food poverty

Malnutrition, the double-edged sword that could be decreasing our quality of life

by Christina
21/06/202105/02/2025

Last year, in October, I observed Malnutrition Awareness Week (MAW) with other healthcare professionals in the USA, Canada, and the U.K. You may wonder why that’s important. Simply put, malnutrition can lower our quality of life and life expectancy.

What is malnutrition anyway?

On hearing the word, Malnutrition many of us will conjure up images of starving children in war-stricken countries. However, malnutrition is a global issue that affects more people than you may recognise.

Food provides our bodies with the energy and nutrients important for growth, repair and staying active. However, for many of us, access to affordable, nutrient-rich foods is a challenge. Nutrient-dense foods such as fish, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds can be unavailable, inconvenient or unsafe. Pockets of food insecurity exist even in the most developed countries, which we have seen throughout the pandemic.

Who is the Face of Food Insecurity?

by Christina
27/05/202120/11/2021

I came across this really interesting study on fast food consumption among adolescents (12-15 years) from 68 countries and its association with food insecurity (Smith et al., 2021). And reminded me that I was due to write about food poverty and food insecurity for a hot minute🤦🏽.

Persons experiencing food insecurity may turn to high-calorie fast foods as a filling meal, but there is often little they can do at the individual level to free themselves from the cycle. Food insecurity is the inability of individuals or households to have reliable access to adequate, affordable, nutritious food.

Diversity in Nutrition & Dietetics featuring Janea Ifill

by Christina
22/02/202121/11/2021

I’m very excited to chat with Janea Ifill, a registered nutritionist from Barbados who completed her studies in the Caribbean. I met Janea on LinkedIn last year and have been following her as she’s grown into an entrepreneur and nutrition professional promoting sustainable practices in preventing health conditions within Barbados! I’m over the moon to have a local nutrition professional represented in these features.

Why is diversity important in Nutrition & Dietetics?

Janea Ifill Registered Nutritionist

Cruising through the supermarket aisles, hoping to be able to purchase healthy foods

Shocking Grocery Bill Shows Five-a-day May Not Be Affordable

by Christina
15/02/202021/11/2021

A few days ago, I decided to head to the supermarket to pick up some groceries, namely some fruit, vegetables and beverages to drink when I wasn’t sipping on cold water because Barbados is hot all year long. I was a bit disturbed by what I continued to notice. I knew things were expensive before, but I was quite frustrated when I started to calculate and reason out how I could get the most healthy selection within my budget.

Keep in mind that all prices mentioned are in Barbados dollars (BD$2= US$1).

When I first got to the produce section, I searched for some of my regular purchases and realized being unemployed, and wanting to eat adequate servings of fruit and vegetables left one with a difficult choice. I picked up a bag of 10 oranges for $10.99, a small bag of 5 tiny Gala apples for $3.50, half of a cantaloupe for $4.39 and a bag of onions ($1.85) out of necessity. To be honest, I hadn’t quite written a list because I had not yet decided what I wanted to cook for the week, as sometimes I’d choose my fruit and veg based on the price and what stood out to me. However, that was a terrible idea, as nothing stood out and there were no specials at that time. I did remember to buy some canned tomatoes ($5.50 for 2) for a sauce I planned to make, given it would have a longer shelf-life than fresh tomatoes, which I don’t remember finding.