"Everyting weh good fi goose nuh good fi gander"

The above phrase above is the Jamaican version of the old adage "what's good for the goose is not good for the gander"

The translation is for any reader who happens not to be Jamaican. I would like to remind my fellow Jamaicans of this old saying

For purpose of the article we are the "gander" - whatever a gander happens to be(lol).

Jamaicans tend to be a selective lot, usually we are picky people generally speaking. We are particular about what we eat and from whom eat our food for example. And following that example I want to talk about food, and the new trend of eating everything.

In the area of food consumption we seem to have become indiscriminate, we now eat a great deal of McDonald, Burger King and KFC. We are becoming big consumers of microwave wave dinners and quick heat and eat items that come in cans and plastic containers.

Maccaronni and powdered cheese is all the rage and MSG and sodium filled products like Ramen Noodles line the shelves of supermarkets and local community shops.

These products are realtively new to Jamaica, becoming available in the last 15 to 20 years. They are often times much cheaper than fresh produce like yams, bananas and callaloo - the foods I grew up on.

If you happen to be a person who is wondering why we should be concerned about our new imported "foods" I might refer you to my first article "False Food" part 1 and part 2.

The bottom line is that much of what we consider food and are consuming on a daily basic is not really food.

And if you argue that it is food then perhaps we could atleast agree that these new item are not good foods.

On August 31,2006 in an article titled "Die or beat this" the Gleaner reported that diabeates had reached chronic proportions in Jamaica, within all levels of the society. Along with the rise in diabetics we see many Jamaicans now suffering from hypertension, allergies and mental maladies. In a more country where doctors are already overwhelmed by trauma patients and senior citizens many of our Islands citizens cannot will not get adequate treatment from hospitals and clinics. Many people will die prematurely and face amputations because of these diseases - diseases that are entirely preventable!

"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure"

Above is another old and timeless saying that we Jamaicans and people of color world wide need to remember. The best we can do for ourselves is prevent a bad situation before it happens. Do not delude yourself - if you continue down this path of wreck-less eating you will become sick. All the diseases we would only hear about in America will be present on our little island and these plagues will overwhelm us. I urge all Jamaicans to return to the more traditional way of eating - cooking our own foods. Leave junk foods and microwave dinners alone and eat yams, plantains, akee and codfish etc. The greener we eat the better we will be so do not neglect the pop chow and the callaloo and the bush tea. I urge to rethink your new eating habits my fellow Africans wherever you may be currently residing on the planet - rethink and rebuild. I urge you to make a change because I Love you and I wish to see you prosper. I urge you to Love yourselves - eat natural foods.