This Thanksgiving, Decolonize Your Dinner

A Painful Tradition

The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching in the United States and many families are preparing to celebrate with gratitude, food, and quality time together. But Thanksgiving also surfaces painful memories of colonization and indigenous peoples’ erasure — a threat they are still facing. Instead of defaulting to a traditional turkey dinner and stories of Europeans settling in America, we can use this holiday as an opportunity to learn true history that has been glossed over by American mythos.

A Little History

Today, Indigenous communities are a fraction of the size and strength that they were before colonization. American expansion, military aggression, and the spread of European pathogens contributed to a decade’s long genocide that is shameful and deeply unjust. Indigenous food systems were destroyed which led to starvation, devastation, and loss of cultural identity.

Today, indigenous communities are suffering from chronic diseases at disproportionate rates. Indigenous folks are twice as likely to have diabetes compared to other groups, and according to a National Health Institute Survey, 48% of indigenous people meet obesity criteria. Dietary guidelines, created by European descendants and using non-native foods, are not culturally relevant and can be inaccessible to those living on remote reservation land. 25% of Native Americans struggled with hunger before the pandemic period which is more than twice the rate of white individuals. Traditional indigenous diets were composed of unprocessed, whole, plants like corn and legumes, along with wild fish and occasional meat. Reincorporating traditional foods into diets across the nation, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups, is an effective way to sustainably improve diets.

Why Is It Important?

Decolonizing, in regards to a healthy diet, means not only stepping away from fast and processed foods but also from Western conceptualizations of “health”. Instead of charging ahead in the name of innovation, we must connect with older generations to revive cultural knowledge and sustainable cooking techniques. Indigenous knowledge can help us identify medicinal herbs, consume food animals more efficiently and respectfully, and diversify the fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and seeds in our diet. Decolonized diets do not promote labels or division: people can choose to eat vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or omnivore while incorporating indigenous tenants.

Decolonizing echoes Michael Pollan’s call to “Eat food, mostly plants, not too much.” Plant-focused diets have been shown to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and premature death. Specifically, legumes are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, and consumption is linked with lowering blood sugar and extending longevity. Moreover, the concept of decolonization encourages us to use land to grow natural foods for local communities instead of relying on long, complex supply chains. Indigenous planting, growing, and harvesting techniques ensure soil quality and maximum micronutrient capacity in foods.

What Should We Do?

This Thanksgiving, consider consulting indigenous cookbooks and blogs like American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes, Decolonize Your Diet, I Tried Eating Like Ancestors, Decolonizing the Diet and How Colonized Diets Have Made Native Nations Sick. Indigenous chefs and home cooks share valuable information about traditional culture, knowledge, and recipes to debut at your table this year.

Locate mutual aid groups in your area and share food and resources with others this holiday. Use the site native-land.ca to discover what native land you are living on, and make donations to descendants or tribal groups. Discover the original water and food sources in your community, and how colonization has shaped your food supply.

“Food sovereignty is an affirmation of who we are as indigenous peoples and a way, one of the most surefooted ways, to restore our relationship with the world around us.”

- Winona LaDuke

Not So Sweet: A History of Sugar

Sugar is anything but sweet. For centuries, it has shaped our environment, society, economy, and bodies — usually in detrimental ways.

Reverend Sara Jolena Wolcott, M.Div., is a minister and eco-theologian dedicated to learning and educating about sugar’s complicated history and role in modern diets. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and of the Institute for Development Studies in Sussex, England, she runs the eco-theology company Sequoia Samanvaya, where she integrates earth-honoring practices, theology, ritual, and storytelling to address the spiritual root causes of systemic concerns of our time. She writes, speaks, and teaches on the histories of sugar, ecology, decolonization, spiritual shifts, and eco-theology across and between different faith traditions.

After a popular presentation for Nutrition Without Borders in Spring 2021, she answered more student questions about the history of sugar and its implications on public health today.

NWB: How was sugar first used by humans, and how has that changed over the years?

SJW: The first sugar plantations were developed in the Middle Ages in the Arabic world, picked up by crusaders, and experimented with on the coast of Spain, and subsequently brought to what Europeans referred to as the “New World.” Those plantations became the seed of what we now call the industrial revolution:, creating a world that went faster than humans can really go, without either slavery or fossil fuels. Sugar fueled the factory workers in Europe, increasing sugar dependency, and eventually became part of the everyday diet of people around the world.

As Howard Mintz, in his superb book, Sweetness and Power, explains, Europeans (and most of the world) did not know or use sugar until 1650. At that time, sugar was integrated into medicine, literary imagery and social displays of rank for nobility. By 1800, sugar was a staple in the English diet. By 1900, sugar supplied 1/5 of the calories in the English diet. In just a few centuries, the English went from no sugar in their diet to several spoonfuls in every cup of tea, multiple times a day. All of this sugar which was produced on sugar plantations— on once sacred land that had been stolen from Native people forced peoples that had been forced to abandon their own ecosystems and healthy, sustainable eating patterns.

NWB: What happened after slavery was abolished, and plantations were disabled?

SJW: Once slavery was abolished, the plantations continued enabled, in part, by continued racism. Sometimes plantations moved locations, others used indentured servants from Hawai’i, India, and China, to continue production. The “sugar diaspora” is wide and ethnically varied. Many of the descendents of those who were brutally forced to work on the plantations are now suffering from chronic illnesses, including but not only diabetes, partly because of the close relationship between the social determinants of health and non-communicable chronic diseases.

NWB: How does this history of sugar impact us today?

SJW: Our tastes are deeply socially influenced. As babies and small children, we have a natural preference for sweet things and we utterly depend upon others feeding us. We both inherit and forge identities around food.

In modern society, the life blood of dozens of major industries, from sugary beverages (i.e. Pepsi-Cola) to agriculture and dairy industries, to major food companies (i.e. Nestle), depend upon people continually choosing the taste of adulterated sugary foods and the social implications that go along with it.

We can also look to “Big Sugar”: the consortium of families, corporations, traders, and others who have been lobbying governments for several centuries to ensure policies that maximize their profits regardless of ecological or human suffering. They continue to unduly influence what we think “tastes good.” Poverty, more often than not, serves them well; people are far more likely to buy cheap sugar when they have fewer options to maintain their own energy in taxing working conditions.

NWB: What exactly is an eco-theologian and what do you do?

SJW: Eco theology sits within a triangle: humans (including families, social structures and institutions), ecology (including ecosystems, sacred places, food, drink, and waste), and Spirit. The core of eco-theology is an exploration of the core questions of human existence with the understanding that to be human is to be an ecological being: eating, drinking, merry making, and composting in relationship with all other beings.

As an eco-theologian, I work with what we have inherited. I study the way theologies have been embedded in different relationships, from institutions to families. While I am not a historian, it is nearly impossible to ask questions of meaning, purpose and appropriate change strategies without history. I am not only asking “what happened,” but also, “what we are making it mean today,” and “so what?”

NWB: How did you become interested in public health and the history of Sugar?

SJW: I come from a public health family - my mother was a public health educator and my father was something of an everyday eco-theologian, though he didn’t use that phrase. I worked for many years in international development, often on the intersections of public health and climate change.

That, however, did not actually get me interested in the history of sugar. I became interested when I was researching the intersections of colonization and climate change while living in one of the poorest and malnutritious neighborhoods in New York City: the south Bronx. Every time I went to the local clinic, I saw not only “health disparities,” but legacies of slavery, and in particular, the legacies of people who were enslaved on sugar plantations. I started specifically researching the histories of sugar, and was able to make connections between Big Sugar, the social determinants of health, and a vibrant, beautiful neighborhood that was fighting poverty and everyday sickness.

NWB: How important is it to consider the cultural relevance and anthropological history of sugar within marginalized communities when designing public health interventions?

SJW:Modern health disparities result in part from colonial histories. So do many of the chronic illnesses that beset those communities who benefited from colonization. Any intervention must support local communities and will do far better when aligning with local traditions.

This history, including the more recent histories of how sugar has become a deep part of many cultural celebrations and creates a sense of familial and cultural identities, is essential. Public health professionals can and must work with individual communities and address Big Sugar, Big Ag, and policies which continue to favor companies that are worsening ecological, economic, and social injustice. Finding ways to support indigenous food pathways is both valuable and, often, deeply satisfying.

NWB: Do you have any resources for anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of sugar?

SJW: I am one of many who offer courses and support people in designing curricula and various interventions. Asking people about their family histories of sugar is itself fascinating, and raises a wide array of narratives. Mintz’s book “Sweetness and Power” is a great place to start. Elizabeth Abbot’s book, “Sugar: A bittersweet history,” is also superb, as is the excellent educational resource, Sugar Changed the World.

Resolutions, Scrambled Eggs, and Unprecedented Times

New Year's Resolutions are a bit like eggs: easy to make, and easy to break.

Even in less eventful (read: crying quietly after your fifth Zoom call as you wonder if you’ll ever wear jeans or see your favorite coffee shop again) than 2020, we can wake on January 1st full of determination: organized closet, color-coded calendar, and “dry Veganuary” planned to welcome the new year.

Two weeks later, we’re often wondering why we invested in flashy new running shoes and an audiobook membership, picking the metaphorical eggshells out of our daily routines.

After a year of devastating losses, paralyzing uncertainty, cultural reckoning, and political chaos, it is tempting to set ambitious resolutions. Structure, self-care, and the feeling of doing some good in a hurting world is appealing! But the side of guilt that often accompanies curtailed goals? Not on the menu for 2021.

Here at Nutrition Without Borders, we advocate for fairly-produced food that is healthy for people and the planet, as well as delicious and memorable. This year, we encourage you to engage with those you love over tasty meals, learn more about the food system, and perhaps tweak the way you typically eat -- without reinventing the entire cheese wheel.

Below are 5 common food-related New Years Resolutions, along with alternative approaches to them that might be more sustainable, enjoyable, and effective.

#1 Veganuary

“Veganuary” began as a UK-based non-profit organization that encourages people to try a vegan diet for the month of January (and potentially, beyond). It has quickly taken on a life of its own, becoming a cultural norm with a broader definition (“Movember”, anyone?), with the New York Times dubbing it a “trendy new resolution”.

While eating more plants and fewer animal-based products has plenty of benefits (check out this podcast from NPR with guests from Harvard Medical School), it can feel overwhelming and lead to chickpea fatigue for the uninitiated.

Try this instead: Eating plant-based for dinners (bonus points if there are leftovers for the next day’s lunch!). One meal a day still packs a nutritional punch, builds confidence with new ingredients, and normalizes plant-based eating. Other ways to veggify your year are keeping a fruit bowl on the counter where you can see it, or signing up for a local CSA produce share.

#2 Order In Less

Remember the Banana Bread Boom in March? The Sourdough Surge in May?

… The buzzing notification that your burrito has been delivered from June-December?

While cooking at home can be relaxing, frugal, and nutritious, motivation may be low after so many months spent working and recreating from home.

Try this instead: Choose individually-owned restaurants within walking distance, and pick up your food yourself. Doing so supports local businesses that desperately need it, spares them from shouldering third-party cuts and delivery fees, and gets you out for some fresh air! What’s more, designating a meal or two to order in at the beginning of each week may make it easier to talk yourself into throwing some pasta on to boil tonight- knowing that udon and edamame is in your future tends to boost morale.

#3 Quit Sugar

The only thing more maligned by headlines than the latest politician’s tweet? Sugar.

Diseases, discomforts, and productivity dips can all be linked back to added sugar, but while cutting it out “cold turkey” might seem like a good idea, studies show that we don’t need to remove it entirely to be healthy. Drastic approaches to sugar are stressful (cue the rising cortisol and inflammation levels) and can lead to mental turmoil and disordered eating behaviors.

Try this instead: Focus on adding in, rather than taking out. Try to balance your meals with different textures and flavors, as well as protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Eat consistently to avoid blood sugar crashes, and have enough to feel full and satisfied. When it comes to added sugar, choose low-GI alternatives like coconut sugar and agave nectar, and keep dark chocolate and fresh fruit on hand to satisfy sweet snack cravings. Feel like a bowl of ice cream? Grab a loved one, sit down, and enjoy it together. This “health” thing is a lifelong journey, not a 30-day race.

#4 Dry January

“Dryanuary” was popularized in the US by John Ore in 2006, and has been adopted as a national movement in the UK. The protocol is simple: no alcohol for the first 31 days of the year.

After a holiday season of mulled wine and eggnog at the tail end of a boozy, beleaguered year (online alcohol sales in March were up 262% from 2019), our livers might be ready for a breather. But abstaining from alcohol completely (if you regularly drink it) can lead to a binge-like mindset in February and contribute to cyclical dieting behaviors.

Try this instead: Focus on quality rather than quantity. Find wine and spirit stores near you that champion small-batch distilleries, and work with importers that specialize in low-intervention wine and cider making. Pair your drinks thoughtfully with food, or learn a new cocktail recipe that doesn’t rely on added sugar or fruit juices.

#5 Start Keto (or Paleo, WW, etc.)

Low carb? Low fat? Vegetarian, carnivore, or celery juice? The one thing all diets have in common is that they don’t work.

According to a study summarized by Harvard Medical School, the weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol benefits that were notable at six months after following one of 14 popular diets, had returned to their pre-diet levels by the one year mark.

Instead of risking hormone dysregulation, psychological well-being, weight cycling, digestion issues, and plain old boredom, reject fad diets this year and focus on making small changes to your existing habits.

Try this instead: Socially distance from recipes pretending that cauliflower is the same as pizza crust (it can be a fun crispy cruciferous base for toppings, but it’s not bread). Opt for whole grains like quinoa, barley, and brown rice, increase your legume intake, drink more water and throw most meals onto a bed of greens. Source your proteins with care, prioritize fruit and vegetable diversity, and make meals you actually enjoy eating.

This year, we all got a little scrambled.

Thankfully, we can pull up a chair, grab the salt and pepper, and look forward to brighter mornings ahead.