Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 1, 1 January 1990 — ʻAi Pono, E Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi Pono, E Ola

By Terry Shintani, M.D.

Three Hawaiian secrets to keeping your new year's diet resolution

Have you made a new year's resolution for weight loss? How would you like three simple tips on losing weight? If you're like millions of Americans, the diet resolution is one that is

a high priority on your list. It is important for all Hawaiians that you keep your resolution. lt is important because perhaps more than any other ethnie group in Hawaii, Hawaiians influence eaeh other. Like it or not, Hawaiians are lokahi (united) with eaeh other (and in a larger sense lokahi with all people). We are embarking on a new decade — the 1990s — full of promise for Hawaiian health. The Native Hawaiian Health Act is intended to provide over $19 million in federal money for Native Hawaiian health programs. Alu Like has recently received a grant of over $ 1 million to provide meals and other services for elderly Hawaiians. The Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and the Cancer Research Center have applieations pending for grants from the Nahonal Cancer Institute for cancer prevention programs for Native Hawaiians. As promising as these programs are, none of ihem are as exciting as the potential that Hawaiians already have in the principle of lokahi or ola lokahi — being united with and helping eaeh other. Let me illustrate this with an example. In midDecember, the Wai'anae Diet Frogram graduates met at the WCCHC. One of the couples who graduated from the program (Midge and Kalehua Eli) shared the fact that they were now practicing the Wai'anae Diet in their daily lives. A friend who had some health concerns heard about this and wanted to leam more. The eouple invited him to eat with them. Within a week, this friend showed significant weight loss and had to cut his medications in half. This simple act of sharing helped their friend lose weight and improve his health and may ultimately prolong his life. In fact, this simple act of sharing the Wai'anae Diet is such powerful medieine that if the person you are sharing it with is on medication, this person should go on the diet only with a physician's supervision, for safety's sake. This may sound like a trivial, isolated example. But the fact is that this eouple by their example influenced another person to try the Wai'anae Diet and the diet allowed the friend to lose eight pounds in three days! A number of the participants had the opportunity (or necessity) to take their Wai'anae Diet lunches to meetings or their workplace where they ate their food in the presence of others. All 20 participants had occasions in whieh they influenced other Hawaiians at least by raising their awareness about health. They planted a seed in the minds of others that may blossom at some late date. This principle is also demonstrated in the "Walk and Talk Story" group at Pilila'au park on the Wai'anae Coast. Participants invite their friends and have a group to talk with while they exercise. One woman said that she comes to the group because the time goes by so fast and she has fun walking because she has someone to talk to.This principle could apply to any group exercise activity. And, as you know, exercise is an important part of any sustained weight loss program. The principle of lokahi or ola lokahi (unity with all life) that is demonstrated by these individuals' examples is a powerful principle that has guided the Walk and Talk Story Group and the Wai'anae Diet Program. If applied properly by enough

people it ean be a key to improving Hawaiian health that is more powerfu! than millions of dollars of federal money. Consider that over the past 20 years, heart disease (the number one killer of all Americans and all Hawaiians)hasdecreasedby25 percent over the entire 225 million population in America largely because of the "fitness"and nutrition awareness in this country during that period. The same ean happen for the Hawaiian people and it ean happen in a shorter time because there are only 200,000 native Hawaiians. In fact it is my hope that it will happen within this, the new decade. In the meantime, for your new year's resolution, the three secrets to weight loss are (1) the Wai'anae Diet (or its equivalent), (2) regular exercise and (3)

in the spirit of ola lokahi, share these with others so that others will benefit. You will find that the benefit will eome back to you. If you'd like to find out more about the Wai'anae Diet Program, a booklet will be coming out soon (it may already be out). If you want tojoin Walk and Talk Story in Wai'anae or just show up at Pilila'au park in Wai'anae it is held at 7:30 a.m. on Monday or Fridays. For more information eall me at 6967081. Terry Shintani, M.D., physician and nutritionist, is director of preuention medicine at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. A majority of its 17,000 clients are Natiue Hawaiian.