Herbalist Derica Clarke is her own walking testimony to the power of healthy living.

When she was a child, her mother loved plants, and the young Derica would help her to water them and learn about them at the same time. But it was 15 years ago that her love of nature began to transform her own life.

“I always loved nature,” she said, and talked of how her connection to a bobo priest 15 years ago “just heightened that in me”.

Derica studied farming in an online class, and then started putting those lessons into practice.

“My personal testimony,” she said, “I was 287lb. As soon as I went on the vegan base, I could see the change.”

Derica now takes her knowledge of herbalism and healthy living to the people – with a stall that offers native and seasonal fruit, dry powders, bush teas and natural juices, coconut water and sweet milk, and vegan food.

For Derica, she says that when it comes to healthy living, it is about what you put into it – and what you put into you. She also said her own spirituality and faith in God was an important part of her journey.

“I have had persons who tried to get healthy and I helped persons with that,” she says, saying that even people who have been battling pancreatic cancer have been helped.

For most people, she says: “I find many of them are interested in taking supplements – but until you adjust your own habits, you are defeating your own purpose.”

Derica is one of a dozen vendors taking part in the latest Paradise Island Farmers Market on Saturday, from 8am-3pm, and she says previous markets have been useful for being able to help people to change their lifestyles.

“People do come and ask and want to talk about how they can change to become healthier,” she said.

The market includes locally grown produce, handcrafted goods and Bahamian treats, and is held at the Paradise Island Straw Market across the street from Marina Village, in partnership with Atlantis and the Agricultural Development Organization.

ADO executive chairman Philip Smith says that the market has attracted hundreds of visitors to previous events, and urges people to make the most of local produce for a healthier lifestyle.

He said: “Eating what’s grown locally can make a real difference. You know where the food comes from, it’s from farm to table without preservatives or other additives. It can make a real difference in living a healthier lifestyle.”

The market is held each month at Atlantis – and Mr Smith has said giving people the chance to shop locally is “a win for everyone”.

He said: “If we buy from home, we don’t have to import that food from elsewhere. The money stays here.”

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