Promoting healthy diets
FARMING is not an easy job, says market vendor Venina Vakarusere. Ms Vakarusere has been selling vegetables and root crops at the Nausori Municipal Market for the past 41 years with her husband Peter Rabulukula.
She hails from Lutu Village in Naitasiri.
The couple married in 1980, the same year their first child was born.
“My husband was a farmer and we decided to both venture out into farming,” she said.
“In 1981 we had a table at the old Nausori market and until today we are still selling some vegetables and root crops.”
Ms Vakarusere said they planted yams, dalo, cassava and vegetables at their farm in Vugalei Village, Tailevu.
“We would work really hard in farming because we did not have formal employment,” she said.
“And that was our source of income during the time.
“We could earn more money before compared to what we are earning now because time has changed.”
Ms Vakarusere and her husband would be at the Nausori market from 7am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays.
“Since we are growing old,
VITTORIA PASCA originally from Italy is a nutritionist by profession.
She has been a resident in Fiji with her partner since 2017 and started her businessHealthy Eating Fiji the same year.
"It is basically a social business promoting healthy diets and non-communicable we are no longer physically fit to plant vegetables.
Now we only sell bananas, vudi, cassava, and dalo,” she said.
“For us to be able to earn some money and prepare ourselves for family commitments such as weddings and funerals is vital.”
Ms Vakarusere advises youths to manage their time wisely if they would like to do farming as a long term investment. diseases (NCDs) prevention," she said.
"We have some fun activities such as cooking classes and the VegFest which started last Tuesday.
"VegFest is a festival where we do tasting dinners and other events such as free food tasting, movie nights, markets - just to promote local fruits and vegetables."
Pasca said the idea behind the VegFest was to motivate people to eat a lot of healthy foods and local resources.
"To get people to enjoy them more and for new creative ways of cooking them so people don't get bored of eating vegetables," she said.
Pasca said 2018 was the first time they did the food festival - VegFest. “Being a farmer requires you to wake up early in the morning, go to the farm and then come back home to rest before going back in the afternoon,” she said.
“You need to make sure you are planting fruits and vegetables that align with the weather conditions.
“We don’t plant things carelessly.”
Ms Vakarusere said they
Apart from her business, Pasca had also launched a cook book in 2020 called Pacific-Vegan Healthy and Creative Cooking with Pacific Plants. "The book is basically focused on plant-based foods such as dalo, cassava, kumala, bread fruit, watercress, pineapples and there is some nutritional explanation," she said.
"And also a lot of recipes that can be done with them so it's all plantbased and whole foods, meaning we are cooking from scratch - from ingredients bought mostly from the market.
"I'm about to release the next book which is to be launched this month called Healthy Eating with Pacific Plants."
Pasca said she was in love with the Suva Municipal market and the variety of fruits and vegetables sold by vendors.
"When I come for a market run which would be for two managed to pay their five children’s school fees from farming.
“We earned good money from farming and invested it into our children’s education,” she said.
“Our life here in the Nausori market is all about caring for one another and being together like a family.
“When someone dies we all contribute financially or with food to support their family.” people for one week I would spend around $50,"she said.
"It's really great when you have a lot of different varieties from the vendors - I love tropical fruits and vegetables.
"I'm a vegan so having a lot of good vegetables and fruits is really super important."
Pasca said she enjoyed visiting the upper section of the market as well.
"I like the upstairs section of the market where you can get legumes and also I like buying starchy crops in particular kumala and dalo," she said.
"So I think each of us should have legumes each week that comes at an affordable price. "Healthy living is extremely important for everyone in their diet.
"People can actually live with NCDs for many years, making life for them much harder, so I think taking care of yourself and body should be the first
priority for each of us."
Health benefits of sweet potatoes SWEET potatoes are nutrient-dense root vegetables that come in a variety of colours. They’re high in fibre and antioxidants, which protect your body from free
radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They’re also incredibly rich
in beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system. Sweet potatoes are versatile and can be prepared in both sweet
and savoury dishes, making them an exceptional carb option for most people.