If it’s true that you are what you eat, would you rather be a carrot stick or a puri?

Ms Sarah Burgess, a volunteer for Action for Children and the Aged (ACATA) Trust Fiji, presented a lecture on nutrition at this week’s RCSE meeting that had everyone second guessing their lunches.

Rethink your drink??

Sarah, who hails from Queensland Australia, currently lives and works in Lautoka and will soon be teaching a course on nutrition at Fiji School of Nursing. Her talk focused on key tips for avoiding ‘Afflictions of Affluence’ or Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, obesity, anemia, and heart disease. These diseases are the lead causes of death and disability in Fiji.

Members were surprised to learn that a single 330ml can of coke contains not 3, not 8 but 10 tsp of sugar! This is particularly alarming when you consider that sometimes we polish off a 1L bottle during movie.

Sarah reinforced the importance of mindful eating and making deliberate choices about what we consume. This along with regular exercise, sufficient sleep and water are all critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

This message is especially timely as we the festive season of Diwali will soon be upon us, when we all tend to over-indulge in sweets and treats.

Please note, following on this lecture, we will be reducing our club’s consumption of puri! Fill up instead on veg, salad and fruits. We all know the keys to healthy diet, but there’s no time like the present to start being more health-conscious, not only for our own sakes or our improved workplace productivity, but for those who love us as well.