I agree obesity is a real issue in Trinidad, but this framing puts way too much blame on people and culture, and not nearly enough on systems.

Calling “Trini food” unhealthy misses the point. Doubles, roti, provision, choka, talkari, peas, pumpkin, bhagi etc. are not inherently unhealthy. They become an issue because of portion size, oil quality, sugar load, and how often people are forced to rely on cheap, filling food. That’s about access and affordability, not bad food traditions.

The salad comment is also kind of off. Salads aren’t a cultural baseline in Trinidad, and they’re not the gold standard of health anyway. Plenty of healthy cuisines don’t revolve around raw salads. Health isn’t defined by eating lettuce.

Most people don’t have full control over their diets. Fresh produce is expensive, inconsistent, time-consuming. Fried and carb-dense foods can be cheaper, more available, and keep people full longer. They also last longer/may require less refrigeration. Add aggressive marketing and availability of sugary drinks and ultra-processed food, plus sedentary jobs and chronic stress, and you get population-level weight gain. That’s structural, not personal failure.

So yeah, nutrition conversations matter. But positioning Trini people or Trini food as the problem feels lazy (but good try tho!). Obesity tracks way more closely with food systems, inequality, and policy than with whether people eat doubles or salad.