Jamaican health

Jamaican diets are usually extremely unhealthy and due to this heat disease is currently the number one cause of death in Jamaica. Common foods such as escoviche, jerk chicken and oxtail are high fat meals that are eaten on a daily basis for some Jamaicans. Oil is used to fry almost everything in Jamaica however the worst would be chicken fat that is melted into oil and then used to cook other foods. Jamaicans eat a lot of starchy foods such as rice, dumplings and yams. Recent studies show that Jamaicans are consuming less healthy foods, are less physically active and are eating a lot of processed foods such as salted fish. There are some Jamaicans who are very active and who eat healthy foods only such as curried fish. In my opinion American diets tend to fall under the same regime. With fried foods being the cheaper alternative to healthy eating more and more Americans are taking the easy route.

Curried Fish

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet chile pepper (see Tip), or to taste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
• 2 pounds mahi-mahi fillets (see Note), skinned, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt

My personal diet consists of traditional Ghanian home cooked meals. Mainly rice, plantains or yams make up most of the meals at home. Every now and then when my family goes on vacation we'll go to chinese restaurants and fast food places but at home the diet is very healthy. In the book, "Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel, the power of food and emotions was closely tied together. When Tita felt sincere sorrow and cried into the cake it somehow affected everyone who ate the cake to feel the same way she did. When Tita felt a deep desire for pedro and baked the rose petals with her blood into the meal everyone who ate it felt a deep desire as well. At Alexs' wedding when Tita made the Chiles with all her heart everyone found a deep desire to make love with someone as soon as they ate it. The magical effects of Titas emotions on the food she creates makes her into a special character that draws people together.

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