Curaçao’s Wellness Industry:
Your Next Investment? Existing simultaneously with under nutrition, obesity is one of the world’s unconcealed yet ignored problems. This international epidemic of overweight and obesity – referred to by the World Health Organization as ‘globesity’ has found its way, along with all of its terrible effects, to a small island in the Caribbean Sea, Curaçao. Like with any other escalating trend, the unhealthy trend and its side effects has made way for a new market in Curaçao. The island is home to a growing ‘health-olution’ and leading this wind of change is a small but actively growing community of young local entrepreneurs.
figures are all quite alarming, and have given birth to a new trend, that is slowly but surely on the rise. It might even be the right industry for your next investment.
TEXT TAHNEE M. BRUIN
Creole food is rich. For generations, the local diet in Curaçao included a hearty stew or soup, with a small portion of vegetables, a side of rice of polenta, also known as ‘funchi’, and lots of deliciously fried goodness. Despite its deliciousness though, the foods, regardless of their freshness have always been high in calories and fats. While they are part of culture and tradition, as lifestyles change, perhaps diets needed to as well.
While Curaçao, an eclectic island with a culinary fusion of Dutch, South American, Afro-Caribbean, Portuguese, Indian, Spanish and other Caribbean influences, has plenty of options that can provide a nutritional balance, the presence of physical activity still remains questionable. Although, like most Caribbean islands, Curaçao has plenty of outdoor activities on land or in its crystal clear waters to promote a healthy lifestyle, and yet, more than 50% of the population is estimated to be obese, and statistics indicate a steady rise in the presence of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in children. The
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CURAÇAO BUSINESS
| NUMBER 1 | 2016
The Fast-paced Island Life Many could argue that over the past 50 years, islanders turned their backs on traditional diets made readily available by local produce and replaced these with highly processed and energy-dense foods imported from other countries. These new foods, that are often sold at a cheaper price, because they are produced in bulk then become the new normal. The question though is, if we go back to the basics – what were these creole food diets like prior to globalization?
Curaçao has also undergone an urbanization of its culture. Sedentary office cultures, the convenience of traveling by car and parking directly in front of your destination, and the decrease in price of unhealthy meal options has further aided the rise in obesity rates.
