“Hunger in the Midst of Plenty” is a phrase often used to describe diabetes. This disease has become so widespread and so “important in its health complications that November 14 has been declared World Diabetes Day” (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). One of the most common forms of diabetes is type 2 diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes. According to statistics, more than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes. Although diabetes has become prevalent in all communities in Canada, the problem has reached an epidemic level among Aboriginal people (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). They have a rate three to five times higher than other Canadians (Health Canada). As for high-risk factors such as obesity, low level of physical activity and unhealthy dietary pattern among Aboriginal people, diabetes is a major concern. First, obese people are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. About 200 years ago, before their first encounter with Europeans, Aboriginal people led a simple and healthy lifestyle. They lived nomadically, eating “seasonal foods native to Canada” (Rosenthal, 2009). Their immune system has built a protective mechanism capable of adapting to an inconsistent food supply in such a way as to use carbohydrates very efficiently from a metabolic point of view (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). This mechanism is called “the saving gene”. Unfortunately, after introducing a diet high in calories and saturated fats, they began to accumulate excess calories in the form of fat, which leads to obesity. Furthermore, traditional foods such as “game, fish, root vegetables, fruits, whale meat, and blubber” have become unavailable over the years due to water pollution (Rosenthal, 2009). Furthermore, their healthy food has been replaced with... half of paper... professionals try to “marry the West and the North” (Rosenthal, 2009) by trying to adapt diet and activity to the cultural environment of Aboriginal community. In conclusion, although the rate of diabetes is very high across Canada, Aboriginal people are the most at risk due to their lifestyle. It is proven that diabetes can cause long-term complications such as heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, etc. The best way to avoid these diseases is to prevent diabetes by combating risk factors through education. Perhaps if the programs were more suited to Aboriginal tradition and culture the effect would be evident. Fortunately, the gap created between West and North due to cultural and linguistic barriers is slowly starting to close. It is believed that the rate of diabetes among Aboriginal people may decrease in the future.