Be Careful Little Mouth What You Eat

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Nothing tastes better than Miss Essie’s juicy fried chicken with some macaroni and cheese, Sandra Johnson’s potato salad and peas and rice from Bahama Grill. Just writing it makes me salivate, however, I know that continuously eating this combo will result in me having ill health, so alas I shall refrain. 

Not all of us will refrain and so The Bahamas has been deemed a very unhealthy nation. There! I said it! However, I am not the only one saying it. It was first said a few years back when the then Minister of Health, Dr. Duane Sands spoke to rampant obesity in the country and pretty much quashed the idea of women being “solid”, but instead fat. 

I cringed at this idea because I, too, thought I was “solid” and had to accept the fact that a world class doctor dispelled my thought and I had to look after my health. 

According to the current Minister of Health, Dr. Michael Darville, when quoting volume one of the 2019 Bahamas STEPS report, The Bahamas has been identified among the countries in the Americas with the highest probability of dying too young from non-communicable diseases (NCD). This is alarming!

The good lord has promised us three scores and ten, which is translated to 70 years and we should strive to reach that age and even go beyond like Ms. Enid Lockhart who celebrated her 100th birthday last week. The only way to reach these golden years is to take care of our bodies and brains. 

Beware of the quick fix diets and those drinks, powders and solutions that these agents try to sell which they say will work wonders for the body. I regard them as simple cons to get you to spend your money on garbage when getting in contact with a good nutritionist, eating properly and exercising can keep you in good health. 

Last week, Dr. Darville also spoke of the alarming rates of cancer in this country. Based on past studies, we know there is something in The Bahamas that breeds that dreadful disease and this should encourage us even more to take care of ourselves. Sadly though, the testing rates have plummeted and the numbers of the disease’s victims have risen. 

Now that the Minister of Health has put this horrible news out there and all Bahamians should be alarmed, I look forward to the implementation of many health programs that help Bahamians understand what they put in their bodies and the damage or good it can do. 

Let’s ramp up education on nutrition by putting programs in our schools, as early as primary school levels. I know I might be beaten down for suggesting this, but what about curbing the granting of licenses to fast food establishments? Can that work?

Most importantly, if there are going to be healthier bodies with people watching what they eat, the government has to focus on lowering the cost of fruits, vegetables and healthy food items to encourage people to eat properly. 

Social Media campaigns on healthy eating can also be very, very useful, seeing that Bahamians nowadays, don’t like to read anything unless it’s on social media. We need to be met where we are. 

The nation needs a health adjustment and total encouragement to restart ourselves nutritionally. Well that’s how I see it, anyway.

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