Nutrition
Health benefits of Peanut
• Peanut
Peanuts are delectably crispy, nutty, and delicious. The kernels are rich in numerous noteworthy nutrients that are beneficial to health and overall wellness.
These tasty nuts can be a healthy addition to diet as they are rich in beneficial minerals, vitamins, and plant compounds.Most people take it at snacks.Peanuts are nutritionally dense and healthy.
– Promote healthy heart
Eating peanuts helps protect the body against coronary heart disease (CHD). A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that peanuts lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels.
-Aids weight Loss
Peanuts are very high in calories, but they contribute to weight loss instead of weight gain. Peanuts are energy-dense foods. That is why having them as a snack may make you consume fewer calories later in the day. Peanuts elicited stronger feelings of fullness when consumed as a snack than with a meal. This may eventually help with weight loss.
-Prevents gallstones
Consumption of peanuts is linked to a lower risk of gallstones. A study conducted by the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) found that consumption of peanuts lowers the risk of gallstones. Men consuming five or more units of nuts (including peanuts) a week are at a lower risk of gallstone disease.
– Aids blood sugar control
Adding peanuts or peanut butter to a meal does not spike blood sugar levels. Having them along with a meal would stabilise blood sugar levels.
-Reduces cancer risk
High intake of peanuts (including other nuts) has been associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. The isoflavones, resveratrol, and phenolic acid found in peanuts have anticancer properties which may help reduce the risk of cancer
-Treat erectile dysfunction
Peanuts are rich in arginine, which is an essential amino acid (Arginine has been studied extensively as a possible treatment for erectile dysfunction.
-Boosts energy
Peanuts are a rich source of protein and fibre that assists in the conversion of carbohydrates into energy. The protein content of peanuts is around 25 per cent of the total calories. The fibre and protein combination in peanuts slows down the digestive process to facilitate a steady release of energy into the body.
-Have antioxidative properties
Peanuts are rich in numerous plant compounds and antioxidants. Most of these compounds are available in the skin of peanuts, which should be eaten raw to get all of its benefits. Some of the plant compounds that are readily available in peanuts include resveratrol, coumaric acid, and phytosterols that help impair the absorption of cholesterol, isoflavones, and phytic acid found in plant seeds.
Source: Health.com
Soya beans is a highly nutritious plant-based food with several health benefits:
-Rich source of protein
-Contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
-Helpful for vegetarians and vegans as an alternative to animal protein.
-Supports muscle growth and repair.
– Heart Health
-Helps lower cholesterol levels
-Contains healthy unsaturated fats and fibre that support cardiovascular health
-Can be part of a heart-friendly diet
-Bone health
-Provides calcium (in fortified soy products), magnesium, and protein
-Soy isoflavones may help maintain bone density, especially in postmenopausal women
– May help manage menopausal symptoms
-Contains natural compounds called isoflavones (phytoestrogens)
-Some women experience reduced hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms with soy consumption
-Supports weight management
-High protein and fibre content can increase fullness and reduce hunger
-May help with maintaining a healthy weight
-Good for blood sugar control
-Has a low glycemic index
-Protein and fibre can help stabilise blood sugar levels
Ghana has nutrition policies. Ghana has nutrition targets. Ghana has nutrition programmes spread across multiple ministries and dozens of implementing partners.
What Ghana does not have is a single, empowered body responsible for leading, coordinating, and holding all this together. That is the gap a National Nutrition Council would fill, and stakeholders are calling for one now.
The case for a council
At a stakeholder engagement convened under the Nourish Ghana project in 2025, participants proposed the establishment of a National Nutrition Council to provide effective leadership and a governance framework for addressing malnutrition in Ghana. The meeting, which brought together policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations, and the media, highlighted a fundamental problem: nutrition responsibilities are fragmented across various ministries. Without a dedicated coordination body, efforts are duplicated, accountability is diffuse, and nutrition consistently loses out when budgets are tight.
The proposal echoes a model used in several countries that have made the fastest progress against malnutrition. Nigeria’s National Council on Nutrition, for example, recently pledged $107 million at the 2025 N4G Summit, a level of coordinated ambition that Ghana has struggled to match.
Ghana does have existing coordination structures worth acknowledging. The Scaling Up Nutrition Cross-Sectoral Planning Group (CSPG), established in 2012, was set up to harmonise planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition actions across sectors. It has produced real gains. But the challenge has been institutionalising those gains beyond project cycles, and analysts have called for an elevated national coordination body with presidential oversight to ensure genuine cross-sector accountability. A National Nutrition Council would go further, providing the dedicated financing and convening authority that the CSPG, as currently structured, does not have.
What a Council would do
A National Nutrition Council would provide political oversight and coordination across all sectors involved in nutrition, health, agriculture, education, social protection, and finance. It would track Ghana’s nutrition commitments, hold ministries accountable for delivery, and ensure that nutrition budgets are protected and spent effectively. Most importantly, it would give nutrition a permanent seat at the table where national development decisions are made.
The Time Is Now
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Paris Summit. Translating those commitments into results requires a governance structure that does not currently exist. Establishing a National Nutrition Council is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is the institutional foundation without which Ghana’s nutrition ambitions will remain promises on paper. Leaders must act on this proposal without delay.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
