It’s Sunday October 3rd, 2021, and we are releasing our 10th episode of The Gut Nerd Caribbean Podcast! What started as a passing thought at the end of July has gained a swift momentum with listeners of our podcast appearing in 19 countries so far – from Trinidad and Tobago, across the Caribbean and in far off places like Fiji, Taiwan and New Zealand! Special thanks to all of you ,our listening audience for sharing widely and assisting our team on a purpose driven mission to fighting Obesity ,Diabetes, Mental Health issues and more… Please continue to share and visit our website at www.thegutnerd.org and our Facebook page @the gut nerd Caribbean…new developments are happening all the time…
Author and Poet James Baldwin once said “ Not everything that is faced , can be changed…But nothing can be changed until it is faced”… If we are looking for solutions to our health problems, ignorance of the reality becomes the enemy of success… So let’s look at some very sobering statistics…as we face what needs to be changed…
Between 1962 and 2011 – Trinidad and Tobago has Quadrupled its prevalence of Diabetes from 3.4% to over 13 %!
A 2018 cross sectional survey looking at the prevalence of overweight and obese children in ten Caribbean countries found that in Trinidad and Tobago, 51 percent of children ages 6 to 12 were either obese or overweight!
And the top three causes of mortality remain heart disease, diabetes and Strokes…with Diabetes being a significant risk factor for both heart disease and stroke and therefore the Organ Grinder of diseases in this powerful drama of health and human existence.
It is a delicate understatement that Diabetes carries a huge personal, community and economic burden with its various complications including blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes .
The COVID 19 pandemic placed a jarring spotlight on our chronic disease status when we saw that more than 75% of those hospitalised had at least one Chronic disease with Diabetes and Obesity being major risk factors for death.
And yet for all these cold hard facts staring at us, we are far behind in our policies to reduce energy dense, nutrient poor , processed foods and move towards a pattern of consumption that elevates our diet into one of diverse sources of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and whole grains …Our Caribbean Mediterranean diet!!!
At any given time, when we are choosing what to eat, there are many factors at play. There is the biological influence of cravings and taste, the psychological input of mood and stress levels ,the economic determinant such as cost and income level, our knowledge and attitude towards nutrition, our religious beliefs , our food preparation skills and time management and our cultural and ethnic upbringing and exposure. We are a diverse society with a multi-cultural cuisine that includes dishes and influence from Amerindians, Africans, Indians, Chinese, Spanish, Syrian, Lebanese and more…
In the 1990’s,as a young doctor working at San-Fernando General hospital, I had to reckon quite early , with the fact that an East Indian diet while having the positive benefits of vegetables and legumes still carried many elements that played a negative role in the rates of hearts attacks and diabetic hospitalisations for east Indian men and women. With a rise in economic status came an increase in red meat consumption accompanied by a heavy starch load from white flour and rice-based dishes. Additionally the various festivals, rituals and celebrations such as weddings, prayers, bandharas, birthdays, anniversaries and river limes included sweets treats ,sugar-based beverages and significant alcohol consumption alongside the high fat, high starch intake… and with so many events occurring throughout the year, especially in large families , this menu was being consumed far more regularly than we realised… and has naturally spread to the consumption habits of the entire population as we share each other’s heritage at various gatherings and food establishments…
So how do we turn back the clock and use our creative minds and skills for the rebirth of the East Indian menu into one that feeds our Gut Microbiome so we can reduce and prevent the diseases that rob us of a quality life with our loved ones.
The Gut Microbiome consists chiefly of bacteria, with some viruses, fungi and protozoa in smaller amounts that live mainly in our large intestine with some in the stomach and small intestine. Their average total weight is 2.5kg which is twice that of the adult human brain and collectively they contain 150 times the genetic material of our own human genome. By the latest estimates they number roughly 100 trillion!
Globally, there are many countries with active Gut Microbiome Research programs including 27 in the USA alone with others in Canada, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, India and France. In the Caribbean we have a PhD researcher based at the University of the West Indies , St. Augustine , Cerano Da silva, who is focused on the Gut Microbiota and has joined The Gut Nerd Caribbean Team to share his expertise and findings.
With the mounting evidence from all these researchers, showing that the best way to harness the power of the Gut Microbiome to fight disease is to consume a diverse diet high in soluble fibre, how can we adapt some of the typical items in our recipes to maintain their delicious flavour while feeding our 100 trillion friends in our large intestine! As we approach the months of November and December, the Gut Nerd Caribbean wants to share some tips for Diwali and Christmas… starting with today’s episode…consider this a Diwali 2.0… so here is this week’s tip…if your menu will include flour-based items like dhalpuri ,paratha or dosti roti, why not try using a 1:1 ratio of whole wheat to white flour in the mix and use olive oil instead of ghee or butter…
Whole wheat flour contains all three parts of wheat- the germ, the bran and the endosperm and hence is high in fibre while retaining its vitamins and minerals. White flour contains only the endosperm and has been stripped of other nutrients… 100 grams of whole wheat flour has a whopping 11 grams of fiber compared to just 2.7grams in white flour…and I have inquired about the texture and taste of the mix, and I have been assured that it is quite edible and goes well with all the delicious vegetables .
Now that you have the SOBERING STATISTICS of our healthcare situation and a handy tip to start your quest towards a better quality of nutrition for life, take comfort in knowing that it’s never too late to make the change and make every meal count …Next week we will feature yet another tip and share more valuable research as we continue our journey to becoming HEROES OF OUR OWN HEALTH!
