Extracts from my Travel Diary

I recently had the opportunity to escape to the warmer climes of Lanzarote, where, as always when I travel, I write a travel diary. Viewing the diets of “typical” British holidaymakers, observing behaviour, communicating with local people in the community about their diets, can reveal a great deal about the link between food/lifestyle and health, as well as people’s attitude to health and happiness. The following extracts really own scratch the surface, but do provide interesting insight! Observing some of the British holidaymakers certainly confirmed to me the fundamental reasons why we have a nation of increasingly overweight, and I have to say rather unhealthy individuals. This is what I found…

The following are extracts from my travel diary…

“ Breakfast this morning was a sight to behold! Sure, buffet breakfasts and meals are always tempting, but they are there to provide a selection of foods to suit all palates, cultures and appetites. I don’t believe, howerver, they should be viewed and “used” as a means to eat everything on offer. I watched (discreetly!) couples and families begin their day with a mixture of cereals, followed by the obligatory full english (full being the operative word) together with 5-6 slices of different breads or pastries, jams and other spreads, and salami or ham and cheese slices… since when did the English ever have ham and cheese for breakfast!  Having pastries and doughnuts available at breakfast is too hard to resist for many (whatever nationality) and the small, ringed sugary doughnuts were the most popular food item this morning. One young, very overweight girl had 3 on her plate! It really is no wonder we have a grave obesity problem – to begin the day with refined white floured and sugary foods with too much sugar and saturated fat, is a recipe for disease (and disaster) – it is as simple as that. The trays of fresh fruits… plums, apples, oranges, pears, papaya… were largely untouched which, personally, I find depressing! There were also fresh, natural yogurts, nuts, seeds and dried fruits available… all left by the way-side. We need to educate our world to appreciate good natural food, and also about the dangers of devitalised food. We surely must get back to the foods we are naturally designed to eat, digest and metabolise… and in the right quantities too. We are blessed on this earth with foods that provide us with natural energy and nutrients for us to function healthily and happily. The trouble is too many people would rather eat the fast foods of today.”

I interviewed 3 local people while I was on the island, to get an idea of the local diet, and attitudes towards food and health. I talked to a doctor (who was originally from Cuba), a 35 year old “native” female and a young Indian man. I used him as an interpreter, which was useful, and of course had the chance to ask him how his diet had changed since living there.

“ Anish, a 24-year old Hindu came here 4 years ago, and like many Indians on the island, enjoys and benefits from a pollution-free environment… India he says is “very polluted”. Many Hindus, who have migrated from India, take their religion with them, which means in food and lifestyle terms, they stick largely to rules of purity and pollution regarding food and the body! The cow is a sacred animal, so beef is never eaten, and like all animals, is treated with great respect as they provide basic “life” necessities such as milk, butter, yogurt and ghee (clarified butter). The pig is regarded as unclean and therefore no pork products are eaten. Fish isn’t eaten either as they too are considered dirty. In fact Hindus believe all living things have a soul that pass from one body to another in the birth-death-re-birth cycle known as reincarnation, so unsurprisingly most Hindus are vegetarians, and many are vegans, that is, they do not eat any meat, fish or dairy produce. Anish only eats chicken when he goes out with his Spanish friends, and enjoys a dish popular amongst the locals – Pollo Alla Plancha Con Salsa Pimeanta – roasted chicken in a black pepper sauce! This seemed to be the only diversion away from his traditional Indian diet (except for a sandwich mid-morning), made much simpler by the fact that many “Indian” foods, spices and ingredients are available on the island. He lives with an Indian couple, so eats home-cooked meals with them. The main foods for non-vegan Indians consists of chapati (wheat-flour cakes), rice, peas, beans, lentils and other vegetables, milk, yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) and fruit. Vegetables are often prepared as a curry, and meals are a combination of these ingredients prepared as dhals (lentils and beans), curries and bhajis, eaten with either rice or chapati. Anish has 2 meals a day like this, one at 4pm and one at 10pm. Apart from that he begins the day with tea, milk and a few plain biscuits, and sometimes a sandwich later if he is hungry.”

India was a fascinating trip for me, a couple of years ago and I am yet to “type out” my very long travel diary!

“ Lani, a slim 35-year old woman has lived on the island all her life. We spoke about the local diet and health of the people here, as well as her thoughts about visitors to the island. Locals “eat for health” and are certainly more health-conscious; knowledge she says, that was learned at school, and at home from her parents! People here definitely eat less than we do in Britain, having only one main meal a day. Breakfast is very simple; bread and milk, and a typical family meal might be “bucherro” – meat with vegetables and potatoes… just simple fresh food. Fish is plentiful and a common staple here… tuna, sardines, and varieties of bream and bass. The most common meat, by the way is goat! Fruit doesn’t grow well on the island due to the largely infertile, volcanic soil, however they do successfully grow potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Most of the fruit is imported from neighbouring islands such as La Palma (e.g. bananas), and Spain too. Fruit is often eaten as dessert here (they are not big on puddings!), which is the case with most Mediterranean countries. Locals do not eat junk food… only the tourists do, and she also commented that they drink too much alcohol. She also said the British were “very fat”. Enough said…”

“According to the doctor I spoke to, the healthiest people on the island are the older generation, particularly those living inland, with a stress-free lifestyle. The diet is usually milk and cornbread for breakfast, and fish or meat soups for main meals.  The younger 40-45 year olds he saw suffered mainly with depression, which he felt was a European problem, and due largely to work-related stress! I asked about his thoughts on obesity and whether or not it was a problem on the island. Children here, he said, are too active! They are always playing sport, are outside a lot of the time, at the beach or playing in areas designated for sport and recreation! Most children are out playing until 8-10pm!”

Take note:
Healthy, fresh food, sunshine and fresh air is only part of the picture when it comes to good physical and mental health. If the body is under too much stress, physical, psychological or even environmental, imbalances will occur, and the result is ill-health.

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