Let's Go Local High School Club teaches on healthy island foods

By Dr. Lois Englberger

How exciting to see high school students motivated to teach about island foods! On 21 September 2007, twenty-seven Let's Go Local High School Club members from two high schools (PICS and Seventh Day Adventist) went to two elementary schools, Ohmine and Kolonia, to share the Yellow Varieties message, as dressed in their yellow t-shirts.

They taught Class 5 and other students, with Gailliard Eliou (President) leading the arrangements. John Ryan led the class in Ohmine (see the photo) assisted by his fellow club members. Other club members helping in this and past events include: Ryan Yamada (Vice-President), Saxona Edgar (Secretary), Marvin Obispo, Miyuki Paul, Jeffrey Bonaparte, Relihna Lohn, Sanolyn Rettin, Amy Albert, Nick Santiago, Miuveen Diana, Barry Penias, Nordel Ehpiel, Jeffrey John, Midion Neth Jr. and Norma Lohn.

Some of the messages that the students shared with the primary school children were:

• Health is related to what we eat.
• Imported foods (e.g. rice) often provide poor nutrient content, leading to health problems.
• There are many varieties of local bananas and other local food.
• Yellow-fleshed banana varieties (like Utin Iap, Utimwas, Karat, Mangat, and Ihpali) contain greater amounts of provitamin A carotenoids than white-fleshed varieties.
• Yellow-fleshed giant swamp taro (mwahng) varieties also contain rich concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids. These protect against cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and are turned into vitamin A in the body, alleviating vitamin A deficiency disorders (protecting against infection) and strengthening the blood.
• Even white-fleshed banana varieties contain some carotenoids but rice contains none.
• Carotenoids in cooked foods are not destroyed (bioavailability generally improves by cooking); this is different from vitamin C, which is destroyed by cooking.
• Carotenoids develop with ripeness (green bananas contain low levels).
• Bananas are rich in tryptophan, which turns into the mood-enhancer serotonin, giving a happy feeling. ...so… BE HAPPY, EAT A BANANA!
• Local foods also provide food security, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits.

Gailliard Eliou assisted in arranging for the yellow t-shirts, as printed by Pohnpei Arts and Crafts, with yellow symbolic of carotenoids, which are characterized by yellow and orange coloration.

Thanks are given to Robina Anson and the Pohnpei Diabetes Program and to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program for their support, to the four schools involved, and to Kun Isaac, Department of Education, assisting in arrangements for the release of the high school students for the event.