Professional Development: Continuing education opportunities should be made available to RDs to enhance their understanding of ABR and its implications for dietetic practice. This may include workshops, seminars, or online courses focused on anti-racism, cultural competence, and social justice. Professional organizations can also provide resources and certifications in ABR training (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2019).

Case Studies and Role-Playing: Incorporating case studies and role-playing exercises into ABR training can provide practical examples of how to navigate complex situations related to race and ethnicity in dietetic practice. These interactive learning experiences allow RDs to develop skills in addressing ABR in real-world scenarios. Facilitators should ensure that these exercises are based on real-life situations and include diverse perspectives (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2019).

Here are a few simple examples of what this looks like in practice:

1. Show Respect for Individual Experiences, Perspectives, and Autonomy: At a follow-up appointment, your client discloses they were unable to follow the care plan. They explain it is too costly to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. You ask the client to share their eating, cooking, and food sourcing habits. By becoming familiar with their understanding of healthy eating, you can work with them to identify the foods and services they enjoy and have easy access to that will also meet healthy eating recommendations.
2. Educate Yourself and Spread Awareness: You notice the curriculum is centred around European eating practices. You want your nutrition care skills to be flexible in meeting the needs of diverse clients and begin researching cultural foods and practices. Once you have a foundation of knowledge, you share your concerns with one of your course instructors and ask that they incorporate diverse perspectives into the remaining course content.
3. Speak Up When You See Prejudice and Unfair Treatment of Others: You are the lead practitioner in a family health team. The doctor, a woman of colour, goes into the waiting room to get her next patient. The patient says, “You can’t be my doctor; you must be the receptionist.” After the doctor politely explains their credentials, the person insists they want another doctor. You intervene and explain to the patient that their remarks are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
4. Lead Change in Professional/Academic Settings to Improve Quality of Life for All: You are a dietitian in a local public health unit recognized as a food desert where many of the citizens lack access to affordable fresh produce that is appropriate for their cultural needs. You create a group led by the locals to secure funding for subsidized food baskets that can be distributed to families that sign up on a biweekly basis. The program also features weekly storytelling sessions and cooking workshops where community members can share their meanings of food and recipes. An important feature of the program is that all community facilitators are compensated for their time.

Reflective Practice: RDs should engage in reflective practice to examine their own cultural biases and assumptions. This self-awareness is essential for providing culturally safe care to clients from diverse backgrounds. Reflective practice can be facilitated through journaling, peer discussions, and supervision sessions.

Client-Centered Care: Practicing RDs should prioritize client-centred care grounded in cultural safety, respecting and validating individuals’ cultural identities and lived experiences. This involves actively listening to clients, acknowledging their perspectives, and tailoring interventions to meet their unique needs. Client-centred care also requires understanding cultural food practices and preferences, and being flexible in dietary recommendations.

“A process of self-reflection to understand personal and systemic biases and to develop and maintain respectful processes and relationships based on mutual trust. Cultural humility involves humbly acknowledging oneself as a learner when it comes to understanding another’s experience.” (First Nations Health Authority, n.d.)

• • Cultural Awareness: Acknowledges difference; focuses on “other” cultures.

• • Cultural Sensitivity: Recognizes the need to respect cultural differences.

• • Cultural Competence: Involves skills and behaviours to provide “quality care”; emphasizes self-awareness, but may risk stereotyping.

• • Cultural Safety: Determined from the community’s perspective; considers social and historical context; requires practitioner self-reflection.

• • Supporting Elements: Trauma-Informed Care (historical/intergenerational impacts), Anti-Racism (power imbalances), and Cultural Humility (systemic bias/privilege reflection).