Story and photos by Faizool Deo

THERE are almost a dozen food outlets within 50 metres of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and all sell the same types of food.

It is difficult not to take in a whiff of the aroma; some of the dishes are traditional, delicious, and are slowly killing us.

Guyana is facing a diabetes epidemic, and our diet and sedentary lifestyles are the main culprits.

In observance of World Diabetes Day last November, Chairperson of the GPHC Kesaundra Alves had called on Guyanese to embrace healthy eating habits. Her message was nothing new; but it was urgent.

In 2016, 160 men and 180 women reportedly succumbed to the disease locally. According to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2017, there were over 52,000 cases of diabetes in our adult population. This year, that number is believed to have risen.

Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs), among them diabetes, account for 70 per cent of premature deaths in Guyana. Last December, President David Granger likened the effects of these diseases on our population to a “State of Emergency”. He did so while launching the Presidential Commission for the Prevention and Control of CNCDs.

Despite the glaring ‘stats’ and warnings, people continue to practise unhealthy eating and drinking, both at home and when they purchase food on the road.

Some shop owners are not aware of, or simply do not care about their contribution to the problem. For a few others, healthy foods are not financially viable.

“Have you ever heard anybody argue about which food is healthier? No! They argue about which food taste better,” a local cook, who asked not to be named, stated. “As a cook, we have to make the food taste good. People don’t care how it’s being prepared; they only care about the taste.”

A shop owner near the hospital shared similar sentiments. “We tried to cut down on the salt and the oil after a doctor spoke to me, but people were not buying the food as much,” he said.

Salt and oil may be part of the problem, but they are certainly not the only culprits; Guyaneses are a carbohydrate-driven lot. Almost everything that we eat are loaded with carbs.

Consultant Endocrinologist at the GPHC, Dr Yaquelin Gonzalez-Ricardo says that most Guyanese suffer from Type-two diabetes. She said it happens when there is a fluctuation in the production of insulin, or when our cells do not use the insulin as well as they should. The doctor said that our diet, which is heavy in carbohydrates, puts pressure on the pancreas to produce more insulin, but that gland can only take so much.

GPHC Diabetes Educator-Nutritionist Djamilsa Lambert told the Guyana Chronicle, “Carbs would be the food that impacts the blood sugar the most. In our country, it’s the bread, the flour and the rice that do the most damage.”

WHAT HAS CHANGED?
Priya (only name given), who hails from the East Coast, has been diabetic for a few years, but is still not convinced that it is her food that has contributed to the problem.
“Meh grandmother and meh grandfather eat de same food since they were little and nothing happen to them,” she said. “Meh mother eat de same food and she was okay; but now all of a sudden it is we food.”

According to Lambert, food is very traditional in Guyana, and that is why it is a difficult cycle to break.

“Females are likely to be more affected by diabetes in Guyana,” she said. “They learn how to cook from their mothers, and feel that their food should be prepared the same way it was prepared generations ago, but things have changed.”
Lambert said that a large bowl of rice or two rotis might have been necessary several decades ago when most of our workers toiled and sweat under a hot tropical sun, but with today’s advancements in technology and new opportunities, our work habits have changed, and so should our diet.

The nutritionist said that our level of activities have also changed. She said most people work at a desk, and that we rarely need to walk, since vehicles, both personal and public transportation, are readily available. “Vehicles stop right at our doorsteps,” she said.
Dr. Ricardo told this publication that people need to change their lifestyle to fight diabetes.
“The only way to slow down its progress is prevention (as in change of lifestyle). Such prevention could include varied and nutritious food, daily exercise and periodic medical check-ups,” he said.

Nevertheless, it is easier said than done, and there’re the ‘stats’ to prove it. Long-time diabetic patient, Bibi has tried in vain to overhaul her eating habits. She has been suffering from the disease for almost two decades. I should know; she’s my mother.
It is difficult to eat certain types of food and drink certain beverages religiously your entire life, and then move in a very different direction. There is a Bibi in almost every family, so fighting the disease should be a collective effort.

EFFECTS OF DIABETES
The first time I spoke to retired teacher, Olga Chacon from Mabaruma, she told me she was diabetic. She has become somewhat of an advocate, but she can only do so from a wheelchair. The disease took a leg.

“Exercise! Stay fit!” she urges. Chacon used to walk for miles to attend school as a teacher, but as she got older, her level of activities dropped. And coupled with bad eating habits, she developed diabetes.

Dr. Ricardo said that many people are not aware of how brutal the disease can become and what damage it can do to our heart, eyes, the feet and kidneys.
She said that although cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in Guyana, many patients who died from heart complications are also diabetic.

WHAT CAN BE DONE
“Eat more vegetables, eat less food and exercise,” the nutritionist recommends. After dealing with hundreds of patients over the years, Lambert is wary of drastic changes. “People should make small but permanent steps to change their lifestyle,” she said. “Drastic changes do not work.”

For people like my mum, changes in their lifestyle and diet are but a small price to pay for a better life.