Health

Doctors Warn: Don’t Eat Yourself Into Trouble

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – With the holiday season in full swing, doctors are urging Bahamians to pay closer attention to what’s on their plate.

Published

4 weeks ago

December 15, 2025

Kendeno Knowles

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – With the holiday season in full swing, doctors are urging Bahamians to pay closer attention to what’s on their plate, especially as diabetes continues to affect thousands and many of them without even knowing it.

Tonight, Our News Anchor Kendeno Knowles shares how the most wonderful time of year can also be one of the most dangerous for your health.

For many Bahamians, the holidays mean food. Plates full of rice, macaroni and sweet treats. And for some, that’s where the danger starts.

Family physician at Paradise Healthcare Services Dr. Keisha Smith says she went into medicine for one reason: prevention.

“I’ve been a family medicine physician for about fifteen years now… and my main goal in going into family medicine was more for preventative health… because i’ve seen the devastation.” – Dr. Keisha Smith

And that devastation is showing up earlier.

“I’ve seen a younger demographic… persons in their thirties coming in with high blood pressure… late twenties coming in with morbid obesity… high blood pressure… pre-diabetes.” – Dr. Keisha Smith

And a big part of the problem she says is how we live and how we eat.

“With my good Bahamian people, it can be challenging. It can be very, very challenging. Um, you know, we are set in our ways. We eat food. Everything we do surrounds food. Um, food is comfort for us, but not all the foods we eat are good. And this is the root, I think of many of the issues that we have in the community and plus a sedentary lifestyle. “ – Dr. Keisha Smith

But there’s one case that still haunts her, A very young patient already having had a stroke, after developing type 2 diabetes.

And this type of diabetes, she says, is largely driven by lifestyle.

Whats more alarming is the fact that many people don’t even know they’re at risk.

Excess sugar, large portions, and back-to-back heavy meals can send blood sugar spiking, especially in people who are pre-diabetic and don’t know it yet.

That risk, she says, spikes during the holidays.

“Portion sizes… everything and anything in moderation… you’re not going to eat rice.” – Dr. Keisha Smith

She says it’s not about denial, it’s about balance.

“So when you go to your Christmas dinner, yeah you can indulge… but you don’t take five plates home with the same starchy foods to eat every day.” – Dr. Keisha Smith

And parents, she says, need to pay attention too.

“Do you think parents need to be a little more concerned about their kids … Absolutely… they may be sneaking and having an extra piece of macaroni…We all did it” – Dr. Keisha Smith

Her message this season is simple.

“I need to get them in my office… i sit down… we talk… i have frequent follow-ups… and they’re proud to come and show me their numbers are going down.” – Dr. Keisha Smith

Doctors say this holiday season, enjoy the food but know your risk .A simple check and small changes, can prevent a lifetime of complications.