Vegan, vegetarian or meat eater? You decide. Periodically I buy interesting books which, with a busy schedule, although retired, take me a long time to read, but I am still ploughing through them when time allows me to. I don’t necessarily write book reviews on all of them for this website, but the one below made me think that I need to, as it covers the health angle very well indeed.
Just finished reading the fascinating book entitled Auntie Jo-Jo Goes VEGAN by Jo-Ann Faith Richards, a Jamaican author, singer, songwriter, transformational speaker, and cultural advocate. It goes on to say, ‘A Jamaican story with tips and recipes for a healthier you.’ The book certainly made me think this particular article needs to look at the difference between, as the title says, a vegan, a vegetarian, and a meat eater, of which the latter is self-explanatory.
The second sentence in the book summed up my thoughts as a diabetes ambassador and activist for the past 12 years, locally, nationally, and internationally. The author says, ‘In Jamaica today, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are taking out the precious members of our population, and are clearly a serious cause for concern.’ She adds that the book has been written to ‘… inspire others to adopt a healthier lifestyle so that they stand a greater chance of fighting these diseases.’
Loyal readers and followers of mine know that I periodically write articles for Caribdirect on health and well-being along with a diverse range of topics, hence this being the focus here.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this easy-to-read health and well-being book, as having grown up in Jamaica, so much of Auntie Jo-Jo’s story resonated with me, including my grandmother forcing me to eat susumber/susumba, which I hated with a passion. I love her take on vegetables, as during childhood I held to the firm belief that those were for rabbits and guinea pigs, and not for human consumption. In fact, I recall cheekily telling my grandmother that when she insisted I could not leave the dining table until I had eaten all the vegetables on my plate!
I accept that Jo-Ann would not be able to mention all the lovely fruits that are available in Jamaica, but missing were some of my favourites: sweetsop, soursop, custard apple, guava, sugarcane, locusts, and tamarind. That is not to detract from the fact that the book is, along with the recipes, worth buying, reading, and trying to put into practice some of what has been suggested.
I am not a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith but have a lot of friends who are and was able from the outset to recognize so much relating to their stance on diet and healthy eating throughout the book as she is from that religious background. In my diabetes awareness presentations, I always make mention of their passion for the health and well-being message, unlike other religious denominations that take it less seriously. The SDA emphasizes that our body is our temple, given to us by our Creator, and most do practice what they preach. A clear case of pro-social modeling, and I am on the same page and mission with that approach.
When one researches the correct definitions of a vegan and a vegetarian, the results on the internet are confusing about the two words. Of course, there are some variations. A vegan is a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products. A vegetarian does not eat meat or fish and sometimes other animal products. In order not to confuse anyone further, it is best that they look up the difference between the two since it is not clear-cut, depending on your source of information. It is also important to stress for meat eaters the need to watch their consumption of red meat, which is one of the main causes of bowel/colorectal and prostate cancer. There are documentaries entitled You Are What You Eat on the internet, and they are well worth watching for further insights into diet, food, and eating habits.
Choices spring to mind, and each person has to make a conscious decision about what is best for them, their body, and their overall health. Yes, some prefer the vegan diet, others the vegetarian, and some will always be die-hard meat eaters. All I would say to the latter is watch the portion sizes and practice moderation in all things. I remember yet another wise saying from my grandmother: ‘Too much of one thing is good for nothing,’ with the emphasis being not to overindulge. I can still hear her saying, ‘Yuh eye is too big fi yuh belly,’ when I put too much food on my plate and struggle to finish it.
Let me confess that I am a meat eater, but as a family, we choose to eat a lot of plant-based food as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. She certainly focused on the importance of drinking a lot of water to remain hydrated, along with physical activity (my preferred terminology) as opposed to exercise, which wrongly conjures up images for some that they need to go to the gym.
My strapline has always been ‘Our Health Is Our Wealth,’ as is another stating ‘A Healthy Body Is a Healthy Mind.’ The aforementioned book clearly demonstrates health issues in a lucid and digestible form (pardon the pun).
London born Tony Kelly of Jamaican parents grew up in Jamaica and returned to live in Birmingham in 1979.
He is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ College and taught in Kingston high schools prior to working for 30+ years as a middle manager in central and local government with an emphasis on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion. He has a masters’ degree in socio-legal studies from the university of Birmingham.
For over a decade Tony has volunteered as a diabetes ambassador firstly for Diabetes UK and now for the National Health Service - Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group. A multi-award winner doing a yearly average of 150 health and well-being events, locally, nationally and internationally focusing on type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with this medical condition 18 years ago. However with a combination of physical activity and diet he has never taken medication thus proving with the right mindset and discipline it can be achieved.
As a diabetes advocate/activist Tony will continue delivering the message of healthy options to readers of CaribDirect.com .
