Nutrition
Overcoming breast cancer with diet
Fruits are very important in combating the disease
In this month of October, which is breast cancer awareness month, I will be offering titbits on how to protect your health through diet.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer, and the leading cause of cancer deaths in Ghana. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue, including breast cancer, starting with an optimum nutrition.
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include, but are not limited to; breast lump or thickening, alteration in size, shape or appearance of a breast; dimpling, redness, pitting or other alteration in the skin; change in nipple appearance or alteration in the skin surrounding the nipple (areola); and/or abnormal nipple discharge.
Some factors that may increase one’s risk of breast cancer include; female gender, increasing age,obesity, drinking alcohol, cigarette smoking, personal history of breast cancer, family history of breast cancer,among others.
Role of nutrition in the pro tection against the development, progressionand re-emerging of breast cancer
The immune system normally seeks out cancer cells and cells with damaged DNA and destroys them. Breast cancer may be a result of failure of such an effective immune de fence and surveillance.
Some vitamins and mineralssuch as V itamin A, B, C, D, E, beta carotene, selenium, zinc and iron enhance the functions of the immune system to ensure constant arrest and destruction of cancer cells.
Today we will be covering the list of fruits containing such vitamins and minerals. These include:
• Citrus fruits: oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons and limes
• Pome fruits: apples and pears
• Stone fruits: apricots, cherries and peaches
• Tropical fruits: banana, pawpaw, mangoes, pineapples and melons
• Berries: strawberries
A selection of these fruits can be blended together into a smoothie fruit juice or cut into fruit salad and taken as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner.
In our next chapter, vegetables containing such vitamins and minerals against breast can cer will be covered.
The writer, Bernice Korkor Asare is a Dietician and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Holistic Health Consult,“your diet your health, your health your wealth”
E-mail: info@holistichealthconsult.org
In March 2025, world leaders gathered in Paris for the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the most important global gathering on malnutrition of the decade. Over $30 billion in new financial commitments were pledged globally by more than 170 actors from 82 countries. Ghana was there. Ghana made commitments. The question now is: are those commitments enough, and will they be delivered?
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Summit. One of the most significant is a pledge to spend at least $6 million annually from 2026 for the procurement of essential nutrition commodities including ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), iron-folic acid tablets, vitamin A supplements, and anthropometric equipment for measuring child growth.
This financial commitment is meaningful. For years, Ghana’s nutrition programmes have depended heavily on donor funding, leaving services vulnerable to aid cuts and supply disruptions. A domestic budget line for nutrition commodities signals a shift toward ownership and sustainability. It also directly supports Ghana’s Nutrition for Growth commitments from the 2021 Tokyo Summit, several of which remain off track.
The Bigger Picture
The 2025 N4G Summit was about more than funding. It called for systemic change: embedding nutrition in food systems, health coverage, climate resilience, and gender equality. Every dollar invested in nutrition is estimated to return $16 to the local economy. Yet malnutrition still costs Ghana an estimated 6.4 per cent of its GDP annually. That is not a public health statistic. It is an economic emergency.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has acknowledged that converting summit outcomes into actionable change requires transparent policy dialogue and locally driven solutions.
Commitments made in Paris must be tracked, funded, and implemented in Ghana’s communities. Programmes must move from pilot scale to national coverage. That will not happen without sustained political will, dedicated domestic financing, and public accountability.
Commitments made on global stages matter. But they only become meaningful when they translate into services in communities. The question is not what Ghana promised in Paris. It is what Ghana delivers at home.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
Cabbage is very rich in fibre, the main supplier of roughage. This helps the body retain water and it maintains the bulkiness of the food as it moves through the bowels.
Thus, it is a good remedy for constipation and other digestion-related problems.
Ingredients
-1 large cabbage
– 4 large fresh tomatoes
– 1 large onion
– Pepper
-Garlic
-2 large salmon
-1 tin of mackerel
-2 large green pepper
-Salt to taste
Preparation
-Chop cabbage roughly and wash in a large pot of water
-Pour vinegar on it and wait until you make other preparations. Then drain.
-Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat
-Cook and stir onion in hot oil until onion turns dark brown.
-Blend tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and onion and add to the oil
-Add tomato paste, mackerel and salmon to stew
-Add cabbage, stir and cover to cook for 7 – 10 minutes
-Allow to simmer when it is soft and serve with rice, yam etc.
