Nutritional Advantages of Food

In this article, we will look at the following:

Food which helps the body cope with stress

Food which helps improve eyesight, and

Food which helps to relieve depression

Foods to help the body cope with stress

The immune system helps protect the body from bacteria and viruses. Research has proven that a diet low in vitamin C, zinc and beta-carotene reduces the body’s ability to fight invasions from hostile organisms. Foods that are high in vitamin C are citrus fruit and berries. Foods that are a rich source of zinc include oysters, liver, pumpkin seeds, red meat and sardines. Beta-carotene rich foods include sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots and oranges.

Alcohol, when consumed in large amounts, increases the risk of long-term damage to health. Try to limit your intake of alcohol to 3 to 4 units per day (equivalent to two pints of beer) if you are a man, and 2 to 3 units per day (equivalent to two glasses of wine) if you are a woman. These guidelines are benchmarks and are not targets to drink up to. Benchmarks are a guide to how much alcohol can be taken without putting your health at risk.

Foods to improve eyesight

There have been links made between some antioxidant substances and a reduced risk of eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma. Wholegrain foods and red meat contain B vitamins and may help to maintain the health of the optic nerve, an essential part of good vision. Green leafy vegetables and orange coloured fruit and vegetables are a good source of beta carotene which is needed by the eyes to allow them to adapt to darkness.

Vitamin C containing foods such as citrus fruits and berries may reduce the risk of raised pressure in the eye which is useful for people with glaucoma and those prone to cataracts.

Foods to relieve depression

Dietary changes prove to be most beneficial in people suffering from mild to moderate depression. Oats contain saponins, alkaloids, B vitamins and flavonoids, all known for their anti-depressant actions. Basil contains a substance called basil camphor which is thought to have an antidepressant action.

Eat more Brussels sprouts, beetroot, broccoli and asparagus as all are rich in folate; low levels of this B vitamin are linked to depression. Breakfast cereals and yeast extract are fortified with folic acid which acts in the same way as folate. Vitamin B6 is responsible for converting a substance called tryptophan into serotonin which raises mood. Good sources of vitamin B6 are whole meal products, cod, turkey, beef and bananas.

By: Padi Theresa Padikwor

FOOD SECURITY AND THE CHANGING CLIMATIC PATTERNS IN POST 20TH CENTURY ERA

From man’s earliest days through various civilizations to present times, one inalienable truth remains that food has and will always be crucial to his survival. With a wide array of families and categories such as cereals, vegetables and fruits to choose from, they do not only meet our hunger needs but also provide the essential nutrients which the body needs to function well and be protected from any possible sicknesses.

However, these food crops which serve as raw materials used to prepare the various foods we consume require natural agents such as adequate sunshine, water and air to be able to grow and be used by man. As reservoirs of food nutrients, food crops undeniably cannot be substituted and a cut in their supply will not inure to the advantage of its consumers – humans and by extension, animals. This shows the relationship between food crop cultivation and climate. It is therefore important to understand the changing patterns in global climatic conditions and their implications on food security across trans-national borders.

Climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular – change apparent from the mid to late 20^th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. The United Nation’s report on climate change recently showed that 2014 was the hottest year on record and 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred in the 21st century. It also stated that sea levels continue to rise, Arctic sea-ice is retreating, and there are more severe weather events, including extended droughts and floods.

continuous melt down of the arctic sea

Apparently, the world has experienced very harsh climatic conditions in the last four to five decades than ever before in history. Global climate change influences all aspects of our daily lives, and it will for many years to come. Although not all aspects of climatic change are negative, most sectors will need to find ways to deal with the effects. One of the areas at high risk is agriculture and food security.

Against this backdrop, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was founded in 1988 conducted studies into how the changing climatic patterns impeded food security. The results of the study revealed that worsening climatic challenges has and will continue to increase the risk of reduced crop productivity associated with heat and drought stress.

Rightly so, the panel also projects that the effects of climate change will lead to massive decline in crop production by 2030. For instance, in parts of Brazil, they estimate that rice and wheat yields could decline by a whopping 14%. The story is no different in other continents such as Africa where agriculture still remains largely agrarian.

Furthermore, this phenomenon has culminated into food shortage in many parts of the world especially because it is increasingly becoming difficult to meet the high demand for food. Poor rainfall patterns and high heat levels have all adversely affected food production and have allowed for alternative food production mechanisms to be explored by experts and global leaders. Organic foods for example, are gradually being modified genetically to supplement what farmers produce.  

Debate on this subject has however been greeted with a lot of criticism especially in less developed countries like Ghana where technology and literacy is relatively low. In light of this, world agencies such as the IPCC have advocated for the management practises like irrigation optimisation and fertiliser optimisation to boost natural food production processes across the world.

Asides the above efforts, the United Nations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is spearheading the battle against climate change and its consequence on food production and food security to end hunger and starvation in most parts of the world. The IPCC report found, however, that there is still time to limit climate change, provided that action is taken now. There will be costs to taking action, but action now will be far less expensive than it will be in future years.

Many still remain unsure of the safety of the foods they consume as long as the problem of climate change hangs menacingly over the heads of several governments. From the raw food crops in the farm to the semi-packaged ones in the supermarkets, the health risks abound further deepening calls to conserve the natural environment.

We hope for improvements in the situation in the foreseeable future but until then, food security will continue to be a major concern for all of humanity.

by: Emmanuel Agorsor

The World And Fake Food

Tasty, delicious, mouthwatering, sweet, bitter, umami, I could really go on and on, just to describe a good meal. Food, a necessity to every human life, is now used to predict and assess people's status in some societies. Thus, taking a three square meal a day is seen ''flashy" in many underdeveloped countries. This raises  just twice will be described, poor or semi-poor. Food as with any culture gives its people a unique identity; Ewes for instance are known for their “Akple” and “Abobi tadi”. Chinese are also better known for the their noodles, thus making it an indispensable part of its people. Food according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. In essence, food is the fuel that drives the human body in everything it does. But from a more religious perspective particularly from the Christian viewpoint and you’ll be told “Man shall not live by bread [food] alone”. 

Food is mostly produced from plants and animals. Plants are cultivated and the parts used for food and medicinal purposes as well. Animals also directly and indirectly give us food. With the increasing human population, there is a general demand to increase production to be able to feed the ever increasing hungry mouths. And this need has created the food industry. Though there has been substantial surveillance on food production by the World Health Organization International Association for Food Protection, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council, there seem to be a menace fast growing which if not properly checked could erase half of the world’s population in the next ten years. This menace is the continuous production of Fake Food.

There is the need to realize that the fake food I talk about is not the plastic food replicas used for decoration and are made of plastic resins which are also not edible. The fake food I am talking about are those meals that are produced for human consumption with little or no natural ingredient.                         I woke up on Thursday to a WhatsApp message from a friend; rubber was being turned to rice for human production. Surprisingly it came with a video; being a confirmation of a sort. Another thing which got me worried was that this was being produced for human consumption.

The leading country in mass production of these lethal foods is China. The world’s largest economy, with the largest population is the leading country in fake food production. You’d want to ask yourself, why would they even do that? The reason is simple, with the increasing number of people; there is the need to increase production to feed the growing stomachs. And to think of the fact that they export food to other continents, it can be fairly understood. But is it justifiable?

In 2007, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng visited a family hit by tragedy as a result of tainted food in the Anhui Province of China. The Zhang family lost their daughter, Rong Rong, who died from being fed fake milk powder in 2004. More than 50 children died as a result of this. The Chinese government has tried to crack down on fake foods and drugs ever since. As an example, the food and drug Chief was arrested for taking bribes. He was sentenced to death in July 2007.

But despite these initiatives by the Chinese government to clump down on fake food, Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao again in August 2014 uncovered the continuous sale of counterfeit food. Prior to that, the BBC in May 2013 reported the high influx of fake food on the Chinese market.

Coming down to our very own country, we may not be large producers of fake food, but we make lots of foods unhealthy for consumption. The meats that are sold in our markets are burned with car tires before they are brought to the market. Another product which suffers this deadly canker is honey. The product is mostly mixed before arrival unto the market for consumption. What saddens me is the “pure” word that is used to describe the product. The biggest of these activities as it comes is the Palm Oil dilema. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on October 20^th announced that Ghanaians be weary on buying and using Palm Oil. The FDA in its statement said out of the 50 samples tested, 98% tested positive for Sudan IV dye.

Red Palm oil

With the situation as it stands now, it is difficult to determine whether what you eat is free from poisonous substance or is produced from a laboratory with little or no resemblance to the real product. As such, there is the need for Agencies like the FDA to tighten the surveillance on food produced and imported into the country. On the international scene, the WHO and other bodies like the Association for Food Protection to instill discipline on countries noted for the production of adulterated food, particularly China. On the other hand citizens can report foods that look suspicious to the FDA to ensure safety on our markets.

We can’t stop eating, but we can ensure that what we eat doesn’t kill us! 

by: Egbeta Mawuena Eric

Food and Culture

People connect to their cultural or ethnic group through similar food patterns. Immigrants often use food as a means of retaining their cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. The ingredients, methods of preparation, preservation techniques and types of food eaten at different meals vary among cultures. Thus, the areas in which families live and where their ancestors originated influenced their food likes and dislikes.

Food items themselves have meaning attached to them. Moreover, nations or countries are frequently associated with certain foods.

Culture plays a role in food related etiquette. People in western societies for instance may refer to food related etiquette as ‘table manners’  a phrase that illustrates the cultural expectation of eating food or meals at a table. Some people eat with forks and spoons and others use their fingers of chopsticks. Among other groups, using both hands while eating is acceptable. In some countries, licking the fingers is polite while others consider it as impolite when licking the fingers after eating (and done only when a person thinks no one is watching).

The video above shows how some people eats some local foods with their hands since that is their tradition. The food tastes delicious and nice only when eaten that way.

Culture today sees the amount of left over foods on plate as part of politeness. The amount of people eat and leave uneaten foods also varies from group to group. Some people from middle Eastern and Southeast Asia countries might leave a little bit of food on their plates in order to indicate that their hunger has been satisfied (Kittler 2001).

Chinese delicacy

 Meanwhile in some African countries, cooks might be offended if food is left on the plate, indicating that the guest may have disliked the food. Similarly a clean plate might signify either satisfaction with the meal or desire for more food
In in recent times, the kind of dress or the manner in which you dressed influences the kind of food you take. That is , if an individual on an early Monday morning is dressed up for work would not eat heavy or starchy foods like ‘banku or kenkey’ because of the nature and content of the food. Wearing suits or formal dressing matches with certain kinds of foods.

Eating in groups has certain ethics to be considered. These ethics have connectedness to our culture, in the sense that not every individual are allowed to eat with certain class of people. When four or more people are eating together, they supposed to start and end in the same manner. Thus, even if one is satisfied, he or she is not expected to wash the hands but instead takes the hands out of the plate and wait for the others to finish.

the Gas are known for their Kenkey

Rural and urban migration has changed some food patterns today in certain societies. These patterns have changed consistently because of their current location. Some people have migrated from their respective regions to settle somewhere because of some developmental changes. They are now exposed to foods now in their current locality. For instance many individuals from different regions in Ghana have now moved from their regions to settle here in Accra. They now adapt and start tasting the foods present in Accra since it very common to afford. One can witness these when Asantes and Ewes in Accra start eating Kenkey in Accra.

Many parts of central Africa have remained true to their traditional foods, perhaps because until the 19^th century, there weren’t many external influences on the cuisine.
One’s favorite food gives or reveals the kind of group he or she belongs to. Many Africans today like their local food no matter how difficult the preparation process it takes or the purchasing capita. People are ignoring their traditional foods and going in for the foreign or exotic foods because of the long method in the preparation. Foods like Fufu and Palm nut soup take long in preparing.

Many people think about food as solely sustenance, a source of nutrients and energy to live. However, though food is necessary, food is not just a pure biological need. In fact, food can reveal a great deal in culture. Ultimately, by viewing food as more than just a source of nourishment and examining it and its preparation, one could learn more about a particular society and its people.

by: Solomon Afadi

CATEGORIES OF FOOD

In order to understand how we can enjoy greater health and wellbeing, we need to understand something about food. There are four essential groups of food. For health and wellbeing we require food from all the groups. Many foods contain more than one group of food, and milk contains all groups of food. Food is often classified as: Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat, and Vitamins & Minerals.

Carbohydrates: are substances that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are used in the body to produce energy. They include sugars and starches.

Carbohydrates are usually obtained from plant sources. They are broken down in the body to form glucose, and any that is not immediately required in stored, in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Plants use carbohydrates to build structures and store any excess as starch, whereas, animals use protein to build structures and store any excess as fat. Plants make carbohydrates from sunlight, water, chlorophyll, and carbon dioxide. We obtain them from plants, for example; cereals, starchy roots, legumes (pulses), vegetables and fruits, sugars, preserves and syrups. Carbohydrates are mainly used by the body to produce energy. Where there is a lack of energy, we might think of carbohydrates. The energy in the body is used for:

·         External activities (behaviour), such as work, sport, and leisure-that is any movement of the body.

·         Internal activities including breathing, pumping blood, digestion and the activities of the immune system.

Proteins: are composed, like carbohydrates, of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but with nitrogen. They may also contain sulphur and phosphorus. 

They are complex molecules composed of amino acids. Proteins are used by the body to: enable growth, development and repair, build structures such as muscles, tissues and organs, including the heart, lungs, digestive organs, enzymes, as such as those required for digestion and hormones, such as those for the endocrine glands. Complete proteins are obtained from meat, fish and dairy products including eggs. Proteins can also be obtained from certain combinations of foods, for example cereals and beans.

Fats and Oils: Fats are substances that are not soluble in water. They are composed of fatty acids and glycerol. Fats are also called lipids. 

Sources of Fat include animal meat, fish, and vegetable oils. Fats are used by the body: in every cell structure, to insulate the body, to produce sex hormones and adrenal cortex hormones, to store energy and to absorb certain vitamins (A, D, E and K).

Vitamins and Minerals: vitamins are substances that are required in the diet for health and wellbeing. They are often grouped as fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat –soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E and K. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamins C and B.

Minerals are non-organic substances that are required in the diet. While only small amounts of minerals are required in our diets, they are critical in building bones and teeth, regulating heart beat and transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. Vitamins and Minerals occur in a variety of foods. That is, by eating a variety of foods, you can get the necessary vitamins and minerals you need for health.

by: Biney Ampah Gifty