Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 11, 1 November 2000 — ʻŌpū palaʻai [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻŌpū palaʻai

"pumpkin stomach," said in ridicule of one with a large, protruding abdomen.

By Claire Hughes Dept. of H e o lt h 0BESITY PLAGUES more Hawaiians today than ever before, yet many find it hard to believe that our ancestor were not fat. Survey data from the Department of Health show that about half (52.5 percent) of us are overweight. According to a small study, of those 52 percent, half are very mueh overweight, whieh means that about twenty-five percent of us are morbidly obese. Obesity is linked to all the illnesses that lead to higher death rates among Hawaiians. When we look around at friends and family, if everyone is heavy, we think that is the norm. Sadly, many of our children are affected very early in life. Between 1940 and 1960, Dr. Charles Snow, with anthropologists and scientists from the University of Hawai'i, studied Hawaiian skeletal remains from the Mōkapu excavations for Bishop Museum. In his summary report, he wrote, "Comparisons of the different bones give accurate concepts of body proportion and

build. Muscular bodies with very narrow hips were characteristic of these island people. The limb and hip bones showed an extraordinary muscular development in women as well as men. Indeed, all of their bones bespeak the vigorous and strenuous outdoor existence of these people." In 1921, in the newspaper Ka Hōkū o Hawai'i, the Reverend Stephen L. Desha wrote about human leg bones found near Haleokeawe at Hōnaunau. "It was seen that (the bone) from the foot to the knee, when set alongside the leg of certain man of Hōnaunau, the length of this bone reached almost halfway up the thigh of the living man. In adding the bone from the knee to the thigh, these two bones reach to the chest of a living man, so that we are able to realize that this was a very large man, perhaps seven or eight feet in height." In ancient times, the kings had an assistant, whose sole purpose was to keep the people fit. Malo wrote, "If the kālaimoku would see that the king's people were becoming so stout as to be clumsy, he would urge the king to have the men run races, role the maika, practice the game called pahe'e ... and go to

where the food was scarce, in order to reduce their flesh. If the

king was eating too mueh soft poi, they advised

against it, because hard poi is better and taro is best of all to make one fleet of foot ..." The gradual, but pronounced, deterioration in Hawaiian health is more likely the result of far poorer diets of the present era, as well as intermarriage. Soda, French fries, candies and chips are devoid of nutrients for growth. Fortunately, we do have the ability to exchange fat for muscle and to again become as powerfully built as our ancestors — a return to the traditional diet that is high in eomplex carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, and low in fats and animal products. In addition, a daily exercise regimen is

necessary. ror those of us who are older, a long, daily walk is one of the best overall exercises. To achieve maximum health, we are also encouraged to develop upper body strength. This means some weight-bearing exercises, whieh requires that we leam how to do them properly without hurting ourselves. Drinking adequate amounts of water, eight glasses a day, is particularly important when exercising. The remedies to retum to the vibrant state of health of our ancestors are simple, although not necessarily easy. Making some small dietary changes and gradually adding physical activity will be rewarding and life-sustaining. ■

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