The Ministry of Health will take the national campaign Fight The Fat-Nutrition Fair to Pleasantville Community Centre tomorrow from 10 am to 2 pm. The Ministry of Health aims to encourage the national community to get active, eat healthy and live healthier lives to lower the risk for chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) like heart disease, cancers, diabetes and strokes.
Members of the public will benefit from free food preparation demonstrations of healthy, low fat versions of popular local dishes such as oven-fried fish, stew chicken with lemon juice, curry pumpkin, whole grain sada roti, channa patty, and ribbon sandwiches with vegetable and cheese fillings, as well as liquid nutritional supplements. Other activities include educational displays of safe food preparation and storage, the six food groups and how to grow your own food. The objectives of the Fight The Fat-Nutrition Fair are to:
-Create an awareness of food as it relates to health
-Provide nutrition education
-Promote healthy meal preparation
-Motivate people to make positive health behaviour changes
The Ministry of Health launched the "Fight The Fat – T&T Wellness Revolution" in an effort to improve the health situation in T&T.
Health facts
Data from the Ministry's National Risk Factor 2011 Survey revealed:
• More than 60 per cent of all deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and strokes.
• Within the Caribbean region, T&T has the highest overall percentage of deaths due to CNCDs
• Heart disease is the No 1 cause of death in Trinidad and Tobago accounting for 25 per cent of all deaths
• The diabetes prevalence rate among adults is approximately 12 per cent -13 per cent
• 55.5 per cent of the population (15 years and over) are overweight or obese
• 25 per cent of school aged children (5 – 18 years) are overweight or obese
• More than 40 per cent of the population do not get sufficient physical exercise weekly
• 90.8 per cent eat less than the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetable daily
• There has been the emergence of the CNCD's in our children and youth populations.