Sainimili Magimagi 
[file photo]
Fijian nurses plan to study whether traditional Chinese tea habits can help diabetic patients improve their health.
After attending the Tea for Harmony exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Centre, nurses said they were inspired to rethink how tea is consumed locally especially in a country battling high diabetes rates.
Fiji Nursing Association Secretary General Filomena Talawadua stated the event highlighted how tea in Chinese tradition is served in small amounts, without milk or sugar, focusing on aroma and natural benefits.
She said this was a sharp contrast to local habits where tea is taken with milk and sugar in large cups, often several times a day.
“But we are going to challenge ourselves to identify one diabetic patient each, and what their impairment is, and see if it does make a difference to their dieting, and also on ourselves too.”
Talawadua said nurses now want to track diabetic patients who switch to traditional tea methods and test whether the change makes a health impact.
She said the goal was to promote culturally grounded health practices that could support long-term patient care.
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