Vunidawa Village is showing people that eating healthy food from farms and gardens and keeping physically active will reduce the chances of a person getting diabetes, ending up getting amputated or dying from lifestyle diseases.
Principal Medical Officer at the National Diabetes Centre, Doctor Momtaz Ahmed revealed on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan that they had conducted screening in Vunidawa Village in Naitasiri last year, where all the 71 people that were screened showed low sugar levels.
He says this is because the villagers are physically active and also ate healthy food planted from their farms.
Dr Ahmed also highlighted that people living along the Suva Nausori corridor have an unhealthy lifestyle, which is resulting in the high rate of lifestyle diseases.
When questioned on what is their message to villagers who come to sell their produce in the market and use that income to buy canned food and ready-packaged food for their families, the General Surgeon at Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Doctor Timoci Qereqeretabua says people should realise the importance of going back to eating healthy food at home.
He says the effects can be seen by our elders and grandparents who live longer and do not get affected by non-communicable diseases.
He says the mentality that things at the shop are better and much more nutritious than food at the farms is false.
Dr Qereqeretabua also highlighted that i-Taukei men have the highest rate of amputation due to diabetes in Fiji, however, from the STEPS survey, it was noted that there are more diabetics in the Indo-Fijian population.
You can watch the full Straight Talk video interview on our website, fijivillage.
