Jamaicans urged to eat healthy during Christmas
JAMAICANS, especially those living with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, are being urged to watch what they consume over the Christmas season, in order to ensure they eat balanced meals.
A balanced meal should include items from the six food groups in the Caribbean region, including staples, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts, food from animals, and fats and oils.
In an interview with JIS News, director of nutrition services in the Ministry of Health, Sharmaine Edwards, says persons living with diabetes and hypertension should observe the season as a normal day.
She noted that while there is going to be a lot of get togethers and social events, people should try to maintain the same control they had throughout the year.
“By now, you should be aware of what you need to do for your condition. You are going to limit the intake of fats just the same for the rest of the year,” Edwards said.
“So, you’re removing the visible fats, you’re reducing the intake of the saturated fat or the solid fat that we mostly get from animal-type food, and we are sticking to more of the unsaturated ones that we get from the plant sources. The more natural it is, the better,” she added.
Edwards also recommended staying away from free sugar, advising that all sugar intake should be less than 10 per cent of a person’s total calories.
“Free sugar is what we add to the cooking or the manufacturing and preparation of foods. So, it is also going to include those that are naturally present in honey, syrup, fruit juices and in fruit juice concentrate,” she noted.
She said, too, that less than a teaspoon of salt per day is the recommendation for persons living with high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, portion control is vital to controlling not just diseases, but contents of salt, sugar and fats. “I know we have a lot of cured meats, ham in particular at Christmas time. So, we are still going to stick to our servings. We are not going to have six and eight slices of ham. We are going to have our two to three ounces as we normally do for the rest of the year at one sitting,” Edwards recommended.
