Nutrition
Our Obesity problem cannot be ignored as it is only getting worse over the years.
Great report by Channel 4 (The Guardian on Samoa Obesity)
As we continue to associate “BIG” with strong, wealthy and beautiful, we must ask ourselves why our elders are suffering with health problems, such as diabetes and heart diseases.
It is very difficult to change our fa’a Samoa or way of life. Because we have grown fond of these food items! May I propose that it would be in our best interest to seek a healthier way of life? I would even call on our leaders, here and abroad to take this fight seriously. After all, we are talking about our lives!
How is your health? If I were to ask you about your financial plan for the next decade, you may/could respond with a clear plan to help you along the way. But what if I asked you about your health outlook for the next 10 years or 20 years, most of us would not be able to provide a coherent plan. What about fathers? Do you desire to walk your daughter down the aisle on her wedding? Are you willing to change your lifestyle to enable you to still be functioning at a high level later in life? Have you thought of the opportunities to play with your grandchildren? Or to spend time with your kids as long as possible?
The impact of imported food on Samoan culture is unmistaken. The negative impact has certainly been felt, inter-generationally as well. Neither is it limited to the island of Samoa. Samoans living abroad also suffer the same fate. “Big is beautiful” has been encouraged, albeit unknowingly sometimes, wherever Samoans congregate. This is true of Samoans in America, Australia, and New Zealand, where the implicated ‘imported foods’ are now readily available. Not only are McDonald’s and KFC affordable, but they are everywhere and accessible.
In the early stages of the foreign discovery of Samoa, our people did not suffer from obesity. There are a variety of reasons for that, but the one constant was imported food items. In this case, the lack thereof. The locals worked the farms, crops at the plantation or fishing. We were not big, until we discovered the outside world and its food. Corned beef, was one of the foods that navigators used as it could be stored and eaten at will. In war times, soldiers also utilized these food items. It was also a commodity for trade with island nations.
Another factor was the affordability of these imported food items. The economic impact was easy to deduce but insidious weight gain began to take its toll and the “Big is beautiful” trend emerged.
Our Island was first discovered in the early 18th century by a Dutch man, this was the beginning of the colonisation of our Islands. This was the introduction of processed food to Samoa. During the migrations of the war ships at that time, they carried easy to consume items, like corned beef, as this was a popular way to store meat to consume while at sea. Food stuff also a popular commodity for trade. This was the genesis of interest with canned food, corned beef and tin fish, into our Fa’a Samoa lifestyle. It did not take long for our people to enjoy these foreign produced products as they were affordable and easy to prepare.
In these early days, an obese person was seen as wealthy, because of having the capacity to buy imported food. You were seen as strong and healthy compared to skinny or toned people who were thought to be starving. People began to believe that “Big is Beautiful!” I do not disagree but it would be wonderful if we could be BIG and Strong so we can enjoy our beautiful selves later in life.
