding to develop nutritional resources for Alaska Native cancer patients.

• Buy Local!

– Catch local– Gather local– Share local– Eat local

Proportion of energy and nutrients from Native foods

15

31

5

21

15

24

23

56

14

61

25

0 20 40 60 80

Kilocalories

Protein

Carbohydrate

Fat

Saturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

ω -3 Fatty Acids

Trans Fatty Acids

Vitamin B12

Iron

%

Contents

• Traditional Foods—Good for Life• Eating for health• Foods from the land and sea• Plants• Recipes• Eating during cancer treatment• Managing cancer treatment side effects• Glossary• References• Resources

• Happiness is healing. Elders need to taste the food they’ve grown up on so they can feel good about themselves again—it’s a healing thing.

Frank Wright, Hoonah

Contact information

• Christine DeCourtney cdecourtney@anmc.org or 907.729.3922

• Karen Mitchell kmmitchell@anthc.org or 907.729.4491