Episode #20 with Sara Langley
Sara is the Regional Nutritionist with Indigenous Services Canada for Saskatchewan Region. She’s a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health. Sara lives, works, and plays as a grateful uninvited guest on Treaty 4 Territory and the Homeland of the Metis, in Regina SK. Sara is a proud aunty and fur baby mama who loves to garden and have her hands in the dirt!
After completing her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan, Sara began her career as a Community Dietitian with the Prince Albert Grand Council, travelling to 8 northern First Nation communities to provide nutrition support. She quickly learned that she had wayyyyy more to learn from the community members then she had to share. She was so fortunate to learn about Cree, Dene and Dakota culture, and to be welcomed into communities in such a meaningful way. Elders, and Indigenous friends started to teach Sara about the ongoing effects of colonization in Indigenous communities and how they impact food systems, relationships with food, and chronic disease. She quickly learned that being a Registered Dietitian isn’t about telling people to eat more fibre or reduce sodium intake, it’s more about finding out barriers to accessing nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, and helping community members to mitigate those barriers. Which, in this world of systemic inequities, is extremely challenging. Sara changed her career path when she became frustrated with the systemic barriers that Indigenous communities were facing. She now works at the government level trying to influence policy and change in a good way.
Sara has always been passionate about environmentalism and even as a young girl tried to be a champion for the environment. Sara thanks her mom for teaching her how to garden, and fostering a love for plants! Working with Indigenous communities fuelled this passion for Sara as she was so fortunate to receive incredible teachings from community members about the importance of balance, and protecting the land, water and animals; with the understanding that without doing those things human health could not prosper. Sara started to feel like she was missing some tools from her toolbox in order to propel this advocacy forward so she did a Masters in Public Health at the University of Victoria, with a focus on Social Policy. The U Vic program has a focus on social justice, environmentalism and cultural humility and was exactly what Sara needed at that point in her life. She completed her practicum with the Canadian Public Health Association, writing a position paper on Climate Change and Food Security. Sara continues to try to use her privilege to advocate for the environment and Indigenous communities and is grateful for the opportunities she has received!
