Yes, I know there are some exceptions; very tiring times when the flesh maybe too weak to complete a food idea due to ill state of mind, mourning, sad times and other low moments, but in all, you’ll agree that the capital of healthy living is good food.
Over time, I have met people who treat fooding as a last option; they almost don’t eat and when they do, it is scantily. It suffices to say that one of the ways you can show respect to yourself is by eating good food.
It was World Food Day Tuesday, October 16 and the theme is built around eradicating hunger.
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According to Food Aid Foundation, some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That’s about one in nine people on earth. The vast majority of the world’s hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 per cent of the population is undernourished.
The Foodand Agriculture Organisation (FAO) predicted that about 3.6 million would face severe hunger in Borno State alone as at August 2017.
It’s no child’s play.
Oluwamodupe Ojo, a nutritionist gave an insight into why people have food ideas that somehow tilts towards myth and unhealthy lifestyle.
“The phrase “You are what you eat” is very true, if you consume energy-dense food always it might result in obesity, which is a major risk factor of most non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and a host of others.
“In our part of the world due to the level of poverty, people just eat to get filled not considering the nutrient they would get from it. By consulting a nutritionist/dietician a simple plan can be made that would be affordable and healthy for people.”
Miss Ojo, while explaining why people don’t eat a lot, said: “People not eating a lot can mean different things, it might be due to a discovery. For instance, if a person who eats excessively before comes to the light of knowledge of the many harms associated with excessive eating, the person might start not eating a lot and for some it could be due to a disease like diabetes or it might be as a result of the obsession of being slim.
“For those without appetite, it might be as a result of depression, the appearance of food or having to repeat the same food all the time. Anorexia could be another reason, why people might not feel hungry, such person see should a nutritionist/dietician or a medical doctor for advice and treatment.
“People should eat because that is the only means by which nutrients can enter the body to create new cells, clean toxins and function every day.”
The nutritionist also added that it is “It is a wrong mentality to wait until we are hungry to eat. For example, breakfast should be taken around 6-7am, lunch between noon and 2 pm, dinner around 6-7pm, supper is optional but it is any food taken before bedtime. Meal times have become cultural in this part of the world, where people believe that if they have not worked in the morning they don’t deserve breakfast.”
While we shouldn’t just eat to burst hunger, setting a standard to increase our dietary requirements is top notch and must not be compromised.
“I tell people to eat an adequate diet. An Adequate diet is one which meets in full all the nutritional needs of the person. There are needs set for different age groups, the needs of infants differ in quantity and nutrients to that of any other age group.
“There are recommended dietary allowance for each age group, that is why the counsel of a nutritionist/dietician is always needed. A meal might be balanced with all classes of food and not adequate for the individual.
“As earlier stated and as practised, meals should be taken at appropriate times, one should not wait till he/she is hungry before taking food. Food should be taken three times daily with healthy snacks in between meals,” Miss Ojo said.
Whether we have enough food options in this part of the world or not is open for debate, but what is even more interesting,according to Miss Ojo, is that “we are not diverse in our foodchoices and likewise, there are not enough recipes which may make food boring due to the repetition of food.
“By diverse food choices I mean a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts and vegetable oils and that includes low-fat dairy and lean poultry and meat.”
Madam nutritionist, do you have a best food? She answered: “No, I don’t. I have some favourites though, but I am always ready to try something new as long as it appeases to my aesthetic senses. Having a best food might limit my opportunities of getting the nutrients my body needs.”
and then