Eat Real To Heal Podcast:
Decolonizing Your Plate Doctoral Series
Research Question: What are the barriers that BIPOC communities face in accessing the quality of foods that are capable of reversing lifestyle chronic degenerative diseases?
Part 1: Decolonizing Nutrition: Understanding the Link between Food and Health
Dr. Adrianne Lickers Xavier
DIRECTOR | Indigenous Studies Program – McMaster University
Dr. Adrianne Lickers Xavier is a remarkable academic who is currently serving as the acting Director of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University, where she has made valuable contributions to the fields of Indigenous Studies and Anthropology. She earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from McMaster University and went on to complete her MA and doctorate at the esteemed Royal Roads University, where her research focused on Indigenous food systems. Dr. Xavier is a passionate and dedicated teacher who has designed and delivered courses in the areas of Contemporary Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Food Security and Food Systems, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Methodologies.
“We are not seeking the past, we are seeking for you to renew your relationship to yourself through food, through wellness and to really be open.”
- Dr Adrianne Lickers Xavier
Dr. Xavier is a true scholar whose research interests include the study of Indigenous food security and sovereignty, Indigenous land connections and rematriation, Indigenous food ways, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Her exceptional work in this area was recently recognized when she was awarded the new McMaster Indigenous Research Institute “Indigenous In-Community Scholar Fellowship” in 2020. This project aims to expand the understanding and capacity around food security and sovereignty in Dr. Xavier’s community of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Her achievements were further recognized when she was awarded the prestigious Petro Canada McMaster Young Innovator Award for 2021-22, which allows undergraduates to engage in Indigenous research and focuses on building community.
“This is possible, we can absolutely make change for ourselves!”
- Dr Adrianne Lickers Xavier
Dr. Xavier's appearance on Nicolette’s first PhD podcast was a tour-de-force. She shared her insights on a range of issues, including the root causes of disease, food sovereignty versus food security, and the impact of colonization on access to nutritious foods that are part of one's heritage. She also touched on the ways in which racism acts as a barrier to food and disease, and how trauma can cause disease. Dr. Xavier underscored the importance of listening to our bodies and the foods it craves. She passionately believes that educating the next seven generations of people about food and history is vital, and that even social media can play a role in influencing the kinds of foods people are exposed to. Dr. Xavier’s upbringing was centered around whole foods, as her mom grew everything or traded for other foods and she reflects on how this all changed when they moved to Canada.