http://www.newroutes.org/node/30087A group of Somali friends gather for coffee and conversation. They talk about the Somali habit of taking double cream and double sugar in their coffee. They try to convince a newcomer, Ali, to reduce his intake of sugar and fats so he will be more healthy. But Ali has had many difficult things in his life and wants to hang on to this simple pleasure. A good deal of basic health information is presented through conversation in this vignette.
New cases of type II diabetes & heart diseases within the Somali community in the West is on the rise. I think we need a lot of public awareness programs and campaigns like this one to remind people to change their sedentary lifestyles and reduce their intake of carbs & fats. Just because you were healthy back home doesn't mean you can get away with shoving down the same types of foods and expect to still be healthy. I've seen perfectly healthy-looking young men diagnosed with type II diabetes and even high cholesterol. Unlike most infectious diseases commonly found back home, these other diseases are directly dictated by a person's lifestyle and often times have no cure.

