Jamaica Gave Me A Serious Health Lesson

I must say that my wife and I had an amazing time in Jamaica. This was about our fourth or fifth time visiting the island, so you can tell we genuinely love and appreciate being there. It’s also the place we got married, so it will always be special for the both of us.

Any of you who have ever been to Jamaica knows how delicious the food is. And although I was on vacation and technically not in work mode, I couldn’t help but think why we aren’t learning more from this culture in terms of nutrition and overall health.

I’m not just talking about eating jerk chicken here. I mean really analyzing what this culture is about, how they live, their diets, and applying that to our own obsessive quest for improved health.

We’ve borrowed and continue to borrow so much from our friends to the far east. When you think about things like yoga and even veganism, much of these schools of thoughts derives from ancient eastern teachings. It’s only recently this type of lifestyle is being adopted by western culture, or more specifically North American culture, and accepted as some kind of communal awakening.

But why not Jamaica? Think about this for a moment. Jamaica is an island full of physically fit, active, outgoing people with a high work ethic. The are a culture who tills their own soil, eat local, organic, seasonal foods, and enjoy every moment of doing so (read “no problem mon!”) .

Obviously I’m generalizing somewhat here. I don’t want to presume that Jamaica has no problems. They do. And even when it comes to their health, diabetes is somewhat on the rise on the island. The Jamaican Ministry of Health is currently on a campaign to cut the prevalence of non communal diabetes, essentially type 2 diabetes, by 5% in the next two years.

Regardless, I feel like there are still lessons to be learned. The seemingly high carb diet works for Jamaicans. Foods like yams, plantain, and sweet potatoes are all insulin resistant carbs due to high fibre content, but not the same kind of carbs we eat in here in Canada.

The carbs in Jamaica grow in very high heat. This causes the foods to have thicker skins so they are protected from the sun. Thicker skin equals higher fibre content. Combine that with an active lifestyle and you have the makings of something truly unique as it relates to personal health.

What’s more interesting is that we see the difference once people from the island move to Canada and try to maintain the same diet. Because their activity decreases, as does their time in the sun combined with an increase in processed foods, the impact of that diet on their bodies is much more harmful.

So what can we learn? How can we transfer some of the island nutrition and lifestyle to our everyday living and what are the benefits? We need to focus on the variety of carbs that we’re eating. High fibre fruits and vegetables are a great choice. Also, increased levels of physical activity is a must. We don’t have the luxury of year round sunshine, so we need to offset that by finding ways to stay active.

My point is that there’s a lot to be learned from this culture. We need to open our eyes in the health and fitness community to what Jamaicans are doing naturally and implement some of those practices into our daily routines. The benefits can potentially have a measurable impact on your health.

Thanks for reading. Follow me Nsuani Baffoe

Check out my publication Lead With Strength for more of my insight on making the connection between your leadership and physical fitness.