In recent times, Departments of Health in the Caribbean and regional governments have been focusing on food security and good nutrition. In this regard, on Friday, June 19th the local Ministry of Health and the Department of Dietary Services sponsored a Nutrition Awareness Day expo on the grounds of the Princess Alexandra Hospital to demonstrate the importance of good nutrition, proper diet as well as exercise.
A befitting slogan for the event was: “Eat well; move more; feel strong; live long”. The theme for the awakening event was: “Discover the Power of Nutrition”.
An ardent welcome was given by Dietitian, Tamera Gabriel, who reiterated the importance of good nutrition in the community. “Today, as we observe Nutrition Awareness Day, under the theme ‘Discover the Power of Nutrition’, we must recognize the important role that nutrition plays in improving health and wellbeing across our communities,” she said.
She noted that nutrition is more than just food. It is nourishment, prevention, education, comfort, and an important part of quality healthcare.
A prayer was offered by Hospital Food Service Attendant, Tonya Mars. She asked God that He would inspire the people of the community to eat healthier, more nutritious foods so that their bodies would be that much stronger.
In speaking about the “Power of Nutrition” more in-depth, Ms. Gabriel stressed that nutrition is centered around the understanding of how food is utilized. “Nutrition is far more than simply eating to satisfy hunger,” she observed. “It is about understanding how food and nutrients fuel every aspect of our lives. It affects our physical health, the production of energy, cognitive performance, emotional wellbeing and the overall quality of life.”
“At the Department of Dietary Services at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, this message closely aligns with the work we do every day,” Ms. Gabriel said. We endeavour to nourish our patients with the right food, and we provide nutritional education and practical nutrition strategies that support healthier lives.
“Ms. Gabriel mentioned that while the National Nutrition Month Campaign highlights the importance of nutrition on a broader scale, the personnel at the Department of Dietary Services at the Princess Alexandra Hospital believe that the Power of Nutrition is best understood when it is experienced. “Every day we translate these principles into meaningful actions,” she said.
She related that one of the ways the Department has sensitized the patients to a more beneficial plan of nutrition is by restructuring the hospital’s menu with a focus on creating not only nutritious meals, but delightful meals that are more colourful and appealing.
In closing her presentation, Ms. Gabriel said: “Today as we reflect on the work being done by the Department of Dietary Services at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, as well as in our own lives, may we continue to discover the Power of Nutrition, not only as healthcare professionals, but as individuals committed to building healthier futures for ourselves, our families and our communities, knowing that every healthy choice we make, no matter how small, has the power to create change.”
Lavelle Niles is the NCDs Programme Officer and a team member of the “Move yah Body Fitness Campaign”. She gave a synopsis of the “Move yah Body Campaign which started in 2018 as a means of motivating persons to exercise for a healthier lifestyle.
‘“The “Move yah Body Fitness Campaign” was established in 2018. It sprang out of a local 2017 Steps Survey which showed that Anguilla’s population was physically inactive. It also indicated that Anguillians do not eat the recommended quantities of vegetable and fruits that would support a healthy body,” she said.
Ms. Niles testified that over recent years the campaign has seen a variety of fitness activities which have been a successful means of encouraging persons in the community to be physically active and keeping their bodies mobile.
“For this year’s campaign we would like to join with the Department of Dietary Services in focusing on nutrition,” she said. “We want to get the message into the communities that nutrition and the good quality of foods are just as important to healthy living as physical exercise is.”
Ms. Niles introduced the gathering to the goodies on the table as well as many health-giving fruits and vegetables from the Department of Agriculture, along with fresh broilers – chickens that had been plucked and frozen. Healthy ice-cream, manufactured with good nutrition in mind, was also on display. Persons attending the event, therefore, had the privilege of obtaining such nutritional items.
Ms. Niles encouraged the public to connect with her and follow the “Move yah Body Fitness Campaign” on Facebook and Instagram.
At the end of the nutrition display, the Vote of Thanks was given by Shemeka Richardson, a Chef at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
By: James R. Harrigan
