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‘No meat on Mondays,’ consume plant baised foods… Health expert advises
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Replace meat with plant based foods to reduce diseases
“No meat on Mondays,” is the call on Ghanaians by health experts, following a renewed drive to practically reduce the high spate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
The call is to encourage a gradual adoption of healthy eating habits among the populace to avert the increasing high blood pressure (hypertension) and type 2 diabetes cases among the populace.
These conditions usually build up fatty deposits in the body and decrease organ function.
It is in view of this that the ‘Meatless Monday’ project, a public health initiative to rally as many Ghanaians as possible to reduce meat consumption at least one day in a week for their health and that of the environment, has been rekindled.
Coinciding with World Heart Day and beyond on the theme; ‘Use Heart for Action,’ the campaign is urging Ghanaians to take out meats like beef, pork, mutton, goat as well as fish and poultry from their meals on Mondays and replace them with plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and plant-based proteins.
According to the Executive Director of the John Hopkins Centre for Communications, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, at the re-launch, stated that simply choosing not to eat meat one day in a week but plant-based food was a deliberate effort to begin making small changes in one’s dietary habits and reduce risks for illnesses like heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, among others.
Mondays, he explained, was strategic to enable people start off the week on a healthy note after possibly indulging in all sorts of unhealthy eating in previous days, particularly weekends where people often let down their guard.
The NCDs Programme Manager of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Efua Commeh, advised Ghanaians to make it a habit to exercise regularly, screen and check their blood pressure often, eat healthy and continue with medication when diagnosed of any NCD in order to promote longevity.
“By virtue of lifestyle changes due to global dynamics, eating of products like meat which used to be part of the family only during festive seasons have now become a norm in households because people are earning more and now able to buy beef, mutton, chicken and fatty foods and drinks on more regular basis.
The consumption of these products, however, comes with increased risk and people should be aware and start eating better, exercise and be more responsible for their health.”
Studies have shown that there is a strong link between eating red meat and heart-related diseases and deaths.
Diets high in red and processed meat have been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cancers particularly colorectal cancer, among other related ailments.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that a total of 41 million deaths occur annually due to NCDs.
In Ghana, about 95,000 deaths, almost 50 per cent of all mortalities each year results from NCDs such as heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, cancer and respiratory disease which are also common conditions reported in health facilities.
By Abigail Annoh
Former Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame has expressed disappointment with what he described as the court’s failure to compel the State to return the passport of his client, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, to the court registry.
Speaking to journalists after court proceedings today, Mr Dame explained that the passport had originally been deposited with the court as part of the bail conditions imposed on Abdul-Wahab.
According to him, the court had ordered that the passport be returned to the registry by July 14, after Abdul-Wahab completed an approved trip.
Mr Dame said the passport was not returned because it was allegedly seized by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following Abdul-Wahab’s arrest.
“The order for the passport to return to the registry was actually given by the court,” he stated.
“If the court is no longer concerned about the compliance with its own earlier orders, I do not have any problem. At the appropriate time, when there is a need for him to travel, we will make an application to the court” he mentioned.
He maintained that his legal team did not need to file a separate application for the release of the passport because the issue, in his view, was the enforcement of the court’s earlier directive.
Mr Dame further argued that the judge acknowledged that EOCO had seized the passport but did not order the agency to return it to the court registry.
“The judge was concerned about the seizure of the passport by EOCO, but failed to order EOCO to return the passport to the registry of the court in compliance with the court’s own earlier orders,” he said.
He added that the Republic should not have to be “policed all the time” and called for what he described as the proper enforcement of court orders.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called on the Church to protect its moral authority by remaining independent of partisan politics and consistently speaking out against corruption, injustice and abuse, regardless of which political party is in power.
She made the call while delivering the keynote address at the Accra Ridge Church’s 90th Anniversary Lecture II in Accra on Wednesday July 15, 2026.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed that the Church’s guidance to government should go beyond the tenure of any administration and should not be influenced by political party interests.
“The Church’s counsel to government must outlast any single administration or party colour. Speak on principle, not on partisanship,” she said.
According to her, the Church risks losing public trust if it becomes closely aligned with any political party.
She noted that corruption, injustice and abuse should always concern the Church, irrespective of which government is in office.
The Vice President also encouraged religious leaders to know when to offer private advice to government and when to speak publicly on national issues.
“Wisdom lies in knowing which moment calls for which voice,” she stated.
She added that government must also avoid seeking the Church’s approval simply to gain public support instead of accepting constructive criticism.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further highlighted Ghana’s religious diversity, describing the country’s peaceful coexistence among Christians, Muslims, traditionalists and people of other beliefs as one of its greatest strengths.
She said generations of leaders had preserved this harmony by choosing cooperation over division and by putting the national interest first.
The Vice President added that protecting free and fair elections, upholding the rule of law, defending freedom of conscience and safeguarding vulnerable people are national responsibilities that should never be treated as partisan issues.
By: Jacob Aggrey
