Whole, Fresh Food Diet to Fight Diseases – HFJ

Jamaicans are being encouraging to consume a healthy diet consisting mostly of whole, fresh foods to increase their ability to withstand diseases.

Chairman of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, Dr. Andrene Chung, in making the call said that the disease-resistant diet should be low in sugar and salt and rich in antioxidants from fresh fruits and vegetables, along with good-quality protein.

She was speaking at the launch of Heart Month 2025 on Tuesday (January 28) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston under the theme ‘Love Your Heart: Eat Smart, Healthy Eating for a Healthy Heart’.

Dr. Chung said that all healthy eating plans must have five common principles – eating plant foods, getting adequate protein, consuming minimally processed foods, limiting saturated fat and sodium and having a balanced and varied diet.

“Plant foods are rich in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibre, and fighter chemicals, which include antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, even anti-cancer substances, so they are nutrition-dense and relatively low in calories,” she pointed out.

The HFJ Chair said that consuming adequate protein to build muscle strength is important, not only for growing children but for adults as they get older.

“Elderly people need protein for muscle strength to remain independent and functional,” she pointed out.

Highlighting the importance of limiting highly processed foods, Dr. Chung cited the 2019 National Institute of Health Study which “definitively showed that eating a diet high in ultra-processed foods caused weight gain and unhealthy shifts in blood sugar and cholesterol”.

“For the healthiest diet, you want to rely as much as possible on whole foods like almonds, and broccoli or minimally processed foods like tuna, plain yoghurt and natural peanut butter,” the HFJ Chair advised.

“Processing is going to strip away the nutrients as well as add harmful preservatives and additives,” she pointed out. Dr. Chung contended that the best way to ensure healthy diets on a population scale is through the introduction and adherence to policies such as the National School Nutrition Policy, which is currently going through a process of Cabinet approval.

“We also need to provide our citizens with healthy [food] choices; reduce the influx of ultra-processed foods; support farmers who supply natural whole foods at an affordable cost; limit the sale of ultra-processed, unhealthy foods to children; and maintain a safe space in schools for children to consume healthy diets,” the HFJ Chair said.