Eat healthy to avoid NCDs - Nutritionist

A Nutritionist with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Catherine Adu-Asare, has called on Ghanaians to eat healthy foods to avoid contracting non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which, she said, were difficult to address.

She said NCDs were lifelong diseases, which could easily be avoided if people ate right and practised healthy living.

Mrs Adu-Asare was speaking at a Meatless Monday Ghana Community Groups Education Seminar on Healthy Eating for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDS).

It was organised by the Communication Initiatives for Change (CiC), in collaboration with the Mothers Club in Development, for community leaders and groups in the Nima - Mamobi area.

According to her, 41 million people died of NCDs across the world yearly, saying that it was more prevalent in developing countries as eight in 10 people who died in developing countries were due to NCDs.

She mentioned some of the risk factors of the disease, including drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating, among others.

However, she said some of the factors that caused NCDs were unavoidable such as age, gender, race and family history, among others. She, however, added that with healthy eating and taking some precautions, such as exercising, one could avoid them.

She, therefore, called on the general public to lead healthy lifestyles by eating more plant-based foods, choosing healthy fats such as olive oils, avocados, nuts and seeds and lean proteins such as fish and legumes, among others.

She also called on people to reduce their sodium intake, as well as limit added sugars.

Regular check-ups

The Chairperson of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Africa Region, Elizabeth Esi Denyoh, who took the participants through ‘Healthy eating and diabetes prevention and management’, called on people to change their unhealthy lifestyles to avoid contracting diabetes and other NCDs.

She also called on people to avoid artificial additives and eat healthy foods to promote good health.

She mentioned some of the warning signs of diabetes, including eating more, drinking plenty of water, sweating and urinating more, as well as losing weight.

Mrs Denyoh called on people to always go for regular check-ups so that any problem in their system would be detected early.

The Executive Director of CiC, Emmanuel Fiagbey, who introduced the participants to the Meatless Monday initiative, said it was a global movement that encouraged people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet.

He said eating less meat and healthier plant-based foods could help reduce the incidence of chronic preventable diseases, preserve precious land and water resources and combat climate change.

He said the initiative was to encourage people to "skip meat once a week" to help protect their health.

 Writer’s email:rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh