Decolonizing Nutrition Science

Colonization and decolonization are common concepts within the discourse of Indigenous scholars and show significance within the recently emerging Native Nutrition conferences. Yet these words and the meanings they convey rarely appear within scholarly literature of nutrition professionals. To what extent are the concepts of colonization and decolonization relevant to the scope of nutrition education, practice, and research? If they are relevant, why are they not more common within professional discourse? Here we briefly describe these concepts and address these questions. We report findings from a study designed to examine barriers to Indigenous scholar participation within nutrition professions. Our results suggest that greater awareness and more fully understanding the dynamics of colonization hold potential to improve nutrition research, education, and practice. Not only is colonization woven into the tapestry of North American history, but our results support assertions of Indigenous scholars that its deeply embedded patterns still echo through our food, education, and health professions and systems. We identify several barriers and colonizing patterns and 2 interrelated lines of decolonizing work, and present a cross-cultural engagement protocol for pursuing decolonizing work. Exploring the complexities and nuances of these ideas more thoroughly is both a developmental process and a collective responsibility that we see as deserving more attention within food and nutrition disciplines. If implemented, we suggest that decolonizing practice holds potential for advancing nutrition science while also creating a more welcoming environment for future Indigenous scholars.