NUTRITION

Medical Nutrition Therapy and Nutrition Counseling

The food we eat is directly linked to disease prevention, management, and how we feel on a daily basis. We have Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) on staff who are experts in food and nutrition science. You can receive one-on-one encouragement from a RDN to learn how the food you eat affects your health. The RDN will review your health history, what you currently eat, activity levels, food preferences, motivation for change, and strengths.

The goal of nutrition therapy is to meet you where you are, help you master mindful eating, identify your higher purpose for health and well-being, and support you finding your strengths to promote change.

Your doctor may suggest a meeting with a RDN to help you manage your specific health concerns through tailored diet modifications. Patients that see the most improvement in managing their health concerns commit to multiple sessions with a RDN.

Meeting with a RDN can also offer many general benefits such as learning how to reduce your grocery costs, increasing energy, boosting athletic performance, improving mental health and sleep.

Anyone can benefit from working with an RDN, especially if you are focused on one of the following:

  • Chronic disease management
  • Healthy weight attainment
  • Diabetes prevention or management
  • Heart health
  • Hormone balance
  • Improving liver health
  • Mindful eating
  • Preparing for Pregnancy
  • Eating on a budget

Schedule an Appointment

Call the clinic to set up an appointment with your primary care provider to discuss a referral to see a Registered Dietitian.

Produce Distribution

The LTHC is in collaboration with the Bellingham Food Bank to offer free fruits and vegetables to tribal members. The produce is ordered from the Puget Sound Food Hub (a local food co-op) and delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays to the Lummi Tribal Health Center and the Lummi Bay Market at the Cove. The produce is locally grown in Skagit and Whatcom counties and much of it is organic. Produce is typically available April through December, but availability may vary based on the growing season each year.

The intended use of this produce is to support the healthy eating we know is vital to living a healthy life. The medical staff at LTHC want to help limit common barriers to healthy eating, such as cost and access, so you can enjoy foods that nourish your body and fight disease.

Lummi Healing Spirits Garden

Jenny will add a couple sentences.

Importance of Eating Traditional Foods

Type 2 Diabetes and other chronic illnesses were once rare in Indigenous communities. Our diets were rich with fresh fruits and vegetables from our farms and forests, meadows and swamps. We hunted all manner of game and fowl, gathered shellfish in abundance and fished the oceans and rivers. We consumed hundreds of species of plants and animals, even insects and fungi.

These lifeways still exist and are constantly being revived as acts of resistance, resilience and survival. But for many Native communities and individuals, access to these lifeways and the foods they produce has dramatically lessened. Centuries of oppression, intentional destruction of foodways, forced assimilation, boarding schools, habitat loss and continued colonial policies from State and Federal governments have created legacies of trauma that affect every part of our lives, including access to and feelings towards food.

We believe that continuing these traditions of harvesting, gathering and preparing First Foods is key to preventing and alleviating the effects of chronic disease in our communities. Although our taste buds have become accustomed to processed foods, we can take steps to reintroduce traditional foods into our diets. A diet full of healthy grains, nuts, seeds, meats, seafood and fruit and vegetables, paired with medications and physical activity can improve our health, physically, and spiritually as a community. The spiritual and community practices around Traditional and First Foods bring us together and foster interdependence and cooperation as they connect us with our lands and seas.

Community Events

Various educational events are available throughout the year. Check the following Facebook pages for upcoming events!

  • Lummi Diabetes Prevention & Management
  • Lummi Healing Spirits Garden
  • Lummi Tribal Health Center

Food Assistance

Need more help with food assistance? Check out the resources below to see if you qualify.