Coca Cola in a Baby’s Bottle: Health Horror Stories from Samoa
3 May 2010 at 14:06 Nate 7 comments
Tinned Foods, Such as Corned Beef, Have Replaced Fresh Food in the Samoan Diet
According to the World Health Organization, Samoa is the world’s fattest country. At least 75% of Samoans are obese and 40% suffer from Type 2 diabetes.
Cheap, processed, imported foods contribute to a diet that is high in fat, sugar and salt while low in nutrition. Samoans of all ages suffer from unhealthy eating, with only 60% of babies at 6 months of age exclusively breast feeding. Last week, I even saw a mother pouring Coca Cola into her baby’s bottle.
Rates of obesity and heart disease have skyrocketed as the traditional Samoan diet of Taro, breadfruit, fish and fruit has been replaced by white bread, rice, mutton flaps, tinned fish and soda.
Mutton Flaps are Illegal in the US and NZ but a Staple of the Samoan Diet
The fattiest part of a sheep, mutton flaps have more fat per gram than a Mcdonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Most countries have banned mutton flaps as unsafe, but they remain incredibly popular here in Samoa.
In 2007, Samoa banned the import of another unhealthy yet popular meat, turkey tails. If you have never eaten a turkey tail,that is because they have been deemed a public health risk in most countries and must be cut off before a bird can be sold.
With 19% more fat than mutton flaps, turkey tails are a recipe for a heart attack. A recent article in the local Samoan newspaper called for the ban on turkey tails to be lifted as the prices of mutton flaps and fish has risen sharply in the last few years.
The majority of Kiva loans through the South Pacific Business Development Foundation go to help people either fish or plant vegetables. Greater access to fresh vegetables and fish is a major step towards a healthy diet. The Samoan government has recently started campaigns to increase nutritional awareness and encourage exercise, but more must be done to fight obesity.
Click here to Sponsor a loan today and help a Samoan woman to buy fishing nets or plant a garden!
Nate Walsh is a Kiva Fellow in Apia, Samoa. He is volunteering with the South Pacific Business Development Foundation (SPBD)
Entry filed under: KF10 (Kiva Fellows 10th Class). Tags: .
1. Fa’a Samoa: Definitely Not About Girl Scout Cookies or ‘The Rock’ « Kiva Stories from the Field | 27 February 2012 at 11:12
[...] For more thoughts on the food situation, check out my predecessors’ blog posts on taro and food access. This is a pretty standard [...]
2. Rick | 23 July 2011 at 19:31
Mutton flaps are great especially BBQ style but everything in moderation is probably the better message. Yes Samoans have bad health stats but produce the most professional athletes per head of population in the whole world and grew up on this food. Explain that one. In living here, I’ve seen bad eating habits but traditional foods is still a major part of the diet.
3. Daniel Bingamon | 8 May 2010 at 06:06
I don’t understand why fish is so expensive on Samoa, the Island is surrounded by water. Is it caused by politics or just plain gouging?
4. Foxy Johnson. | 7 May 2010 at 03:19
Foxy Johnson.
I got a loan three days ago from a loan firm via this email contact “ploanfirm@yahoo.co.uk” you can reach them for a loan. Their loan terms are ease and fast in gaining your desired loan from them.
Their email address is also posted on new york daily times.
5. Mary Riedel | 4 May 2010 at 17:29
It’s very sad b/c once your body starts eating poorly and to those extremes it can take a lot more than vegetable availability and awareness companies to stop the bodies physiological cravings for those foods.
6. Coca Cola in a Baby's Bottle: Health Horror Stories from Samoa … | Baby Story | 4 May 2010 at 06:48
[...] Coca Cola in a Baby's Bottle: Health Horror Stories from Samoa … Posted in 10, The, Uncategorized, baby, be, by, count, in, stories, to | Tags: count, [...]
7. david oglaza | 3 May 2010 at 23:32
I was watching a TV program about the worlds fattest families and it showed mutton flaps. You seriously cannot see the meat inbetween all the fat. It looks like eating a pack of lard or high fat butter. Heart attack is an understatement -