Local food policies can help promote local foods and improve health: a case study from the Federated States of Micronesia.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and other countries throughout the Pacific are facing an epidemic of non-communicable disease health problems. These are directly related to the increased consumption of unhealthy imported processed foods, the neglect of traditional food systems, and lifestyle changes, including decreased physical activity. The FSM faces the double burden of malnutrition with both non-communicable diseases and micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamin A deficiency and anemia.

An evaluation of a nutrition intervention in Kapinga Village on Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

The people of Kapinga Village are suffering from chronic diseases as a result of their lifestyles and eating habits, similar to many Pohnpeians. Kapinga Village is an urban area on the island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, settled by people from Kapingamarangi, a remote atoll. The villagers have limited access to traditional staple foods, including breadfruit, banana, and taro, fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods.

Evaluation of a "traditional food for health" intervention in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) faces increasing rates of non-communicable diseases related to the neglect of the traditional food system and the shift to consumption of imported food and adoption of sedentary lifestyles. To reverse this trend, a two-year, food-based intervention in one Pohnpeian community in FSM promoted local food production and consumption using a variety of approaches including education, training, agriculture and social marketing following a "Go Local" message. Foods promoted were banana, giant swamp taro, breadfruit and pandanus varieties, green leafy vegetables and fruits for their provitamin A and total carotenoids, vitamins, minerals and fiber content.

A participatory assessment of dietary patterns and food behavior in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Non-communicable diseases are escalating rapidly within the Pacific region, including Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. A shift in dietary patterns from indigenous, high fiber, healthy local food to energy-dense, imported food with low nutritional value, and increased sedentary lifestyles are expediting this process. Essential to counteract this trend is an understanding of how people make food decisions.

An NGO approach for addressing the nutrition dilemma: Pohnpei focuses on awareness, food analysis, conservation, and food processing.

The establishment of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, presents a new approach for promoting Pacific Island food for its health and many other benefits. Its vision is holistic, stressing the importance of island food for sustainable development, economic benefits, self-reliance, improved health, cultural preservation, and human dignity, at the same time protecting the natural resources. A major reason for the establishment of this NGO is the emergence of an epidemic of nutrition-related health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, vitamin A deficiency, and anemia.

Pacific issues of biodiversity, health and nutrition.

Neglect of traditional food systems has led to serious nutrition and health problems throughout the Pacific Islands. At the same time, there is concern about the loss of traditional knowledge, customs and culture related to local foods, and of biodiversity. However, there is still a great diversity of nutrient-rich local food crops in the Pacific, along with considerable knowledge about these foods, their methods of production, harvesting, storage, and preparation.

Carotenoid content and flesh color of selected banana cultivars growing in Australia.

Background: The problems of vitamin A deficiency and chronic diseases have emerged in recent years in some countries in the Micronesian region. These problems are associated with the dietary shift towards imported processed foods and lifestyle changes. Research in the Federated States of Micronesia indicates that yellow- and orange-fleshed banana cultivars contain significant levels of provitamin A carotenoids.

Carotenoid and vitamin content of Karat and other Micronesian banana cultivars.

We previously found high carotenoid levels in Karat and other Micronesian bananas, indicating potential importance for alleviating vitamin A deficiency and other nutritionally related health problems in the Federated States of Micronesia. Past work focused on carotenoid and mineral analyses, whereas here we investigated 16 cultivars (most not previously analysed) for a broader micronutrient profile, including seven vitamins. Karat carotenoid levels were higher than in previous analyses, confirming Karat as exceptionally carotenoid-rich.

Indigenous peoples' food systems for health: finding interventions that work.

This is a short report of a 'safari' held in conjunction with the International Congress of Nutrition in September 2005, in Futululu, St. Lucia, South Africa. Participants were several members of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences Task Force on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Nutrition, other interested scientists and members of the Kwa Zulu indigenous community.

Carotenoid content of pandanus fruit cultivars and other foods of the Republic of Kiribati.

Background: Kiribati, a remote atoll island country of the Pacific, has serious problems of vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Thus, it is important to identify locally grown acceptable foods that might be promoted to alleviate this problem. Pandanus fruit (Pandanus tectorius) is a well-liked indigenous Kiribati food with many cultivars that have orange/yellow flesh, indicative of carotenoid content.

Carotenoid-rich bananas: a potential food source for alleviating vitamin A deficiency.

This review article points out that bananas are an important food for many people in the world. Thus, banana cultivars rich in provitamin A carotenoids may offer a potential food source for alleviating vitamin A deficiency, particularly in developing countries. Many factors are associated with the presently known food sources of vitamin A that limit their effectiveness in improving vitamin A status.

Pacific pandanus fruit: an ethnographic approach to understanding an overlooked source of provitamin A carotenoids.

Commonly recommended plant sources of provitamin A, such as dark green leafy vegetables, are not acceptable in many population groups. The objective of this study was to identify other indigenous foods that may be effectively promoted to alleviate vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and to gather information relevant to identification, production, acquisition, and consumption of foods relevant to a food-based VAD prevention strategy in the Federated States of Micronesia. An ethnographic study on edible pandanus cultivars, involving key informant interviews and observation was carried out.

Insights on food and nutrition in the Federated States of Micronesia: a review of the literature.

Background: Nutrition-related disorders, including vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and chronic diseases, are serious problems in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Many suggest that these disorders are new problems related to dietary and lifestyle changes. In the past four decades, imported foods, such as white rice, flour, sugar, refined foods and fatty meats, have increasingly replaced local foods in the diet.