Now Available: Part 3 of Food Is Medicine

Photo by Stephen Andrews

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I-SPARC) have made Volume Three of the Food is Medicine recipe book: Gifts from Relations available as a downloadable pdf.

This newest volume of Food Is Medicine builds on the work of the earlier recipe books. Traditional foods are part of holistic wellness for Indigenous people, and what makes this volume of the series distinctive is that many of the recipes were gathered beyond the YouTube cooking show, through community workshops and kitchen spaces, where participants shared teachings along with the recipes. The title Gifts from Relations reflects the depth of these contributions, incorporating the cultural and historical significance of the foods and the relationships that sustain them.

The Food is Medicine recipe collection now includes more than 30 recipes. The current Food is Medicine Cooking Show is a four episode YouTube series featuring registered dietitians Rachel Dickens and Fiona Devereaux as hosts. Rachel is originally from Prince Rupert, from the Lax Kw'alaams band, and Fiona is a white settler of Irish ancestry.Both have extensive backgrounds working with Indigenous communities and are passionate about nurturing our bodies through mindful nutrition and connection to land, water and each other. In each episode, Rachel and Fiona explore recipes that are accessible and nutritious while celebrating traditional foods. The four-part series travels from Ahousaht to W̱SÁNEĆ, with our hosts sharing their knowledge while also learning cultural and culinary teachings from community members and inviting guests to reflect on food.