They taught the locals to fry fish rather than eat it raw, and forced them to import unhealthy produce after co-opting farmland for mining. <\/p>\n
Under colonial rule, much changed in how food was sourced, grown and prepared and the social change was swift, said lead author Dr McLennan <\/p>\n
What happened to the land also changed as colonial agriculture and mining industries expanded. There was an increase in family size meaning food was increasingly imported. <\/p>\n
The tiny island of Nauru <\/p>\n
The Cook Islands were taken as a British protectorate in 1888, and became New Zealand's first South Pacific Island colony in 1901 until political independence in 1965. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the tiny Pacific island of Nauru is a former German and British colony whose Administration was led by Australia until 1968. <\/p>\n
Researchers found colonial letters describing how the settlers taught proper food habits as part of their attempt to civilise the islanders <\/p>\n
Colonial initiatives, such as mining or cash-crops, meant that land historically used for food gathering became inaccessible or infertile, the team concluded. <\/p>\n
And pollution from colonial shipping lines and industry degraded reefs, a former rich food source. <\/p>\n
Professor Stanley Ulijaszek said: Previous attempts to explain the disproportionately high rates of obesity in these and other island nations have tended to focus on the geographical isolation of islands and the risk of food shortages. <\/p>\n
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British made Pacific islanders fat by civilising them with fried food<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They taught the locals to fry fish rather than eat it raw, and forced them to import unhealthy produce after co-opting farmland for mining. Under colonial rule, much changed in how food was sourced, grown and prepared and the social change was swift, said lead author Dr McLennan What happened to the land also changed as colonial agriculture and mining industries expanded Continue reading