The Diabetes Association of Barbados (DAB) has told people who spend long hours driving, watching TV or using the computer to add exercise and some “greens” to their routine.President John Grace reported yesterday that the association was concerned that many people were putting in hours doing the things they loved but not getting the necessary exercise.The problem was increased when they also failed to balance their meals, ending up with a lopsided diet that excluded “greens” and other vegetables, he told the DAILY NATION.“A lot of us have been encouraged to be lazy and to sit down watching television and doing things with computers, but we have to balance our lifestyle,” Grace said.
Exercise, vegetables“I’d like to feel that the dealers selling computers and televisions and even motor cars would, for the good of the country, offer to include a pair of walking shoes to (buyers) so that they would get the message that they have to balance their lives by taking some exercise.“The same goes for eating. Don’t eat allstarches – get some greens, some vegetables, into your diet.”Grace complained about what he saw as a heavy emphasis on starch in the Bajan diet.“It tells you that something’s gone completely wrong when you hear the authorities saying that macaroni is now our national dish,” he said. According to Grace, more Barbadians were now aware of the health risks associated with the sedentary lifestyle because of educational programmes put on by the association and other groups, but old habits died hard.“The biggest thing is to get people to accept that a change of life and a change in eating habits are good for them and that they must sustain this as a permanent way of live,” he commented.“Having a little party now and then is good, but Barbadians ought not to be eating fancy foods every day,” he added, referring to “highly sweet and fatty and salty” foods.He complained that too many Barbadians were settling for entertainment, rather than exercise.
Playgrounds empty“Pass by any of the school playgrounds in the afternoon,” he suggested. “Nobody’s out there playing now. “At one time, we used to see them practising for their games and playing, younger people waiting for the bigger boys to get off the field so they can get their chance. “Now everybody’s rushing home to sit down and probably watch television, if not get on the computer.” Grace estimates that Barbados has between 25 000 and 40 000 diabetics.“That’s too many people, and 90 per cent of those are also fat or obese,” he pointed out. “So the two things do go together in some respects and that means overeating and not exercising enough.”On eating habits, Grace said there was only one good statistic that he had heard recently: “From zero sales or very minimal sales six or eight years ago, the consumption of whole wheat bread and whole grain bread is now over 25 per cent of the sales.”
