WITH hospitals expecting a spike in patients with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels after the holiday season, Southern Regional Health Authority nutritionist Debbie Ottie Golding is warning Jamaicans, particularly those with lifestyle diseases, about the dangers of overeating this Christmas.

Ottie Golding said that, over the years, the trend in many hospitals and health centres across Jamaica has been that after a holiday, particularly Christmas and New Year’s Day, the medical facilities are flooded with patients whose levels are out of control.

“Overeating is a major problem during the holiday season, which can lead to several health risks and increases the chances of chronic diseases…After people go out and eat up the red meats, the mutton, sugary foods, and alcohol, it makes their blood pressure go out of control,” said Ottie Golding.

“What happens is that the conditions worsen, and it becomes harder to control. It can lead to kidney damage. It can lead to stroke. If you have uncontrolled diabetes, it can lead to the same kidney damage, amputation, and even nerve damage. It worsens the disease, and it can increase the risk of other chronic non-communicable disease (NCD),” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The increase in NCDs is a growing issue that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is working to address.

According to Ottie Golding, one in eight Jamaicans have diabetes, one in three have hypertension, and one in two Jamaicans are overweight.

“It is a global thing, but for us, it is getting worse because most of our deaths are related to chronic non-communicable diseases. We can control it, but because of our taste, we love to eat out and indulge in fatty foods. It puts a burden on the health system because once you have more patients, it’s more medication and more resources overall that we would have to use,” said the parish nutritionist.

As Christmas and New Year’s Day approach, she urged Jamaicans to eat sensibly and in moderation. Ottie Golding noted that the typical Jamaican Christmas dinner, which includes jerked pork, fried chicken, curry goat, ham, rice and peas, sorrel, and fruit cake, is high in fat, salt, calories, and sugar.

“The first thing with these meats [curried goat, ham, and jerk pork] is that even though you’re getting protein, you have to remember that they are high in saturated fats and they are high in cholesterol, so when we are using these meats we have to use the lean cuts and at the same time watch the amount that we have,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Ottie Golding said that the method of preparation is also important, urging Jamaicans to reduce the amount of fried foods. She said alternative options such as baking, steaming, and roasting should be done instead.

Natural seasoning is also encouraged, especially for Jamaicans with high blood pressure.

“The powder seasoning usually has salt added to it and other things, so if a person has high blood pressure, you want to reduce the salt and you want to, as best as possible, use natural seasoning. You have a lot of benefits with onion, scallion, and thyme,” said Ottie Golding, adding that these natural seasonings boost antioxidant levels and are rich in vitamins.

Jamaicans were also warned about their sugar intake during the holiday season.

“When it comes to the rice and peas, those things are nutritious, but at the same time, some people add sugar to it, which is not good. Even for the ham, we add sugar to it and it increases the calories, so we have to be mindful of the things that we use in the preparation,” she stressed, adding that the general guide for women and children is less than six teaspoons of sugar per day and for men, less than nine teaspoons of sugar per day.

Ottie Golding also listed sorrel, fruit cake, and alcohol as some food items that are typically high in sugar and should be consumed in moderation, noting that when sugar is added to sorrel, it reduces its nutritional value.

“Sorrel is rich in vitamin C, and it has antioxidants, and flavonoids that help to boost the immune system and reduce the risk of diseases overall. It supports heart health also, but you need to consume in moderation,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“The problem with the sorrel is that Jamaicans are adding a lot of sugar to it, because people don’t like sorrel without sugar… I would encourage people to use up more spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves because those are very healthy. When you use up more of the spices, they can utilise less sugar when preparing. I know some people just go without, but the cinnamon, cloves, and ginger have health benefits,” she stressed.

Ottie Golding added that using alcohol in sorrel drink and cake also increases the calorie intake and urged Jamaicans to be mindful.

“We know that people want to enjoy Christmas with family and friends, and part of enjoying Christmas is to eat. The Christmas dishes are usually flavourful and it highlights our culture and festive spirits. However, it’s key that we remember the word moderation,” said the nutritionist.

“Be moderate in what you do and have portion control. Portion control means that you’re not gonna just eat any amount of rice and peas, any amount of sorrel. Everything has to have a portion, and you have to control the amount you have so that it doesn’t add to the calories and the added fats and sugars,” she said, also urging the use of smaller plates and increased vegetable consumption.

“We don’t want after the holiday season we see people’s blood pressure going up, the blood sugar going up and all of that, and it causes you to [have a] stroke, so be careful,” she stressed.

The nutritionist urged the use of spices such as ginger, cloves and cinnamon in sorrel because of their nutritional benefits.