Food technologist and nutritionist, Gertrude Quarshigah has lauded President Nana Akufo-Addo for calling on Ghanaians to pay attention to their health.
“The president’s statement to us was in the right direction,” she said.
While delivering his fourth State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo observed that there was a worrying trend of obesity among many Ghanaians– a situation that has been attributed to lifestyles.
“We are in danger of falling into the lifestyle disease trap. Too many of us are overweight and obesity is an increasing problem even among young people. The food we eat, the mode of cooking and the lack of exercise are all now having a great impression on our health. It is time we all learn to take responsibility for our individual health and accept that our health is very much determined by our lifestyle,” the president advised.
The trend has led to many young people dying of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, stroke and hypertension.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Gertrude Quarshiegah who also serves as Coordinator of the National School Feeding Programme urged Ghanaians to pay attention to the nutritional components of their meals.
“Food is medicine and we all eat to live so what we take in, we have to look at the component of food and the right quantity at the right time. So we don’t just get up and eat, so you have to look at the various food and vary it and then make sure that you take the nutritional component that deals in vitamins and fibre.”
She further suggested ways to live a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced meal.
“So for me, [I will recommend] vegetable foods in the morning…It is something that also helps the body. Protein yes but in moderation and mostly for children and aged people. And in addition to that, you also need some carbohydrate and then, you can carry on with the day. And so we have to eat well to grow well,” she added.
Figures from the regional hospitals and district hospitals in 2016 show that the top ten causes of disease were lifestyle-related.
These diseases were the top ten based on the total cases and the proportional morbidity rate.
• Malaria
• Anemia
• Hypertension
• Pneumonia
• Infection of Urinary Tract (UTI)
• Spontaneous delivery
• Diabetes
• Septicemia
• Gastritis
• Cellulitis
