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Mega health expo for Perseverance residents and public |26 August 2019

Mega health expo for Perseverance residents and public

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is hosting a three-day mega health expo at Perseverance primary school, as part of its strategy to reach out to the community and promote healthy and holistic lifestyles.

The expo was officially launched yesterday morning in a brief ceremony attended by the district administrator for Perseverance 1, Andre Gabriel, who welcomed the Church and thanked them for the wonderful initiative.

Addressing all present at the launch, the director of the Adventist Health Ministry, Monica Fock-Tave, noted that the decision to host the expo at Perseverance was a calculated one to give residents of the new district (and the public) an opportunity to check their health status through numerous tests and to get health counselling for healthier lifestyles and diets.

“We are concerned about the health status of the population of Seychelles in general because you will find that there are a lot of fast-food restaurants these days and increasingly, our youngsters are getting sick. What we are aiming at is a change in lifestyle which is not forced upon them. Rather than impose, we advise them on simple changes that they can make gradually to improve their health status,” Mrs Fock-Tave stated.

Among the tests available at the expo are tests calculating body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and a test for blood sugar levels. Also available are a nutrition corner, an exercise corner and numerous health and spiritual guidance books on offer, all of which are being administered by volunteers from the church, health professional volunteers and trainees from the church’s health ministry.

For persons needing guidance and support to make dietary or lifestyle changes, the NEWSTART programme available at the Church provides custom-built programmes depending on their personal needs.

Sarah Sabadin explained that NEWSTART stands for nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest and trust in God.

“Nutrition is essential as we need to eat food to nourish our bodies and organs. Exercise is important to stimulate all bodily-organs, water which is essential to flush out toxins and for our kidney, sunlight is a good source of Vitamin D but it is best advised to get sunlight during the early hours of the day or just as the sun is going down in the evening. Temperance relates to self-control. It is essential to strike a balance in all that we do and to be able to resist temptation when faced with products that are harmful to health,” Ms Sabadin explained.

“Then we have fresh air for healthy lungs and brain function. Then we have rest. Many people believe that rest is not important but it is essential. Rest and 8 hours sleep is important to reenergise and refresh. Lastly we have trust in God as there are things were we are struggling and we need to ask for His help in overcoming things such as an addiction,” she said.

Both advised a holistic lifestyle with a whole-food plant based diet to prevent diseases and illnesses and to ensure optimum health.

“What we eat is very important and when making choices, we need to go back to the original food our ancestors ate including a whole-food-plant based diet which is more nutritious. Dairy and lactose intolerance is quite common but not many people are aware of it. So it is a matter of changing the taste buds and making better choices, fruits, vegetables, legumes, pulses which are easy to digest and which keeps the body and organs fit and healthy,” Mrs Fock-Tave noted.

DA Gabriel commended the initiative and stated that he hopes residents of the district turn up in numbers for the event, for the benefit of the whole community in the long-term.

“The government has invested and facilitated housing for many families. But do you just invest in the building or also in the lifestyle to better appreciate the investment so it is important to promote a healthier and holistic lifestyle. It will help to sensitise residents for healthier lifestyles,” Mr Gabriel stated.

The expo will run until tomorrow, Tuesday August 27 from 9am to 3pm. Everyone is welcome for free health checks and advice.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the expo yesterday.

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