T&T Health & Exercise

[LadyDeath]

There is a new trend that many rave about in T&T and apparently it's HEALTH! Not all our population, but can be seen in different segments of the population such as Teens, middle aged people, working class etc.
Since when our country has become so health conscious?
I also find that a healthy diet is difficult to uphold in our country since vegetables, healthy alternatives and organic stuff is more expensive than the normal junk ! Even gym memberships are around $ 250 - 400 TT in the area where i live. These days there is an influx of people at the gym, exercising in parks , savannahs and shopping for healthy foods, however, for an average Trini, this might be unattainable.

Do you think the government should help to lower prices on local , oragnic foods?
Do you think that more physical activities and parks should be created to encourage members of the public to partake in making T&T a more health-conscious nation?
Do you think that the government should ban imported/local food that has health risks?

 

[admin]

Do we even have fully organic food in this country ? Even if we promote healthy eating with fruits and vegis, those would be grown with fertilizers which can cause more harm than good. This country do not promote healthy grown foods and if its available farmers will buss prices for fruits and vegis.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I think it's a good thing people are becoming more health conscious and it should be encouraged further. Eating healthy here remains quite a task with those high prices. I believe the government offers subsidies to farmers for fertilizers, pesticides and the like so they are really giving farmers an incentive for using these things in their farming as from the farmers' perspective, such usage means faster crops and rotation = more products in a shorter time frame = more money overall. For those that purchase from farmers, buying more product also means more money for them as well.

I'm not sure if Trinidad has true organic produce unless you grow it yourself (which takes forever. sigh. *looks at tomatoes riping in slow motion for the past two months*). I think after importing organic foods and pricing them so high; if farmers do decide to go organic, they may charge similar high prices (and that's saying something compared to the prices of regular produce!). The government should improve their current agricultural programs to offer farmers incentives for organic farming and introduce awareness campaigns encouraging the production and consumption of organic goods. There are lots of "raw" foods that are super healthy and more than 3x the price of regular foods. I can't even find raw chocolate or raw coconut sugar here, but I'm pretty sure if I did it would cost an arm and a leg compared to buying regular baking chocolate (the more unhealthy, the cheaper and easier it is to find) and regular sugar. I can't understand the reasoning behind that because if you consider all the machinery, workers, and hours that go into the process to get the cheaper, unhealthier stuff compared to selling the item as close to natural as possible, I would have thought it made more sense for the processed stuff to cost more. *shrugs*

Then again, before I place more responsibility on the government, how much of society really wants to shift the focus from cheap, convenient items in disposable packaging to pricier items that require more time and dedication?

 

[nirtime]

While I support health, I have to side with Admin on this. The truly organic foods would be impractical for daily consumption because farmers would charge a lot more than we pay already for them. The so called healthy foods sold at supermarkets etc aren't actually all that healthy, they're still all sprayed with chemical.

Also, while more people are going to the gym, a lot of them go to the gym for status to create this busy lifestyle image but they really going KFC after they work out. I know several people like that. They work out at the gym and buy fast food every other day so it sort of nullifies the positive of working out.

Also true health i think still is not a trend in this country as fast food lines are longer than ever and every other bottle consumed has a soft drink or juice label on it and if one were to be serious and really consider how much preservatives and sugar these drinks have, then they'd realise they're not truly healthy.

Physical activity is one part of the healthy game, the rest of it has to come from within. I don't feel that Trinidadians have the discipline or in some cases the time to focus on truly healthy living.

I also don't know very much about the political aspects of agriculture in Trinidad but I'll say that there is too much importation taking place. Things which we can grow locally we using that land to build houses so we can sit down and bask in our inactivity. Also the government really could have their part in it too, as Shadowhunter said, incentives are there for using the chemicals and what not, why is there no incentive toward educating the population about the death traps in fast food or soft drinks?

Lastly, the local mentality is quite a lazy one, the status quo, "trendy" thing to do is to portray a busy lifestyle which mimics others rather than consideration of the person's own life. So while eating healthy is always going to sound good, its not going to happen because as Shadowhunter said, why would they switch from a matter of convenience to having to be dedicated toward food when they can spend that time being busy elsewhere. However, I do understand some people just genuinely don't have time and thats alright but too many people use time as their excuse.

Yes, gyms may be crowded but as far as I remember gyms have always been crowded and it doesn't take much to fill a small gym either. One man a car can make a gym look full too.

 

[LadyDeath]

I created this topic on a post i have read in the newspapers where T&T is slowly moving to a healthier nation.

I agree everyone is on this GYM rave! Some visit gyms to hang out, look busy or look at the opposite sex.
Also you cannot even go to the market and pick up any fruit or veggie and eat it without washing because it's risky!l Long ago you could of done this!

Farmers don't want to go oragnic because the crops would take a longer time to grow and would also be vulnerable to pest and diseases which means money wastage.

However, there are alot of seeds that are being Genetically Modified to withstand weather conditions, pests and diseases . It's also proven to be more rugged and created to produce more yields. What's you take on GMOs ( Genetically Modified Organisms)

 

[nirtime]

You stirred up quite a disucssion now, GMOs are something I know very little about but as far as I'm concerned they're not good since they also induce some form of artificial change into the product and that has varying negative effects overall.

On the plus side, its easier for farmers to make their money and as such provides more incentive for production so maybe it isn't a totally bad thing but I feel that Trinidad should treat GMO foods like the UK does and make it mandatory that foods with GMOs have a sticker which clearly says GMO on it that way people who want to go organic and stay truly healthy can do so much more easily.

It also begs the question, how many of us actually know what GMOs really are and what are there effects on the produce?

 

[Shadowhunter]

I wouldn't say I understand GMOs extensively, but from the studies I have looked into I'd prefer knowing whether or not my foods are GMO and having the right to choose non GMOs. I think it sounds like a good idea with good intentions at first, especially for developing nations like ours where important healthy options like produce are so overpriced. Yet, I don't think we're being told everything there is to know about them. While I do take heed to FDA regulations, a lot of research has proven how corrupt the FDA has been in the past so I don't base my purchases solely on what is or isn't FDA approved. I think organic foods are the safest bet; with encouragement, widespread information, and incentives from the government, organic foods can be supplied and used much more often and at better prices.

The gym trend has its own pros and cons. I think a lot of people mistake losing weight or looking a certain size with being healthy and believe that the best or only way to get there is with exercise. Sometimes people are really looking for attention through praise or envy for example, and associate gym attendance with that attention whether or not they actually do anything. I know a lot of people who go to the gym at least once a week (whether or not they actually do anything there), boast about their healthy lifestyle (i.e. gym attendance), and go out drinking and/or smoking all weekend and occasionally throughout the week as well, with no change to unhealthy eating habits. I'd love to see their results on some medical tests (cholesterol, sugar, bp, etc) amidst their claims of the ultimate healthy lifestyle.

I don't want to keep aiming at the government, but again, I think the government can play a pivotal role here. Instead of discounting flour, sugar, oil etc why not discount fresh produce, lean meats, whole grains, and alternative foods? Why not take a portion of paid programming to introduce healthy eating segments teaching consumers how to replace unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones for the same price? Why not use government campaigns to promote walkathons, marathons, hikes, and popularize healthy recipes and lifestyle habits? A healthy lifestyle isn't solely based on exercise or dieting, but it is a lifestyle of balancing both. Too much of one without the other can actually have harmful effects on the body which also affects the mind and vice versa. I don't think a lot of people following the health trend is aware of that.