Episode 239: Food Sovereignty, Representation, and Respect in Nutrition
About the Podcast
In this episode of the Food Dignity Podcast, Clancy is joined by Denee Bex, a Registered Dietitian and CDCES from the Diné (Navajo) Nation and the founder of Tumbleweed Nutrition LLC. Together, they explore how food sovereignty, representation, and lived experience shape nutrition work in Native communities and why listening, humility, and cultural respect must be at the center of food and health conversations.
About Denee Bex
Denee Bex is a Registered Dietitian & CDCES from the Diné (Navajo) Nation and the owner of Tumbleweed Nutrition LLC, a nutrition education and consulting firm rooted in inclusive, evidence-based practice. Her work centers Indigenous food systems, honors American Indian history and heritage, and prioritizes nutrition education without judgment.
Discussion Takeaways
- Limited representation of Indigenous dietitians in the nutrition field leaves out critical perspectives, especially those shaped by reservation life, tribal sovereignty, and community-specific food realities.
- Food sovereignty, for Native communities, is deeply tied to land, language, culture, ceremony, and identity.
- Addressing food insecurity means more than providing enough food; it means restoring access to culturally meaningful foods.
- Food has historically been used as a tool of power against Indigenous communities through land dispossession, forced relocation, destruction of food systems, and broken treaties. Today, food sovereignty efforts represent a way to reclaim that power and redefine food systems on Indigenous terms.
- Food dignity is rooted in respect. It means acknowledging the realities of access, policy, and poverty without shaming communities for the foods available to them.
- Ethical nutrition work starts with listening rather than fixing.
- Credentials as dietitians are only the beginning. Understanding history, respecting lived experience, and staying open to learning are essential to truly supporting food dignity and justice.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
Food dignity is rooted in respect. It means acknowledging the realities of access, policy, and poverty without shaming communities for the foods available to them.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement's Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
Listen to our trailer!
Want to learn more about how we might work together?
Fight hidden hunger by becoming a
Food Dignity® Champion and take the HIDDEN HUNGER PLEDGE >
