In this episode, Safeena and Gurneet share what justice means to them, how privilege can manifest in health care, ‘calling in’ Dietitians of Canada, their hopes for greater diversity within the profession, the extension of Diversify Dietetics USA into Canada, the need for new HAES and Weight-Inclusive frameworks to ensure consideration of race, ethnicity and culture and how we can begin to make our practice more inclusive – right now!

On this important episode of The Mindful Dietitian, Fi chats to Safeena Jabar and Gurneet K. Dhami, Dietetic Students and RD’s-to-be based in Canada, we hear;

• What justice means to Gurneet; from what it is to fit in, to the lack of diversity in dietetics and questioning; why are these conversations being centred now?

• Safeena and Gurneet share how their cowritten statement to Dietitians Canada came about and the current developments brought about by it. 

• Safeena shares her experience finding HAES and weight inclusive practice and her difficulty and discomfort in trying to reconcile HAES with her culture identity. She also shares how a new HAES framework can become more inclusive and applicable to all different types of people.

As mentioned in the podcast:

• Safeena Jabar - IGTV unpacking privilege

Exercises to work through our privilege:

• Flower power exercise:  http://lgbtq2stoolkit.learningcommunity.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/flower-power-exercise.pdf

• Peggy McIntosh - White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf

• Peggy McIntosh - Extending the Knapsack: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02703149.2015.1059195

• Checking Your Privilege with the Social Determinants of Health: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAx8TC6AKaR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

• Social Location Wheel Exercise: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/sample-activities/social-identity-wheel/

Weight inclusive RDs that are incorporating justice into their practice:

• Vincci Tsui (vinccird): http://vinccitsui.com/

About Safeena Jabar:

Safeena Jabar is a dietetic intern completing her Master’s degree in Nutrition Communication at Ryerson University in Toronto. After a turbulent time navigating nutrition information in her adolescence, Safeena committed to becoming a Registered Dietitian in order to gain a deeper, scientific understanding of nutrition and the body. She aims to provide a safe space for clients to discuss their goals and concerns while dispelling common myths. She is passionate about working with people to improve and maintain their wellness from an anti-diet, Health At Every Size®-informed approach. Safeena has a special interest in the impact of food on wellbeing based on her knowledge of complex historical and institutional factors that have shaped our food landscape. Health and social inequities persist through these systems, so Safeena is advocating for change through educating and empowering her fellow health care practitioners, local communities, and national organizations to ensure a future where all people have equitable access to appropriate healthcare.

About Gurneet Kaur Dhami

Gurneet Kaur Dhami is a South Asian, Sikh woman travelling between Toronto to Halifax, where she is completing an MSc in Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her emerging thesis work focuses on the experiences of racialized dietitians navigating dietetics using Critical Race Theory. Gurneet is both a researcher and social activist, as she partakes in food justice work by working on food security projects and being involved in the student food movement. As a youth leader she hopes to further dialogue on race, reconciliation and equity beyond our kitchens t