Nutrition

Celebrating Christmas the healthy way

Published

3 years ago

December 16, 2023

/home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Eat-healthy-during-this-festive-season.jpg&description=Celebrating Christmas the healthy way', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">

/home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Eat-healthy-during-this-festive-season.jpg&description=Celebrating Christmas the healthy way', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">

Eat healthy during this festive season

In this chapter, we will go to town on the healthy dietary choices and return home on the ones to take in moderation or avoid completely.

To start us off, let’s address the fufu eaters. For us, we can eat fufu with any soup of our choice. Some of the best proteins to add to our soup are fish and boiled egg.

With meats, preferred will be white meats such as chicken, turkey, and rabbit. If it must be red meat, every fatty part must be trimmed off (lean meat), because red meats can increase our blood cholesterol, leading to conditions like hypertension.

For our rice dishes, optimal recipes include brown rice with any stew of our choice (protein choices, above will be applied here also), and to top it off, assorted vegetable salad can be added to the meals to make it healthier and it also increases its visual appeal, boosting appetite.

In preparation of our Christmas time pastries, we should choose fresh vegetable oil instead of old stale oils or animal fats such as butter and lard.

For our beverage choices, the best would be to make homemade juices from freshly blended and squeezed fruits.

Soft drinks and alcohol should be taken sparingly, because too much of these can predispose us to diabetes and liver failure.

If we can make these simple lifestyle choices, we can better our health and live long to enjoy many more Christmases.

All this being said, we must remember that portion sizes and the timing of our meals is key in making a lasting difference in our health.

I would love to wish us all happy holidays and a fruitful festive season!

By Bernice Korkor Asare

****

The writer is a Dietician and CEO of Holistic Health Consult

“Your diet your health, your health your wealth”

E-mail:info@holistichealth

—consult.org

Nutrition

Can Ghana feed its people well? Building a nutrition-sensitive food system

Published

6 days ago

August 29, 2026

WeeklySpectator

When we talk about nutrition in Ghana, the conversation often focuses on individual choices: eat more vegetables, reduce sugar and salt, drink more water and exercise regularly.

These messages are important, but they tell only part of the story. Good nutrition is not just a personal responsibility; it is also a food-system issue.

What Ghanaians eat is influenced by what farmers produce, what food costs, how it is processed and marketed, what is served in schools, and what information consumers receive.

Ghana has the agricultural capacity to produce a wide variety of nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, eggs, roots and tubers. Yet production alone is not enough. Poor storage, transportation challenges and weak market access mean that an estimated 30 per cent of food in Ghana can spoil before reaching consumers or retailers, according to a 2025 study by the International Growth Centre. The losses are particularly significant for fruits and vegetables, reducing both farmers’ incomes and the availability of nutritious foods. This is where policy becomes important.

Agricultural policies should consider not only how much food Ghana produces, but also whether that food contributes to healthy diets. Greater support for diverse crops, local vegetables, fruits and legumes could strengthen both agriculture and nutrition.

The food-processing industry has a role as well. Processing can reduce food waste, improve convenience and create new markets for local produce. But greater attention should be paid to the nutritional quality of processed foods, particularly those high in salt, added sugar and unhealthy fats.

Public education must also become more practical. Telling people to “eat healthy” is not enough when nutritious foods may be unaffordable or unavailable. Consumers need information, but they also need a food environment that makes healthier choices realistic.

Good nutrition begins on the farm, continues through the market and food industry, reaches the school and household, and ultimately ends on the plate.

What is needed is greater coordination.

A successful nutrition strategy should connect agricultural production with health objectives, school feeding with local agriculture, food processing with nutritional quality, and public education with the realities of household income and food prices.

The ultimate goal is not simply to produce more food.

It is to ensure that Ghanaians have reliable access to safe, affordable and nutritious food throughout their lives.

Feature Article by Women, Media and Change

SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS