Nutrition
Combatting ageing skin with diet
In this chapter, we will be discussing how we can slow down the ageing of our skin through our diet.
As we age, we start developing wrinkles, age spots and dryness on our skin. The skin also becomes thinner as we lose fat and muscles, making it less plump and smooth and may take longer to heal.
Fortunately, it is never too late to start protecting yourself. Many products, including medications claim to revitalise ageing skin or reduce wrinkles but the dietary aspect has proven to be equal to the task.
Foods to include
• Monounsaturated fatty acid rich foods such as; olive oil, almonds and avocados
• Vitamin C rich foods; oranges, tangerines, lemons, bell peppers and pineapples
• Vitamin E rich diet; spinach, sun flower seeds, pumpkin, peanuts and kiwi
Foods to avoid
• Sodas and caffeine rich drinks
• Red meat and meat products
• Processed foods
Lifestyle modification
Modifying our lifestyle from a predominantly sedentary lifestyle to incorporating exercises like going for walks, jogging, and riding bicycles, as well as cutting down alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking will serve to prolong a healthy, strong and ageless skin.
In summary, it is obvious that there is no fountain of youth to keep us young forever, but maintaining healthy, vibrant skin for many years is not out of our reach. By implementing and including desired fruits and vegetables to our diet, as well as good lifestyle choices, our skin will thank us for generations to come.
The writer is a Nutritionist and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Holistic Health Consult.
“Your diet, your health, your health your wealth.”
e-mail: info@holistichealthconsult.org
By Bernice Korkor Asare
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.
