Nutrition
Staying Osteoporosis free with our diet
In this chapter, we will be discussing how we can live an osteoporosis free life with our diet.
People once thought a shrunken, stooped posture was a natural part of ageing, but the real culprit is osteoporosis. The skeleton constantly breaks down and rebuilds itself via cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts, respectively. However, as we age we tend to lose bone faster than we rebuild it, which decreases the bone density, making it weaker and more likely to fracture/ break.
Osteoporosis is the major underlying cause of fracture in postmenopausal women and the elderly, and it develops silently. It may only be discovered after a fracture which usually involves the hip or the wrist joints, but may involve other joints during a minor bump or fall. Little fractures in the spine may gradually reduce height and also leads to stooped posture.
Osteoporosis can be prevented and its development decelerated through an adequate diet and lifestyle plan.
Foods to include
Calcium rich foods such as; milk, yogurt, anchovies, and sardines.
Potassium rich foods such as; banana, coconut water, tomatoes, and eggplants.
Phosphorus rich foods such as; poultry, nuts and legumes, fish, and eggs.
Vitamin C rich foods such as; oranges/tangerines, limes/lemons, and bell peppers.
Vitamin D rich foods such as; salmon, sardines, and mushrooms.
Vitamin K rich foods such as; cabbage, avocado, and lettuce.
Foods to avoid
Sodas and caffeine rich drinks
Red meat and meat products
Processed foods
High fat diet and fast foods
Highly salted foods
Lifestyle modification
Going for walks, especially early morning for that early morning sunshine Vitamin D, jogging, skipping and other weight bearing exercises may help preserve the bone density.
Moderation of alcohol and cessation of cigarette smoking cannot be over looked.
In conclusion, many of the conditions we blame on old age have very tangible ways of being avoided in our youth. Let’s not wait till it’s too late; let us change our lifestyles and diets now, so that we can continue to easily get up and go when our youth begins to depart.
The writer Dr. Bernice Korkor Asare is the CEO of Holistic Health Consult
“Your diet your health, your health your wealth”
E-mail: holistichealthconsultgh@gmail.com
Egg stew is a traditional dish from Ghana. It is very healthy and easy to prepare. The dish is traditionally served with rice, plantain and any other meal of one’s choice.
Ingredients
-1 litre of vegetable oil
-2 fresh salmon
-10 large tomatoes
-5 large onions
– 6 eggs
-3 tablespoonful of pepper
-1 tablespoonful of powdered garlic and ginger
-1 tin of mackerel
– I large green pepper
-3 tablespoonful of tomatoes paste
Preparation
-Wash tomatoes, onion, green pepper and blend
-Put oil on fire and add onion and powdered pepper to it
-When onions turn golden brown, add blended tomatoes and tomato paste to it. (Allow it to cook for 3 minutes.)
-Add eggs and salmon to stew and leave it for a minute before stirring.
– Add seasoning to the stew and serve.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Every baby deserves a healthy start. But in Ghana, too many children are being born already behind, too small, too fragile, and at far greater risk than their peers. Low birth weight, defined as weighing less than 2.5 kilograms at birth, affects an estimated one in seven newborns in this country.
That is a significant proportion of children beginning life at a disadvantage, often due to preventable causes.
Children born with low birth weight face a steeply uphill journey from their very first breath. They are more susceptible to birth asphyxia, infections, hypothermia, and respiratory complications.
They are more likely to die in their first month of life. Those who survive face higher risks of stunting, impaired cognitive development, and a greater likelihood of developing non-communicable diseases including type two diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease later in life.
Low birth weight does not just harm the child today. It shapes their health for decades.
The most powerful determinant of a baby’s birth weight is what the mother eats, and how healthy she is before and during pregnancy. Research in Ghana has consistently shown that maternal anaemia, poor dietary diversity, and inadequate antenatal care are all strongly linked to low birth weight.
A study in Cape Coast found that mothers with low dietary diversity during pregnancy were significantly more likely to deliver low birth weight babies. In Northern Ghana, maternal anaemia in both the first and third trimesters of pregnancy increased the risk of low birth weight. What a woman eats is what her baby weighs.
Education matters too. Mothers with secondary or higher education have been found to be less likely to deliver a low-birth-weight baby, a difference attributed to better nutrition knowledge, improved antenatal care attendance, and healthier health-seeking behaviour overall.
This points clearly to the need for a whole-of-society response, not just a clinical one.
Ghana has made some progress on low birth weight, but the burden remains unacceptably high and in some parts of the country, it is worsening. Other important risk factors must not be overlooked.
Adolescent pregnancy, which remains prevalent in several regions, is strongly associated with low birth weight because young mothers are often still growing and competing with the fetus for nutrients.
Malaria infection during pregnancy, particularly in endemic areas of Ghana, damages the placenta and restricts nutrient transfer, further increasing the likelihood of a low-birth-weight baby.
These risk factors compound the effects of poor maternal nutrition and limited antenatal care. Leaders in government, health facilities, and communities must prioritise maternal nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy.
Reducing low birth weight is not complicated. It requires feeding mothers well, supporting them through antenatal care, ensuring access to iron-folic acid supplementation and malaria prevention during pregnancy, and treating their health as a national priority, not an afterthought.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
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