Food and Medicine: the Belizean Perspective
Introduction
In America the average perspective of food and medicine is severely Westernized to, what I would argue is, a major fault. Local food is seen as a new fad, as is organic food and alternative medicine. Behind that curtain of “what’s in” is also the more slowly emerging idea of viewing food as medicine. When we step away from our Western worldview we see that local food isn’t a “hip”, new commodity as much as it is the standard, more economical and environmentally sound, way of life in more impoverished nations, such as in Belize. By interviewing eight locals -seven Belizeans and one Guatemalan- while on a three-week trip (the first two weeks with an Ithaca College Environmental Studies class) I was able to further understand the local perspective on food and medicine. From a traditional Maya healer to a former chef/restaurant owner to tour guides and local employees I was able to get an interesting culmination of perspectives. In the interviews I focused on the types of food people eat, the ratio of plant versus animal protein consumed, where their food is coming from, and the role of natural medicine. Beyond the interviews, I also learned a lot from our time spent in the forest with guides, a tour of the botanical garden, a tour of Chaa Creek’s organic Maya farm, walking the Rainforest Medicine Trail, visiting the local farmers market, as well as the class lectures by Colin Young and Rosita Arvigo.
Food
Compared to the modern food system, food in Belize seems much closer to the consumer in both physical proximity and mindset. From what I observed, the majority of fresh food consumed is locally produced, including produce, meat, dairy, and eggs. Many people at least have their own gardens and raise their own chickens. The homestay family that I stayed with in the village of Cristo Rey have both a handful of edible/medicinal plants in their yard and several chickens. They also have several relatives within a few minutes walking distance who have farms producing other crops that they can easily access, such as plantains. While several people have chickens, they are mainly for producing eggs and only on occasion killed for meat. Furthermore, although a little over half of the people I interviewed eat meat on a somewhat regular basis, this is much different from that of the average American consumption of meat; instead of being the center of the meal, it is seen more as an accent piece to a dish. This may be because meat, along with dairy, is more expensive for the average Belizean to consume to the level that many Americans do. From the Guatemalan tour guide I spoke with (H) it seemed that animal products were even more scarcely consumed in Guatemala due to the expense and were seen as more of a luxury food for special occasions, even though many people in the region I visited, the Petén district, live on or near livestock farms.
Going beyond looking at how much plant versus animal protein is consumed, I also asked people if they felt that the food they ate affected their health. Although I wasn’t able to ask that question to every interviewee, the six that I did present that question to gave an unhesitating response agreeing with this idea. A handful of people expressed that they prefer local food over “American” food and one person (E) even said that when he visited the United States this past fall (2010) he got sick because of the food. E also explained that he is very strict with what he eats, especially in other places because he wants to make sure it is safe; he feels that he can trust Belizean food because “they know how to cook it properly” and he knows that what he’s eating is grown/processed well. Another woman I spoke with (L) said that she very rarely eats meat or dairy because it is too acidic for her body and she gets a bad skin reaction from acidic foods. She used to take “huge pills” for this reaction, however with influence from her own reading and her Maya grandmother she learned to change her diet and to use a bath of gumbolimbo bark to calm the reaction. With these changes she hasn’t noticed a skin reaction since and says she barely goes to the hospital anymore – she prefers to use mainly natural remedies. H also believes that Guatemalans are overall healthier because of their diet and says that they work until a very old age. Polo Romero, the traditional Maya healer we worked with, also expressed his hesitations and concerns with eating meat and dairy: he doesn’t eat dairy and barely eats any meat - only occasional chicken and even more occasional beef (never pork), and only when he knows where it comes from. One of his reasons for not eating much animal protein is because of all the hormones in the feed for chickens and livestock, even in Belize where it is better than in America; he especially cautioned against eating Mennonite food because of the pesticides and hormones used. He did however make a point to say that milk is good for you, but not with the hormones in the feed; instead, he makes cohune butter and milk during the dry season.
Furthermore, although I didn’t meet many vegetarians, people seem to have a much different perspective on the consumption of animal products. A few people I spoke with knew a few vegetarians, but it didn’t seem like much of a commonplace. However, they did express how many tourists are vegetarians. The only strict vegetarian I met was Rosita Arvigo, who was raised in America. From an ethical perspective, many vegetarians from the United States may very well eat meat on occasion in Belize because it is very easy to know where the food is coming from and factory farms are pretty much obsolete from my understanding. Surprisingly, something that I found especially shocking was the large amount of food produced for the country of Belize (40%) by the Mennonites; this was an agreement arranged with the government before independence that allowed the Mennonites to live in Belize.
Medicine
Although most of the people I interviewed seemed to use and prefer natural medicine, there was one middle-aged man (R) who said that he doesn’t know many bush doctors and believes that most of them are “full of crap”; he always goes to the hospital for any ailment. However, he does know a handful of important plants to help or stay away from when in the rainforest. R had a story of being bitten by a fer-de-lance while in the bush to go along with his more modern perspective of healing. He expressed that whenever he is far enough into the rainforest that help would be hard to get if needed he carries anti-venom with him as a safety precaution. In general, R has a more scientific approach to medicine. For instance, he was describing how the extremity of snakebites varies depending on many factors: the victims shock/stress level, where the bite was (closer to the heart is more deadly), whether the snake was a baby or an adult (babies don’t know how to control their glands while adults can choose to release different amounts), if the snake just ate then they release less venom, etc. He also explained that it is extremely important to know what type of snake bites you so you don’t inject the wrong anti-venom and also to know how much venom they released so as not to poison yourself with too much anti-venom by mistake. This all seems like very good, stable knowledge of healing; it is particularly interesting to see what he chooses to use to his advantage and what he writes off as quackery. On the reverse of R, my homestay mother (F) has a much different perspective of natural medicine. F worked alongside Rosita Arvigo in her kitchen at Chaa Creek and learned a great deal from her. When ailments went beyond her knowledge she would go to see Don Elijio and other bush doctors in the area. When her daughter was bit by a snake as a young girl she initially took her to the hospital, but ended up taking her to a snake doctor when the hospital wasn’t able to do anything. She expressed that even now she does not go to the doctor unless it is absolutely necessary and that hospitals are simply too expensive for the average Belizean. From my understanding, Belize is working toward a combination of Western medicine (i.e. anti-venom) and traditional healing (i.e. snake doctors) for the most successful results: “in the same way that Spanish medicine blended with Maya medicine to produce a stronger system, there can be a synthesis of traditional and modern medicines for the benefit of all who seek relief from pain and illness” (Arvigo and Balick 27).
Conclusion
From being immersed in Belizean culture and speaking directly with locals about their perspectives on food and medicine, I feel that what I saw both lived up to my expectations and also shifted my understanding. From Rosita Arvigo’s Sastun it made it seem that not that many Belizeans still use traditional methods or care about the food that they are eating. However, I felt like this was not necessarily true to what I saw. I would’ve loved to speak with more people, especially ranging in ages from young school children to a more elderly demographic. Although locals may not be as educated as to why eating the way they do is good for both them and their environment, most I spoke to are aware of the benefits to at least some degree. I think that both Belizeans and Western society could benefit from further research on the traditional perspective toward food and medicine, as they have a much closer, and inevitably healthier and more sustainable, relationship with their natural world. Seeing and being a part of this closer relationship was extremely powerful for me and has ever-increased my awareness of food, healing, and the ethics behind it.
Bibliography
Arvigo, Rosita. Sastun. New York: HarperCollins. 1994.
Arvigo, R & Balick, M. (1998). Rainforest remedies: One hundred healing herbs of
Belize. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press.
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