Health Essentials
‘One man’s meat…’
The first time I saw someone eat dog meat I was scandalised. I did not understand how that could happen, but it did. And I saw it. We went for a sports festival in one of the towns in the Volta Region in 1964 and food vendors were around selling their stuff. An aroma of barbecue wafted through the air that drew school children to the fire.
A soldier in uniform picked a stick of the khebab, paid for it and sauntered away to enjoy the meat. Just a few moments later, he turned back to the vendor and asked why he sold him dog meat. I wondered how he knew it was dog meat, but it turned out he had eaten it before and knew that taste. I do not want to narrate what happened to the poor guy who sold the meat.
As time went on I found myself eating python meat that same year. This reptile slithered into the thatched roof of a neighbour when its hole was inundated with flood waters of the Keta Lagoon. The big boys in the area caught it, skinned it and we made a meal of the meat. It tasted like chicken, except it had too much fat. I did enjoy it though.
Some cousins and I used to go set traps at a cemetery a mile out of town during weekends to catch rats, which we cooked and feasted on. To us it was to take our minds off the drudgery of academic and house chores all week; an adventure, if you may call it so. We caught and ate doves, water fowls, quails and hawks. Seasonally, we ate migratory birds like gulls and pelicans. Some of these birds had metal rings with inscriptions on their legs. We were after the meat, not the rings.
I could have eaten meat from a monitor lizard if it was not the totem of the Like Clan I belong to. I am told the Like do not eat this reptile and sawfish. Story has it that a great Like ancestor was saved from drowning by a sawfish, thus our prohibition from eating its meat.
Until I became a vegetarian in 1974, I had eaten meat from cat, rabbit, bat, crocodile and tortoise. I recollect a seminar I attended in Kampala, Uganda, in the late 80s. A Ugandan participant invited some of us to his house. As we entered the compound I saw scores of grasscutters scuttling all over and some ran to him as dogs do their masters. In amazement, I asked, “Mr. Okot, what are you doing with these rodents in your home?” He said they were his pets.
When I told him it was the most expensive meat in Ghana, he took a step back from me as if I had landed from another planet. Apparently, East Africans do not eat grasscutter, period!
Only last week, there was this hoopla on the international news channels for a whole day about Kurt Zouma, a former Chelsea defender, now playing for West Ham, molesting a cat in his home. Suggestions were thrown about to the effect that he needed counseling. Of course, cruelty to any animal is against the law in many countries, including England where he plays his football.
I observe the way we treat our domestic animals and it is abhorrent, to say the least. But the question that came to my mind was what would have happened if Kurt Zouma had mercifully killed that cat and feasted on its meat, were he Ewe from Ghana, Togo or Benin? The Crown Court would have handed him a jail term by now. My father had a way of slaughtering a cat the way we do either a goat or chicken, not the way people strangulate the poor feline or drown it in a sack or any other means. Of course, there are many ways to kill a cat, not so?
Back home in Ghana, one group’s delicacy is another’s taboo. There are others who eat anything that has life; anything that moves, actually. There must be varying reasons a certain group of people will not eat certain things. This might be steeped in religion, spirituality or even superstition or myth. Whatever the case, animals must be treated with respect even if we rear them for consumption.
There is this rodent in En-Gedi in Israel. It’s a cross between the rat and the grasscutter. They are so plenty and notoriously destructive to the sparse vegetation in that desert area that the Israeli government does not know how to exterminate them. Unfortunately, because of my commitment not to eat any flesh, let alone take life, there is practically nothing I can do to help Israel. If not, I would set up camp at En-Gedi, trap these rodents and smoke them the way we do bush meat in our parts and ship them in neat packages to Ghana. The boxes would be labelled, “Smoked Meat of the Holy Land of Israel.” You can bet the churches will do the marketing for me.
I sympathise with Kurt Zouma. Africans generally do not respect animals as having the feeling of happiness and pain. We kick and beat our pets at will. It is in our DNA, which is no excuse for cruelty towards them. I watch documentaries on television where people pay thousands of dollars in veterinary bills for their pets like dogs, cats, pigs, birds of all kinds and even reptiles.
Tibetans are a pious, very spiritual Buddhists who are mostly vegetarians. When China invaded this mountain region in the early 50s they ate all their cats and dogs and every other living things that moved. In the Congo area of Africa every living creature there is edible. Insects of all kinds, some roaches, grubs, worms of all types are on the menu.
I once took a friend out for lunch in one restaurant in Accra. When she heard an order from the adjoining table for frog legs, she vowed never to eat in that restaurant any longer. This is largely because in our minds certain things are unimaginable. I recall the renown pathologist, Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, said in an interview on national television on the issue of vultures being served as meat that, “It’s just muscle, that’s all.”
Animal rights activists have taken their fights quite well, especially on the poaching of certain species in the wild to near extinction. Rhino, tiger, leopard parts considered medicinal are a million-dollar business in the Far East. In our parts chameleons, parrots, fork-tailed lizards and the left hand of green monkeys are prized commodities.
The understanding and/or otherwise of nature’s balance and the ecosystem brews the ideal ingredient of conflict. Education is needed for the right approach to issues bordering on protecting the species so that as we consume these animals, the scale of the ecosystem is not tilted towards the destruction of the very things that give us life. When “the last tree dies, the last man dies” is the adage, but we forget that animals propagate the seeds of the plants that constitute our forests and give shelter to our wildlife.
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Teenage Hypertension: The silent threat to Ghana’s young generation
For many Ghanaian teenagers, high blood pressure may seem like a health problem for their parents and grandparents. But as unhealthy eating habits, excess weight and increasingly sedentary lifestyles become concerns for younger populations, protecting heart health during adolescence deserves greater attention.
The danger is that hypertension can develop without obvious symptoms. A teenager may feel perfectly healthy while elevated blood pressure goes undetected, potentially delaying medical assessment and appropriate care.
Although not every teenager with unhealthy habits will develop hypertension, early awareness, healthy lifestyle choices and appropriate blood pressure checks can help reduce future cardiovascular risks.
A growing concern
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a major public health concern worldwide. The World Health Organisation identifies it as an important contributor to premature death, largely because it increases the risk of serious cardiovascular complications.
While the condition is often associated with adulthood, the factors that contribute to its development can begin much earlier in life.
Frequent consumption of foods high in salt, poor dietary habits, excess body weight and insufficient physical activity can undermine cardiovascular health. Family history and certain underlying medical conditions may also increase an individual’s risk.
For teenagers, therefore, the conversation about hypertension should extend beyond hospital visits and include the everyday habits that shape their health.
When lifestyle choices become a concern
Adolescence is a period when young people begin making more independent decisions about what they eat, how they spend their leisure time and how physically active they are.
Convenience foods, processed meals, salty snacks and sugary drinks may become regular features of their diets. At the same time, long hours spent on mobile phones, computers and other digital devices can leave less time for physical activity.
Academic demands and inadequate sleep may further affect their general well-being.
These habits do not automatically lead to hypertension. However, when unhealthy diets and physical inactivity contribute to excess weight, they can increase the risk of high blood pressure, particularly among people with other predisposing factors.
Recognising these risks early offers families, schools and health professionals an opportunity to encourage healthier choices before unhealthy patterns become established.
What Ghana’s cardiovascular health figures reveal
A cardiologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Alfred Doku, in an interview highlighted the seriousness of cardiovascular disease in Ghana, citing figures indicating that it accounted for approximately 43 to 50 per cent of deaths in the country.
He also stated that about 30 per cent of Ghanaian adults had hypertension, with approximately 70 per cent of those affected unaware of their condition.
Although these figures concern adults and the wider population rather than teenagers specifically, they point to the importance of improving awareness, screening and early detection of high blood pressure.
Professor Doku urged people to know their blood pressure readings and monitor other important health indicators, including blood sugar, cholesterol levels and body weight.
His advice underscores the importance of understanding personal health risks rather than waiting for illness to become apparent before seeking medical attention.
For adolescents, any blood pressure reading that raises concern should be assessed by a qualified health professional. Because blood pressure varies with age, growth and other factors, its interpretation in children and teenagers requires appropriate clinical assessment.
The danger of a condition without obvious symptoms
The Head of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Dr Kow Entsua-Mensah, also stressed the importance of awareness and early detection in addressing cardiovascular disease.
He explained that hypertension could remain undetected for years because affected individuals might not experience noticeable symptoms.
Dr Entsua-Mensah noted that several factors, including diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, tobacco use and harmful alcohol consumption, could contribute to cardiovascular damage over time.
He called for greater public awareness of the importance of checking blood pressure and other health indicators before complications develop.
The challenge with hypertension is that the absence of symptoms can create a false sense of security. People may assume they are healthy simply because they feel well, overlooking the need for preventive health checks.
Dr Entsua-Mensah emphasised that addressing cardiovascular disease required cooperation among healthcare professionals, government institutions, schools, businesses, community organisations and the media.
Such collaboration is particularly important for young people, whose health habits are influenced by their homes, schools, peer groups and the wider environment.
Small habits, lasting benefits
Professor Doku said many cases of heart disease and stroke could be prevented or their risks reduced through appropriate lifestyle changes and effective management of contributing factors.
He encouraged young people to reduce their salt intake, eat balanced meals, exercise regularly and avoid smoking.
Describing hypertension as a silent threat, he warned that people should not wait for symptoms before taking their blood pressure seriously.
Hypertension, he stressed, could have serious consequences, including heart failure and stroke, when left undetected or inadequately managed.
For teenagers, protecting heart health does not necessarily require complicated routines. It begins with practical, everyday decisions: eating a balanced diet, choosing foods with less salt, participating in regular physical activity and getting adequate sleep.
Avoiding tobacco products and maintaining a healthy weight are also important steps towards reducing cardiovascular risks.
Young people who are diagnosed with hypertension should follow the advice of their healthcare providers and take prescribed medication as directed. Lifestyle changes can support treatment, but they should not replace medication when it is medically necessary.
Parents have an important role to play by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity at home. Schools can contribute by providing opportunities for exercise, promoting health education and making nutritious food choices more accessible to students.
Healthcare professionals, meanwhile, can help identify young people who may be at risk, assess abnormal readings and guide families on appropriate follow-up care.
Protecting the next generation
Addressing hypertension among young people requires more than individual effort. It calls for a coordinated response involving families, schools, healthcare providers, policymakers and the media.
Public education should challenge the perception that high blood pressure is exclusively an older person’s condition. Teenagers need accurate information about cardiovascular health, the factors that increase their risk and the importance of seeking professional advice when necessary.
Appropriate screening and follow-up care can also help identify elevated blood pressure and ensure that young people who need medical attention receive it.
However, the extent of hypertension among Ghanaian teenagers should not be inferred from statistics relating to adults. Reliable, age-specific national data are needed to establish the scale of the problem and guide targeted interventions.
That evidence gap makes it important to approach the subject with both urgency and accuracy: raising awareness of the risks without exaggerating what is known about their prevalence among adolescents.
For Ghana’s young generation, the message is clear. Feeling healthy does not always mean that blood pressure is normal, and good cardiovascular health should not be left until adulthood.
By encouraging healthier habits, improving access to appropriate health checks and making reliable information available to young people, Ghana can take meaningful steps towards protecting the heart health of its next generation.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Buy Maps
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Don’t we all dream of a life that is filled with laughter? That may be a reason for chasing big bucks, which like the golden-fleece eludes the majority of us. Financial Wellness is extremely important but there are other factors that make us happy and healthy and eventually wealthy.
You definitely do not need to live in Finland to experience happiness even though many people agree that is the “headquarters” of happiness. The happiness in Finland for instance is based on the provision of basic infrastructure and services, minimal corruption and strong social support among others. These go a long way to minimise anxiety making room for one to enjoy the good things of life.
Then when you live in Sikaman and any of its other cohorts, it is challenging to have those in authority create the environment where you can be happy. That’s why you need to “happy yourself” and the happiness hacks below will help you do just that. Even if you live in Finland, you will gain much more by following these steps.
- Wake-Up Ritual
- Say to yourself that today will be a beautiful day or a great day
- Ask God what He has in store for you. Use me Lord (if not a Christian what you believe in will be useful as well.
- Remind yourself of your purpose in life and get out of bed
- Do not grab your phone as the first thing for the day.
- Pray
- Talking to God has a way of calming our nerves. It brings about unexplained peace and when we add praise and worship then the floodgates open. That is how to win battles against unhappiness.
- Smile
- Definitely floods your body with feel good hormones and insulates you from stress
- Smiling is infectious so the more you smile the better and you set off a smiling OR happiness domino effect.
- Meditate
- Extremely good for your brain and an easy way to start is to do deep-breathing and just focus on your “breath” excluding all others. That is what some will prefer to call mindfulness. Being in the moment has immense benefits. Things you never knew existed suddenly spring up.
- Exercise
- That wonder drug that trumps virtually all others. Like smiling it does pour out feel good hormones. Strength training even goes an extra mile causing our muscles to act as “pharmacies” that pour out life-changing signals every time they contract.
- Be kind to yourself & to others.
- We are often too harsh on ourselves. Give yourself a break. Self-care is the real deal!!
- Being harsh to others has no benefits.
- Spend some time doing nothing
- We need to re-set from time to time. Spend about 10 minutes a day doing absolutely nothing. There is happiness and innovation in “idling”. Do not abuse idling though
- Spend time with loved ones
- This is another powerful happiness “hack”. You have to make time and be intentional about this; talk on phone, send messages, arrange to meet for a drink or meal. Social Wellness ranks very high on the happiness index and it’s fairly easy to plug into it.
- While spending time together remember that your choice of food and drinks also impacts on how happy or sad or anxious you may feel.
- Indulge in a hobby
- Our bodies and brain love variety. Do you have a hobby? Get one
- Write in your gratitude diary
- That is all it takes – keep doing it regularly.
This list is not exhaustive but definitely a good start. Share your happiness hacks with me via email and together we can keep the world smiling and happy.
At the end of each day ask yourself if you did better than the previous day. That is all it takes. Doing better than the previous day for 365 days, for 5 years, 10 years… How amazing that will be!!!
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/Medics Clinic
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “There is no magic formula to being happy but making a conscious effort to be happy goes a long way.” – Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
