Last night I went to see Greezin, Bermuda Media’s documentary about the island’s battle with obesity and chronic disease.

It’s an entertaining but terrifying review of our national obsession with sugar, mac ‘n’ cheese, fried chicken, peas ‘n’ rice … the list goes on (but nobody mentions salad). It highlights just how bad our health crisis is and asks the questions …. where do we go from here? What do we do now?

Ironically, we have some of the most qualified health professionals in the world at our fingertips and yet they’re all shaking their heads, wondering how we reverse this devastating trend. It would seem logical that when someone’s body and health becomes limited enough by weight gain or disease, that they would become sufficiently motivated to change — and yet most people don’t. More than 70 per cent of Bermuda’s population is overweight or obese and we waste millions and millions of dollars on preventable diseases every year — and still the cycle goes on.

Although the problem is complex, I think the explanation behind the issue is pretty simple. We’re living at odds with our food environment and nothing short of drastic social change will stop it.

From a simple evolutionary and biological perspective, we were designed to crave energy-dense (carb-rich) food and to get pleasure from sugar and fat.

It worked brilliantly when we were hunter-gatherers (when food was scarce) but it’s backfiring spectacularly now, in the land of (relative) plenty.

We move and exercise less than we ever have, and we are completely surrounded by food. Not only that, but our portion sizes are out of control and most of the quick and easy options that facilitate our busy lives are cheaply filled with empty calories. This means that although we technically fulfil our calorie “quota”, our bodies are still looking for real nutrition and continue to send us hunger signals. And so we overeat.

The penalty for defying our evolutionary history (bear in mind that we’ve been hunter-gatherers for 99 per cent of the time that we’ve been on the planet) is steep: premature death, the highest rate of amputations in the world due to poorly controlled diabetes … the stats and stories in Greezin are shocking but hopefully they will resonate and shake some people into action.

What’s clear is this: Bermuda’s health crisis isn’t going away until we have a more supportive food environment. But that will take balls and bravery from the business and political sector if we’re actually going to achieve anything. It will take sacrifice too.

At some point, some of our biggest food distributors here need to acknowledge that their contribution and influence is dangerous and pushing Bermuda’s already fragile healthcare system over the edge. In my view, it’s unethical to keep profiting from marketing and supplying junk that has been scientifically proven to be addictive and the root cause of lifestyle-associated disease. I’m not suggesting that businesses be forced to change overnight, but what if they were given a three-year timeline to restructure the type of products they source and market? I know it all sounds a little Big Brother but honestly, I am not sure what else would actually work. Although we all know how I feel about sugar tax (as in hell yes, let’s make soda as expensive as alcohol and use the money to heavily subsidise fresh fruit and veg.)

Whatever your position, make sure you catch the documentary on channel 77 this weekend. It will be looping all through Friday, Saturday and Sunday so you’ll be able to catch it somewhere along the line. It’s also on YouTube and at www.Greezin.com

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda.