Ital Food Is Vital
A Jamaican cultural reflection on Ital cuisine—its Rastafarian origins, its meaning, and why modern health advice keeps circling back to what Rastafarians have always said: Ital is vital.
Your original insight, refined for today
Ital cuisine is one of the best secrets in the holistic world today. The originators of this cuisine—the Rastafarian—have always said that Ital is vital. Buttressed by the knowledge we are empowered with today, I don’t think anyone could successfully dispute that statement.
And so it often came to pass that these very people visited the doctor because they were not feeling well. Oh yes—you guessed it. The doctor would often say: stop eating the meats, forget the salt, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and stay away from dairy products.
Returning home silently, they would follow the doctor’s advice—yet still refuse to call it Ital, or to confess that Rastafarians were right.
Whatever is good is, more times than not, natural.
If it is natural, then it is Ital… and if it is Ital, then it’s vital.
So now we see the importance of Ital food. There are numerous benefits that come with adopting this cuisine. We have found the exotic without fully exploring and enjoying the basic. The basic is fundamental, while the exotic is often detrimental.
Most Jamaicans do owe the Rastafarian an apology for ridiculing Ital cuisine in its initial stage. They say that ignorance is bliss, but in this case ignorance led to embarrassment.
When the Rastafarian started to tell Jamaicans that Ital is vital—and that processed foods, salt, meats, and dairy products were not in their best interest—they were looked on with disdain. People would openly laugh them to scorn through ignorance and false pride.
Ital Cuisine • We are Best Jamaica. We know “Ital Food” best—not as a fashion statement, but as Jamaica’s living wisdom. If it is natural, it is Ital. If it is Ital, it is vital.