Dante Carrillo
The Samoan diet has changed significantly over the last few decades, with an increase in imported processed foods and a decrease in traditional foods. This shift has led to a health crisis, with conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity on the rise. The traditional Samoan diet was based on foods like taro, coconut, breadfruit, and shellfish, with cooking techniques such as the earth oven. However, modern Samoans now consume more flour, yeast, rice, sugar, and even SPAM, with these pālagi foods becoming a bigger part of daily life. This has resulted in dietary diseases and metabolic syndrome, with obesity rates in American Samoa at epidemic levels, currently affecting around 71% of women and 61% of men.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Dietary diseases | On the rise |
| Dietary patterns | Associated with metabolic syndrome |
| Imported processed foods | Heavily featured in contemporary daily diets |
| Consumption of fruits and vegetables | Decreased |
| Consumption of fish | Decreased |
| Consumption of processed foods | Increased |
| Consumption of refined carbohydrates | Increased |
| Obesity | 71% of women and 61% of men in American Samoa |
| Obesity | 30% of men and 50% of women in Samoa |
| Type 2 diabetes | Prevalent |
| Hypertension | Prevalent |
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What You'll Learn
The health crisis in Samoa
The two polities of Samoa (the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa) are facing a serious health crisis. The traditional Samoan diet was based on foods like coconut, taro, shellfish, breadfruit, and pigs, which required significant energy to procure and prepare, leading to a high caloric expenditure. However, in recent decades, Samoa has undergone rapid modernisation and significant dietary transitions. The influx of imported processed foods and "pālagi" (non-Samoan) foods, such as flour, yeast, rice, sugar, and SPAM, has led to a decrease in the consumption of traditional, nutrient-rich foods and an increase in dietary components associated with metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome, which is closely linked to dietary patterns, is a significant health issue in Samoa. It encompasses a cluster of conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, which have led to increased hospitalizations, surgeries, and deaths. The prevalence of these conditions has reached epidemic proportions, with approximately 71% of women and 61% of men in American Samoa classified as obese. While the rates of obesity and metabolic disorders are lower in the Independent State of Samoa, they still affect a substantial portion of the population, with over 30% of men and 50% of women classified as obese.
Samoan culture attaches a deep significance to food as a means of expressing respect, love, and wealth. This cultural context makes it challenging to eliminate imported processed foods from diets, as they have become entangled with notions of taste and cultural values. Additionally, the "back-to-ancestral-foods" approach may not be entirely feasible in the modern context, where access to traditional foods and the energy expenditure associated with their procurement have changed significantly.
To address the health crisis in Samoa, a multifaceted approach is necessary. While a return to exclusively ancestral foods may not be realistic, promoting a balance between traditional and modern dietary patterns can help mitigate the negative health impacts. Encouraging physical activity, providing education on nutrition and healthy cooking methods, and addressing the underlying cultural and social factors influencing food choices can also contribute to positive changes. Additionally, policy interventions that regulate the availability and marketing of imported processed foods could play a crucial role in improving the health outcomes for the Samoan population.
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Imported processed foods
The integration of imported processed foods into the Samoan diet is deeply entangled with cultural notions of respect, love, and wealth, making it challenging to eliminate these foods from their dietary practices. This integration has led to a unique blend of traditional and modern foods in Samoa, with traditional dishes like taro, coconut, and breadfruit now often accompanied by processed and imported foods.
The health crisis in Samoa, driven by dietary habits, has resulted in increased hospitalizations, surgeries, and even deaths. The modernization and globalization of the Samoan diet have contributed to this crisis, with the country undergoing a rapid nutrition transition. This transition is characterized by a decrease in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fish, and an increase in processed foods high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates.
While obesity and metabolic disorders are more prevalent in American Samoa than in Samoa, both regions are facing significant health challenges due to dietary changes. The ecological difference between the two Samoas can be attributed to the different levels of modernization, with American Samoa experiencing more rapid and extensive dietary transitions. Overall, the increasing consumption of imported processed foods in Samoa has had a significant impact on the health and culture of the country, presenting complex challenges that are not easily resolved.
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Traditional Samoan foods
The Samoan diet has changed significantly over the last few decades, with an increase in imported processed foods and a subsequent health crisis. However, traditional foods still play an important role in Samoan culture and daily life.
One traditional dish is 'umu, which involves wrapping food in banana leaves and cooking it in an earth oven. The food is placed in a pit lined with hot stones and covered with soil to trap the heat and cook the food slowly. This method is used to cook dishes such as palusami, which consists of taro leaves stuffed with coconut cream and onions. Another traditional dish is oka, a raw fish dish where the fish is cured in citrus juice and then soaked in coconut cream and chillies.
With more outside influence in the 20th century, new foods were introduced to Samoa. Foreign aid brought flour, yeast, rice, and sugar, leading to the creation of pani popo (coconut bread) and koko alaisa (rice cooked in hot cocoa). The world wars also brought more people, industry, and cash to Samoa, increasing exposure to and access to foreign foods. SPAM became a common part of the daily diet, and foreign dishes became more common on Samoan tables. Despite these changes, traditional foods like taro, coconut, and breadfruit have remained a part of the Samoan diet.
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The role of food in Samoan culture
Food plays a significant role in Samoan culture, with traditional dishes reflecting the history and geography of the Samoan archipelago. Samoan cuisine has been influenced by the country's natural resources, with traditional dishes featuring locally available produce such as coconut, taro, and breadfruit, as well as domesticated animals like chickens, pigs, and dogs. The early Samoan food culture was marked by intense labor, with tasks like climbing coconut trees, pulling taro, and gathering shellfish requiring significant energy expenditure, resulting in a high-calorie burn for those maintaining a steady diet of traditional foods.
However, over the last few decades, the Samoan diet has undergone significant changes due to modernization and globalization. The influx of imported processed foods, often high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, has contributed to a health crisis in Samoa, with increasing rates of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. This shift towards a more modern diet has been influenced by various factors, including the introduction of food aid from countries like New Zealand, Australia, and the United States following natural disasters in the mid-20th century. The inclusion of foreign ingredients like flour, yeast, rice, and sugar in Samoan cuisine led to the creation of hybrid dishes such as pani popo (coconut bread) and koko alaisa (cocoa rice).
Additionally, the presence of foreign industries, such as the whaling industry in the 19th century, and the subsequent increase in non-Samoan residents, has exposed Samoa to external culinary influences. The increased availability of "pālagi" (non-Samoan) foods and the ability of Samoans to afford these new options have resulted in a noticeable shift in the Samoan diet. While traditional foods like taro, coconut, and breadfruit are still consumed, they now share the table with imported processed foods and dishes influenced by foreign culinary traditions.
Despite the health concerns associated with the modern Samoan diet, eliminating imported foods may not be a simple task due to the cultural significance attached to food in Samoan society. Food is used to convey notions of respect, love, and wealth, and the adoption of foreign foods has become entangled with deeper ideas of taste and preference. As a result, a complete return to ancestral eating patterns may not be feasible, and a balanced approach that incorporates the best of both traditional and modern dietary practices may be more realistic and beneficial for the health and well-being of the Samoan people.
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The impact of modernisation
The Samoan diet has been influenced by modernisation, with a shift from traditional dietary patterns to more modern ones. This has resulted in a decline in the nutritional quality of the diet, particularly among younger Samoans.
A study on the impact of modernisation on the diets of Samoan church communities in Auckland, New Zealand, found that those aged 20-40 years obtained a significantly higher proportion of their energy from fat and sugar, and a lower proportion from protein, compared to those aged 40 and above. The younger group also had lower intakes of vitamins and minerals and a higher proportion of their energy intake came from takeaways, soft drinks, snacks, and dairy products. This reflects a broader shift towards more convenient and processed foods that are often higher in fat and sugar.
The dietary transition has had negative health effects, with increasing rates of obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Samoan communities in the archipelago and abroad. In 2003, about one-third of men and over half of women aged 25 to 74 years in Samoa were obese by Polynesian BMI standards. By the same standard, in American Samoa in 2002, about 60% of men and three-quarters of women were obese.
Modernisation has also influenced the dietary habits of Samoan adults in urban settings outside of Samoa, such as in Australia and New Zealand. Studies have found that Samoan adults in these settings have higher intakes of dairy products and processed foods, which can impact their overall nutritional status.
Overall, the impact of modernisation on the Samoan diet has led to a shift away from traditional dietary patterns, resulting in negative health outcomes and a decline in nutritional quality, particularly among younger Samoans. This highlights the importance of promoting healthy dietary habits and ensuring access to nutritious foods for Samoan communities, both in Samoa and abroad.
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Frequently asked questions
The Samoan diet has traditionally been based on foods like coconut, taro, shellfish, breadfruit, and pigs.
The Samoan diet has undergone significant changes over the last few decades due to rapid modernisation and globalisation. There has been an increase in the consumption of imported and processed foods, such as SPAM, flour, yeast, rice, and sugar. As a result, the prevalence of dietary-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, has also increased.
Some traditional Samoan dishes include pani popo, which is coconut bread or buns baked in coconut cream, and koko alaisa, which is rice cooked in hot cocoa.
A combination of factors, including catastrophic natural disasters, which brought food aid from foreign countries, and the world wars, which brought more people, industry, and cash to Samoa's economy, exposing more Samoans to non-traditional foods.
