Another American fast-food restaurant is opening in Guyana and some of the people call it progress. Feigning ignorance is a skill many Guyanese have mastered. But maybe some are ignorant. These deluded versions of us affect the whole. We have seen the suffering many of our people have endured because of poor choices but maybe it has taught some of us nothing. Those who lack depth, vision, knowledge or understanding to see pass the façade of wealth and health help to deepen our suffering. There being more options for unhealthy food is not progress. Yes, people have a choice. Yes, the coming of new fast-food restaurants creates jobs. I would be a hypocrite if I say people should never consume fast food, but it is the overconsumption that is the problem. We can think about the cost of the fast-food restaurants to set up and operate in Guyana, but what is the cost to the health and wellbeing of the nation? Food is not forced into the mouths of most people. Free will still exists but food addiction is also real.
Most of the popular foreign owned fast-food restaurants sinking their claws into Guyana’s soil because oil is flowing, contain high levels of sodium, sugar and saturated fats. A 2023 medically reviewed article on medicine.net.com titled ‘What Causes Fast Food Addiction, and How Can I Break It?’ stated that “Fast food triggers the reward system in your brain. This includes the release of dopamine, a potent chemical transmitter of the nervous system. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable feelings. Foods high in sugar, salt, and flavor trigger a greater dopamine release. People with food addiction have dysfunctional reward systems similar to those observed in the case of substance abuse disorders. Fast food addiction may not meet all the criteria for true addiction and substance dependence, but foods with high levels of fat and refined carbohydrates are more likely to cause addiction-like eating behaviors.”
The article went on to list some of the health problems that can occur from an over-consumption of fast food such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Last month there was an article on NCN Guyana titled ‘Rising Cases of Cardiovascular Disease Among Young People in Guyana.’ This article stated that Dr. Mahendra Carpen who during an appearance on Health – Inside Out on KAMS TV highlighted the fact that many young people are suffering from heart disease. The doctor reported that heart attacks that were once predominantly seen in people fifty and over are now prevalent in people in their thirties and forties.
For a while I have been observing the increasing young faces that are being seen on death announcements. It appears that it is mostly young people who are dying. While we live in a reckless country and some of those deaths are because of accidents and violence, young people collapsing and dying from heart attacks or being sick with diseases like cancer, is concerning.
There was a Kaieteur News article on October 12th which revealed that the Ministry of Health’s cancer registry reported 693 cases of cancer in the first six months of this year. It was also reported that in 2023 there was a 38 percent cancer increase from the previous year.
The bringing of fast-food restaurants will not help the health crisis in Guyana. Yes, people will have more options even though fast food may be low in nutrients and fiber. Many families may see it as a quick solution for a meal especially when they must feed hungry children. Being a mother of two I have experienced this. The children will consume fast-food everyday if you allow them. But we must also think about the long-term effects on children’s health especially when it is overconsumed. How does a diet high in sugar, saturated fats and sodium affect children?
News Medical Life Sciences ‘Obesity and Fast food’ reported “Fast foods affect children and youth often worse than adults. This is because most of the fast foods are targeted towards children and there is a sustained pattern of eating fast foods and eating out.”
It went on to say, “Eating out is another major contributor to childhood obesity. Studies show that calorie content of out-of-home meals that children consumed was 55% higher than that of in-home meals.”
Guyana has all the ingredients for a healthy population. We have a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, staples, fats and animal-source foods. We do not need to indulge in the overconsumption of fast foods. Fast-food restaurants in Guyana are not a sign of progress because they can negatively affect the health of the nation. It also is a part of the erasure of Guyanese culture. How will local eateries be affected if we become a nation with foreign owned fast-food restaurants on every corner of the city and scattered around the country? We must think about the future. If a large section of the nation’s children become addicted to fast foods, what will they give to their children when they become parents? Are we teaching our children to cook healthy meals?
We have seen shows from the United States like ‘My Six Hundred Pound Life’. The worst of food addiction has been displayed. According to the World Health Organisation out of the 195 countries in the world, the United States was listed at number 13 as having the worse obesity rates. In many cities in the United States there are fast food restaurants on every corner.
There are Guyanese who are fascinated by the American lifestyle even though we have seen the devastating effects of the American diet especially when there is an overconsumption of fast foods. The fact that there are those who are asking for other popular fast-food restaurants to come is worrying. What are we teaching our children about food and nutrition? What will happen if a larger and younger section of our population suffer from obesity and chronic diseases because of the over consumption of fast food? If we find ourselves in the drive-thru lines more than a few times a week or even a few times a month, we have a problem.
There are those who say that we all will die, and that people should eat whatever they want or do whatever they want to enjoy their lives. Yes, people have the right to do as they please, but we must also consider the quality of lives we are living. Diseases, living on medication and shortened life expectancy because of what we choose to eat should not be what we expect of the human experience. We can add or subtract from our lives by what we consume and how active we are.