The University of Saskatchewan Food for Thought Planetary Health Series addresses the challenges of tackling global food security while acknowledging the delicate interdependencies of human civilization and the natural world.

In May, 2020, an event in the Food for Thought series was awarded the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) Prix D'Excellence Gold Medal for Best Community Outreach Initiative. Click here to learn more.

January 2020

Encore Presentation of Just Eat It

Due to the overwhelming interest in the Dec. 6 screening, the USask Health Sciences is pleased to provide a second screening on Jan. 31 of the award-winning, critically acclaimed food waste documentary "Just Eat It."

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DATE & LOCATION
Friday, Jan. 31, 2020
1:45 - 3 pm | Doors open at 1:30 pm
Leslie & Irene Dubé Lecture Theatre
Room 1150 E-Wing, Health Sciences
University of Saskatchewan

REGISTER NOW

ABOUT THIS EVENT
We all love food. As a society, we devour countless cooking shows, culinary magazines and foodie blogs. So how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50% of it in the trash?

Filmmakers and food lovers Jen and Grant dive into the issue of food waste from farm, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, they pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that has been discarded. In a nation where one in ten people is food insecure, the images they capture of squandered groceries are both shocking and strangely compelling. But as Grant's addictive personality turns full tilt towards food rescue, the 'thrill of the find' has unexpected consequences.

Featuring interviews with author, activist and TED lecturer Tristram Stuart, food waste expert Dana Gunders, and acclaimed author Jonathan Bloom, Just Eat It looks at our systemic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce and portion sizes, and reveals the core of this seemingly insignificant issue that is having devastating consequences around the globe. Just Eat It brings farmers, retailers, inspiring organizations, and consumers to the table in a cinematic story that is equal parts education and delicious entertainment.

Watch the film trailer.

Just Eat It is a 74-minute documentary film about food waste and food rescue by Peg Leg Films in partnership with British Columbia's Knowledge Network.


Free event. Everyone welcome. Registration required. School groups encouraged.

This free film screening is made possible thanks to a partnership between the University of Saskatchewan Health Science's Food for Thought Planetary Health Series and the College of Education.

December 2019

Free Film Screening — Just Eat It

Attend a free, public screening at the University of Saskatchewan of an award-winning, critically acclaimed food waste documentary.

Just It Eat. Free Screening. Dec. 6

DATE & LOCATION
Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
10-11:45 am | Doors open at 9:45 am
Leslie & Irene Dubé Lecture Theatre
Room 1150 E-Wing, Health Sciences
University of Saskatchewan

REGISTER NOW

Second date added! A free, encore presentation will be held on January 31, 2020!

ABOUT THIS EVENT
We all love food. As a society, we devour countless cooking shows, culinary magazines and foodie blogs. So how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50% of it in the trash?

Filmmakers and food lovers Jen and Grant dive into the issue of food waste from farm, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, they pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that has been discarded. In a nation where one in ten people is food insecure, the images they capture of squandered groceries are both shocking and strangely compelling. But as Grant's addictive personality turns full tilt towards food rescue, the 'thrill of the find' has unexpected consequences.

Featuring interviews with author, activist and TED lecturer Tristram Stuart, food waste expert Dana Gunders, and acclaimed author Jonathan Bloom, Just Eat It looks at our systemic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce and portion sizes, and reveals the core of this seemingly insignificant issue that is having devastating consequences around the globe. Just Eat It brings farmers, retailers, inspiring organizations, and consumers to the table in a cinematic story that is equal parts education and delicious entertainment.

Watch the film trailer.

Just Eat It is a 74-minute documentary film about food waste and food rescue by Peg Leg Films in partnership with British Columbia's Knowledge Network.


Free event. Everyone welcome. Registration required. School groups encouraged.

This free film screening is made possible thanks to a partnership between the University of Saskatchewan Health Science's Food for Thought Planetary Health Series and the College of Education.


 

November 2019

Nutrition Transition and Diabetes

A free, public discussion and Q&A examining shifts in dietary and lifestyle patterns that contribute to increased rates of diabetes.

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ABOUT THIS EVENT
Join a discussion featuring University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers and community representatives to explore the intricate connections between dietary patterns, culture, lifestyle behaviours, and increasing rates of diabetes among Canadians and newcomers.

Q&A to follow. Free event. Everyone welcome.

DATE & LOCATION
Nutrition Transition & Diabetes

Thursday, November 7, 2019
7 – 8:30 pm | Doors open at 6:45 pm
Station 20 West
1120 20th Street West
Saskatoon, SK S7M 0Y8

REGISTER NOW

To register for this free event, please visit nutrition-transition-diabetes.eventbrite.com

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

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Dr. Hassan Vatanparast (MD, PhD) is a professor with the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy & Nutrition and the School of Public Health. His research areas include:

  • Nutritional epidemiology with emphasis on nutrition-related non-communicable diseases
  • Nutrition and health status of immigrant and refugee populations
  • Community-based health promotion
  • Public health nutrition and nutritional assessment
  • Analysis of complex health survey data

Recently, Dr. Vatanparast explored the effects of Western diet and sedentary lifestyle on immigrant children in a recently published article in The Conversation Canada.

 

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Dr. Amanda Froehlich Chow is a Métis postdoctoral researcher in the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA). Additionally, she is an instructor in the School of Public Health and College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. She has a background in public and population health studies.

Her research focuses on applying a life-course approach to primary health care and wellness interventions (e.g., physical activity, physical literacy and nutrition) to promote the health of rural residents, particularly among more vulnerable populations (Indigenous peoples, young children and older adults).

She has extensive experience collaborating with rural populations to develop, implement and evaluate community-based health promotion interventions. Dr. Froehlich Chow is a co-investigator on a number of grants funding community-driven health interventions.

 

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Michelle Johnson-Jennings, PhD (Choctaw Nation Enrolled Tribal Member) is a license eligible clinical health psychologist (USA American Psychological Association), the Canadian Research Chair (CRC) in Indigenous Community Engaged Research, and Scientific Director for the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Centre. She further serves as an associate professor in Indigenous Studies, as well as an associate in Community Health and Epidemiology in Medicine, UC Denver School of Public Health and the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Dr. Johnson-Jennings has partnered with multiple International and national Indigenous nations, organizations and communities to prevent both substance use and food addiction/obesity risks. To do so, she has co-developed health interventions entrenched in ancestral guidelines and centered on land-based healing to encourage a renewed commitment to health and revitalization of medicine, food and land practices.

 

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Dorothy Ahenakew is Cree from Ahtahkakoop First Nation, located in Central Saskatchewan about 216 kilometers north of Saskatoon. Dorothy is a single mother of seven grown children and has three grandchildren. She is passionate about growing her own food, sharing with community members about food security, and connecting with her Cree culture through land-based teachings.

As a First Nation woman working in food security, it is important to Dorothy that others are learning how to feed themselves and not relying on the grocery store but being able to provide their own fresh foods and gaining new skills while working in the garden.

Over the past two years, Dorothy has been working as a food security assistant in her Nation for Canadian Feed the Children. In her role, Dorothy takes the lead on food security initiatives by working closely with the Ahtahkakoop Food Security Committee which is made of up community departments to ensure food initiatives reflects the needs of the community.

One of the main priorities of the committee has been the Community Garden Project which Dorothy has taken the lead on. This project has: allowed people to learn more about growing their own food, created a space where people can gather, and been able to hire local youth to work during the summer months. In the past two years of growing, over 70 bags of potatoes have been shared with the community!

 

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Amanda Kilduff is originally from Saskatoon, SK and has been practicing as a registered dietitian since 2016 after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition.

Amanda has always had a passion for working in the community and, specifically, helping people individually to enhance or maintain a positive relationship with food. She has worked as the dietitian for the YWCA Crisis Shelter, CHEP Good Food, Alison Friesen Nutrition, the former Heartland Health Region, and now works as a diabetes dietitian for the LiveWell Chronic Disease Management team for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Her main office is Aim 4 Health, a diabetes clinic on 22nd Street in Saskatoon catered to core neighbourhood residents and newcomers to Saskatoon. Amanda also takes pride in volunteering as a dietitian mentor to nutrition students at SWITCH which runs out of the Westside Clinic.

 

 

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September 2019

SDG Awareness Student Contest

Enter a draw for a USask student prize package by telling the world how you can take action to address the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development!

 SDG Awareness Sept 30 to Oct 2

SEPT. 30 to OCT. 2 IN UPPER PLACE RIEL

Visit the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) display in Upper Place Riel between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2 and enter to win a student prize package valued at $85.

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HERE'S HOW IT WORKS

1) Take a photo of any Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) from the poster display in Upper Place Riel between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.

2) Post the photo on Facebook or Twitter and explain what action(s) you can take to address that SDG. Be sure to include the hashtag #USaskSDG.


@USaskHealthSc will announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about the 2030 Agenda, visit https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/

Participants may enter more than once. One winner will be randomly selected from eligible entries and will be contacted by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Health Sciences. Student prize package is valued at $85.

August 2019

Sistemas Alimentarios, Más Allá de la Nutrición (Food Systems, Beyond Nutrition)

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ABOUT THIS EVENT
A USask Food for Thought collaboration between the University of Saskatchewan and Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala to raise planetary health awareness.

USask nutritional epidemiologist and global health researcher Dr. Hassan Vatanparast (MD, PhD) will deliver his Food for Thought presentation “Global Solutions for Global Health Issues” examining planetary health, globalization and the modern complexities surrounding humanity’s transition in nutrition and physical activity.

Universidad de San Carlos researcher, USask Epidemiology PhD candidate and Queen Elizabeth II Scholar Michele Monroy-Valle (ND,MA, MSc) will present a brief on the Guatemalan Food system.

Master of Public Health (MPH) student Licenciada Yazmin Ramos will present an analysis of the role of the NGO in the Guatemalan system for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.

DATE & LOCATION
Thursday, August 8, 2019
9 am – 11 am
Auditorio Olimpia Altuve, Ciudad Universitaria Zona 12
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala 

May 2019

Global Solutions for Global Health Issues

A University of Saskatchewan (USask) Food for Thought series discussion examining planetary health, globalization, and humanity’s transition in nutrition, and lifestyle with USask nutritional epidemiologist and global health researcher Dr. Hassan Vatanparast (MD, PhD).

ABOUT THIS EVENT
Join USask nutritional epidemiologist and global health researcher Dr. Hassan Vatanparast (MD, PhD) for a discussion examining planetary health, globalization and the modern complexities surrounding humanity’s transition in nutrition and physical activity. Explore the impact of these issues on immigrants, refugees and Indigenous populations.

DATE & LOCATION
Global Solutions for Global Health Issues
Thursday, May 16, 2019
9:30 – 11am
Room 1130, E-Wing, Health Sciences Building
University of Saskatchewan (107 Wiggins Road, Saskatoon, SK)

REGISTER NOW
To register, please visit https://nutrition_transition.eventbrite.com/

*REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED*

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Hassan Vatanparast (MD, PhD) is a professor with the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy & Nutrition and the School of Public Health. His research areas include:

  • Nutritional epidemiology with emphasis on nutrition-related non-communicable diseases
  • Nutrition and health status of immigrant and refugee populations
  • Community-based health promotion
  • Public health nutrition and nutritional assessment
  • Analysis of complex health survey data 

Recently, Dr. Vatanparast explored the effects of Western diet and sedentary lifestyle on immigrant children in a recently published article in The Conversation Canada.

nutrition_transition_May16.jpg