Nutrition

Asaba: The berry that makes everything sweet

Published

6 years ago

August 15, 2020

Ghanaians have always been addicted to football and over the years the only thing that has changed about our passion for the game of football is our new found romance with football cooked in other countries.

We would even go to bed on an empty stomach when Asante Kotoko our favourite club lost a game. Over 35 years ago, we played counters ball and gutter-to-gutter with “socks ball”; anyone who has played socks ball before will tell you the menace associated with playing this game close to a well endowed gutter.

This was the time when GBC television had no competition and FM stations had not seen the light of day. At this time we only watched “German Football” on TV and we did not use any fancy names to describe it.

This was the era when asaba the miracle berry was common in Ghana. One of the homes where we played football had a huge asaba plant and many people benefited from eating asaba and porridge without the thought of adding sugar.

Fast-forward to 2020 and it seems the western world has recognised the benefits of asaba and is fast cashing in on it while we relegate it to the background and continue to import high calorie-zero nutrient refined sugar to the detriment of our health.

This is a plant that originated from West Africa, yet we have rejected it like many others. A few years ago I read about people cultivating asaba in the Western Region who were pleading for assistance to produce and market the product.

Today, asaba has been processed commercially into easy melt tablets, freshly frozen miracle berries, miracle fruit seed oil and is even the centre of attraction in fanciful “taste tripping parties thanks to the efforts of a company owned by a Ghanaian.

COVID-19 has definitely made us conscious about making healthy choices daily, of course many of us still prefer quick fixes so we have created booming industries overnight. This is an opportunity to really assess “super” foods such as cocoa, palm, coconut, moringa and many others and asaba can’t be left out.

Asaba is a small red fruit that contains a chemical that affects taste receptors in the tongue. It makes the tongue register sour taste as sweet taste.

In addition to making everything taste sweet, it is a very low calorie fruit and its effect on the tongue may last up to an hour. One whole hour of bliss.

As with many other plant products, we need to do more work on dosing and side-effects when taken in excess, but in many scenarios it may provide the miracle that its name suggests.

Weight Control
- This product can make sugar-free desserts, tea, bitter cocoa and other beverages taste excellent. That is a step in the right direction to managing your weight.
Managing Diabetes
- Asaba may not lower your blood sugar directly but it is helpful in eliminating high-calorie sweeteners and sugar from your diet that in the long run will be of benefit. Children with diabetes, for instance, who crave for sweetness could seek refuge in asaba. The watch word here is “moderation” at all times.

Role in Chemotherapy
- You may know about the taste disturbances that may be associated with the treatment of cancer. Asaba may come to the rescue here since it will make food taste sweet and help avoid starvation and weight loss that often go hand in hand with cancer and its management.
Managing Illnesses
- We all remember taking medication especially the syrups when we were much younger; some tasted horrible and how can one get well when you do not take the medication because of the terrible taste. Make medicine time enjoyable for kids with a little asaba. You will however need to be extra cautious here since children may associate that medicine with a great taste and reach out for it on their own. As always keep medicines out of the reach of children.
- Some illnesses such as malaria, reflux disease, depression etc may be associated with a “bitter” taste in the mouth and hence we avoid food to our detriment. The miracle berry taken in moderation can make this a thing of the past. Enjoy your meals, take the appropriate dose of your medication and get well quickly.

Asaba may be helpful to people who want to reduce their consumption of sugar and improve their lifestyle by making their diet healthier. Join the campaign to make asaba a common product in our shops and markets. Can asaba like cocoa become a cash crop? Asaba may not be a super food but it can serve as a vital component of a healthy lifestyle.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic

(www.healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.

Thought for the week – “Bitter Cocoa drink as a major component of your breakfast or dinner may help control your weight. Have a drop of Asaba before drinking and you have a winning combination.”

Reference:

www.webmd.com
Special Mention: Albion Mends who is extremely passionate about Asaba.
www.miraburst.com

Nutrition

The Data Imperative: How NHIS integration can strengthen nutrition monitoring

Published

7 days ago

April 11, 2026

WeeklySpectator

Reliable data is the foundation of effective health systems. Governments need accurate information to track progress, identify gaps, and ensure that services reach the people who need them most. In Ghana, however, data on nutrition services often remains fragmented.

For example, it is possible to estimate how many children received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) treatment in some districts during the past quarter. But these numbers often come from separate reporting systems maintained by different implementing partners.

Each project may collect and report data in its own format. When donor-funded programmes end, the systems used to track service delivery may also disappear. As a result, national health planners cannot always see a complete, real-time picture of nutrition service coverage across the country.

This challenge is common in areas where services depend heavily on project-based funding. When nutrition interventions operate primarily through donor programmes, coverage data often comes from periodic surveys or partner reports rather than routine health system data.

Comparing outcomes across facilities or districts requires compiling information from multiple sources, which can be time-consuming and sometimes inconsistent. The result is that decision-makers may be working with incomplete or outdated information when planning nutrition services.

Integrating nutrition interventions into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) could help change this. When services such as RUTF treatment for severe acute malnutrition and Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women become part of the NHIS benefits package, their delivery would automatically generate data through existing national health information systems.

Each child receiving RUTF would generate a reimbursement claim recorded within NHIS systems. Each pregnant woman receiving MMS during antenatal care would leave a record linked to her NHIS enrollment.

In practical terms, this means nutrition coverage could be tracked continuously rather than estimated periodically. If facilities in districts with known malnutrition burdens are not submitting claims for RUTF, the gap becomes visible much sooner.

If recovery rates at specific facilities fall below expected standards, health managers can investigate and provide support. If supply chains break down, the absence of claims may signal a problem before it becomes widespread.

Data integration also strengthens accountability. NHIS reimbursement systems require documentation that services were delivered. Facilities must maintain records to support their claims, and routine audits help verify the accuracy of reporting.

These processes reduce the risk of inflated numbers or reporting errors that sometimes occur in fragmented project systems. At the same time, integrated data systems create opportunities for better learning and programme improvement.

When nutrition services are captured within broader health system data, analysts can begin to answer important questions. For example, do children who complete RUTF treatment experience better growth outcomes later? Do pregnant women who receive MMS have fewer complications during delivery?

These kinds of insights become easier to generate when nutrition services are fully embedded within national health information systems.

Integrated data also strengthens public accountability. When nutrition interventions operate through NHIS, policymakers and parliamentarians can review their performance through the same dashboards used to monitor other health services.

Coverage rates, budget use, and service quality become visible through a single national system rather than scattered across multiple donor reports.

Ultimately, improving data systems is about more than administrative efficiency. It reflects a shift in how nutrition is viewed.

When nutrition services depend mainly on external projects, they are often treated as temporary initiatives. When they are integrated into national systems such as NHIS, they become core health services deserving the same attention and monitoring as other essential treatments.

Knowing in real time how many children receive treatment for severe malnutrition or how many pregnant women access comprehensive micronutrient support allows Ghana to move from periodic assessments to continuous accountability.

That is the difference between hoping nutrition programmes are working and knowing whether they are delivering results.

Feature article by Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project.