Sweet Step Up: Nutrition Changes in Jamaica
As the world continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, some may find their tastebuds challenged once again, but in a healthy way. In Jamaica it has become hard to distinguish a bottle of flavored water from more typically sweet bottled drinks. It would appear some juice companies are indeed adhering to the updated nutrition policy recently established by the Jamaican government as the amount of sugar in these companies’ offerings has obviously decreased. But change is truly a process. One Jamaican proverb states, “Before allowing good food to spoil, allow the belly to burst.” If this proverb were taken literally, it could result in the death of many people who are unable to control their appetites. In improving our national diet, as with everything, balance is key. With the climbing rates of obesity and non-communicable disease in Jamaica, adhering to the new nutrition policy is just one way that every Jamaican can live healthily together. Different academic communities must make deliberate efforts to visualize practical means of implementation without worsening the wellbeing of their students. For example, some school personnel, in an attempt to adhere to the nutritional policy, may have started to confiscate and discard students’ sugary food products as part of security screening procedures at school entrances. This act may be offensive to both parents and minor students, and any adult student would immediately take offense at the idea of being told what they should eat or drink. On top of this, the absence of a breakfast program across the island, combined with students’ not being able to eat breakfast at home, leads to the frequent consumption of readily available sweet products many purchase and enjoy on their way to school. Community vendors are not the only ones capitalizing on the advantages of supply and demand. In fact, although it is against school rules, some students have been exercising their entrepreneurial spirit by supplying classmate customers with sugary snacks and beverages. This business-minded practice should not come as a surprise because plenty of students are already cultured to crave sugar from the popular diet of rice, bread, and ground provisions, the main purpose of which is to fill the belly. These complex carbohydrates are of course then broken down by the body into simple sugars, but without a basic food education, this is not an obvious fact to some.
If we reconsider the proverb “before allowing good food to spoil, allow the belly to burst,” we may see the underlying message of making the most of opportunities at our disposal. Programs now exist in our educational system that need not be discarded; with full, careful execution, they can still benefit generations to come. Here are three opportunities that Jamaican students can feed on: 1. The Health and Family Life educational curriculum supports the link between food and nutrition and examines the decisions students must make. Students are provided opportunities to practice decision-making, self-management, and refusal skills along with other life skills that can be applied to create healthy nutrition habits. 2.The MoEY/MNS Citizen Security Program and the Parenting Education for Behavior Change Program should definitely incorporate food, health, and nutrition education. In fact, school administrators as well as parent and teacher groups will have to address many projects where a great portion of the funds used to treat faculty on Teacher’s Day for their underpaid roles and services are heavily dependent on bake sales consisting of black forest cakes and donuts. 3. In an effort not to isolate food and nutrition from physical health, many schools have implemented Fruit and Water Day, which is in line with principles from the Jamaica Moves club, an initiative launched through the Ministry of Health. Jamaica Moves in Schools seeks to provide healthier nutrition options and education to support social and emotional learning and improve the social and emotional climate in schools. From training staff to instilling healthy habits and encouraging physical activity, a holistic approach is achieved. Change is indeed a process; consistent monitoring and evaluation is needed to track a new policy’s effects and, hopefully, its benefits. Sometimes policy makers and administrators have great intentions that must be customized to meet the special needs of a population. That being said, commendations must be given to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, as well as health and nutrition educators who have been leading stakeholders to influence what is being served at schools. Thanks to their efforts, improved health through a better nutrition policy and its thoughtful implementation is on the horizon for Jamaica.
Davia Ellis advocates for the multipotentialite you, finding meaning, purpose or fulfillment through work, interests or hobbies. Whether she is switching between a British, Indian or African accent, this psychology graduate, Davia has been a training and development practitioner for over a decade. She enjoys creating health and wellness content, be it uplifting songs, poems, skits, instructional materials or hosting and promoting wellness events. Her interests are centered around corporate communications, cultural and positive psychology, neurodiversity, career coaching, circling, and economical therapeutic activities. She ever makes time to collaborate with creatives, educators, and other helping professionals, or just become lost in nature and its therapeutic elements. Ms. Jamaica United Nations, The Multipotentialite You Davia Ellis
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