Are You What You Eat?
Dr. Craig Stoutt argues that food security and healthy eating are fundamental to the British Virgin Islands' health, economy and resilience. He calls for renewed local agriculture, school-based agricultural science, incentives for backyard and community gardens, and better management of marine resources to reduce reliance on imported, processed foods.
Craig Stoutt, Contributor Think about the last time you felt fully energised and at peace — for many of us that comes after a good, wholesome meal. In a new commentary, Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Intensivist Dr. Craig Stoutt stresses that food security and healthy eating are not luxuries but the foundation of individual and community health in the British Virgin Islands.
Stoutt writes, means always being able to afford and find enough safe, nutritious food. Healthy eating means choosing whole or minimally refined foods — vegetables, grains and lean proteins — in balanced amounts. Both are needed for good health: security provides quantity and stability, while healthy eating provides the nutritional quality our bodies need to function, resist disease and support mental clarity.
The BVI today relies heavily on imported food. That dependence leaves the Territory vulnerable to global shocks — war, fuel crises or pandemics can abruptly limit supplies and raise prices. When people do not know where their next meal will come from, they live with chronic anxiety and toxic stress, and children face risks of developmental delays and stunting.
Conversely, regular access to nutritious meals supports immune function and learning. Having calories without nutrients can drive the rise of diabetes and high blood pressure, conditions already prevalent in the Territory. Stoutt emphasises that eating less sugar and processed food, and more nutrient-dense whole foods, is among the most affordable and powerful tools to prevent chronic disease and to improve day-to-day mood and focus.
Practical steps can be taken at both household and policy levels. Stoutt recommends subsidies and incentives to revive local farming and fishing, encouragement for backyard gardens and small-scale poultry keeping, and investment in community gardens. He urges the introduction of Agricultural Science in schools to teach younger generations the importance of food security and healthy eating.
The Territory's geography — more water mass than land mass — also presents opportunities if marine resources are better monitored and managed. Stoutt notes that foreign vessels currently fish BVI waters without contributing to local benefit; improved regulation and development of local fisheries could bolster food supplies and livelihoods.
Building a healthier BVI, he argues, will require coordinated action from families, communities and government to make nutritious food affordable, available and culturally accessible for this and future generations.
Primary source: BVI News