Health Essentials
Won’t you rather put your money where your mouth is?
Eating in small plates makes you eat less food
I can confidently suggest to you that many of us choose our food based on how quickly it can be made available, the taste and the cost.
Some of us even add a fourth dimension; the quantity! Followers of this principle believe that “more is always good.”
In our dear land we had healthy fast food long before we “imported” fried rice and chicken, beef burgers and the likes. Yes good old kenkey with fish and pepper could set records any day if the serving time is compared to any other meal in a fast food challenge.
Whoever said only hard drugs are addictive? Well your body responds to some of these fast foods “by producing a sort of “high,” if you will, with stimulation of portions of the brain,” says Vance Civille.
“What happens is the body then continues to seek out that hit and continues to crave the types of foods and food sensory impressions that make you happy.” How different is this from a drug addiction?
If you are a fan of fast food then you certainly must have met the unhealthy triad: high fat, sugar and salt.
This unhappy and unhealthy triad can be found in almost all the foods and drinks we enjoy; from your delicious fried chicken to your cereals advertised as “healthy” and even your baked goods and beverages have not been spared.
The undisputable truth is that these foods are extremely addictive and will let you return for more over and over again. So though you may be targeting a relatively cheaper meal you end up being classified as a “return customer” and you continue to torment your pocket till you have no money left at all.
Who wins this battle of “cost saving,” certainly not the one that eats but he who sells remains supreme. That is not the end of the story, these foods in addition to relieving you of your hard earned money will visit you with life-style diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol on you.
This means you will make the doctor’s consulting room and the pharmacy your recreational grounds, and woe betide you if these professionals after playing an extremely important role in society are deprived of their rights including a respectable pension, they may be withholding their services and it can spell doom for you.
We just cannot stop eating, yet cutting back on these mouth-watering death traps will do our bodies a world of good. Change does not take too long to become a habit. We can all re-train out tongues.
Within a month of cutting back on sugar for instance your food will now taste okay. Certainly you will crave for the sweet things in life, especially in your first week of deprivation.
I can promise you two things today; I will go straight to the point and my extremely brief tips on eating well will not require calculation in any form:
1. Organize your kitchen
a. Out of sight in some cases may lead to out of mind. If it is easy to spot a particular food, you will eat it. Organise your kitchen to have healthy foods in sight.
2. Use small plates to eat
a. It will amaze you how easily you can fool your own brain. When you eat out of small plates you tend to eat less food.
3. Always serve your meals
a. Eating out of a package is not a good idea. Dish up the food and see yourself eat less.
4. Mind your glass
a. Short and fat glasses mean drinking more juice or alcohol, while the converse holds for tall thin glasses. When it comes to drinking good old zero-calorie water then and only then, is better for majority of us.
5. No extra visuals or great music at meals
a. Watching television while you eat or listening to great music with meals rewards you with mindless eating. Anything that engages your attention other than the food may cause you to eat more than you bargained for. I guess this time round we can refer to that as “biting more than you should chew.”
6. “Discard” your family and friends
a. Company, especially if it is good may mean eating longer and paying less attention to what you are doing. This certainly sounds like a recipe for overeating.
Fortunately overeating will not land you at the Supreme Court but a disease such as high blood pressure will charge you and without giving you a fair trial pass a life sentence on you – time to spend more money on medication, tests and hospital visits.
7. it’s all in the EVIDENCE
a. You are probably on the right path if you always eat with a side-plate within reach. Keep left-over such as bones within sight. Clearing your plate makes you forget how much you have eaten.
ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER ITS A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)
(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 also the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “People with diabetes can vary what they eat as long as their meals are balanced and healthy. – Schutter.
Reference:
1. Diabetes – Your Take Control Guide (2012) by the American Diabetes Association.
By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
The prostate gland, a small but essential organ found only in men, plays a key role in reproductive health. It produces fluid that nourishes, protects, and transports sperm, yet many focus only on its connection to prostate cancer.
Location & Function
- Situated between the bladder and penis, with the rectum behind it.
- The urethra passes through the prostate, carrying urine and semen.
Common Prostate Conditions
1. Prostatitis – Infection of the prostate:
- Symptoms: chills, fever, pus-like urethral discharge, painful urination, groin/testicular pain, painful orgasms, erectile dysfunction.
- Advice: Seek professional help; do not self-medicate.
2. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) – Non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate:
- Symptoms: frequent urination (especially at night), urge incontinence, difficulty starting urination, weak stream, painful urination, blood in urine, terminal dribbling, and in severe cases, inability to urinate.
- BPH can be extremely painful, sometimes compared to labor pains.
3. Prostate Cancer – Common among men, especially black men, often aggressive and with earlier onset:
- Risk Factors: older age, African descent, family history, obesity.
- Symptoms: frequent urination, straining, blood in urine/semen, weak urine flow, new erectile dysfunction; advanced stages may include fatigue, weight loss, and bone pain.
Diagnosis
- Digital rectal examination – checks for irregular or hard areas.
- PSA test, biopsy, ultrasound, CT/MRI/PET scans, bone scan.
Management
- Holistic approaches include watchful waiting, medication, surgery, and radiation (external & brachytherapy).
- Always discuss all options with your healthcare provider.
Risk Reduction Tips
- Regular screening
- Healthy, varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, cauliflower)
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercise at least 5 days a week
Final Advice
- Share this information – the prostate needs support!
- Maintain good hygiene, walk and exercise daily, pray, and know your numbers (blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI).
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
Dr. Essel invites readers to the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Wellness Festival on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 6 a.m., to walk, exercise, network, and share ideas to stay healthy.
Contact: dressel@healthessentialsgh.com
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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Health Essentials
Stop the silent killer: Breaking myths to prevent sudden deaths from high blood pressure
Every week in Ghana, a life is cut short, sometimes in the middle of traffic, sometimes at a desk, sometimes in the quiet of sleep. A father doesn’t come home. A sister doesn’t wake up.
A colleague slumps at work and never gets back up. Families are left asking why and you will hear statements like what happened? Was he sick? I just saw him, he has not shown signs of ailment, what a shock and so on.
Behind many of these sudden tragedies is a quiet, invisible force: high blood pressure, or hypertension. It doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t always show symptoms. But it tightens its grip silently on hearts, on brains, on lives.
This is not just a medical issue. It is a human one, it is about behaviour, it is about ignorance and it is about lifestyle. It is the grandmother who never got her blood pressure checked because she felt “fine.”
It is the taxi driver, the statistician, the nurse who ignored his pounding headaches, thinking it was just stress. It is the young lady who was so vibrant at church and no one suspected she could fall and die. Because it shows no symptoms.
The alarming numbers we cannot ignore
The Ghana’s 2023 STEPS Survey on Non-Communicable Diseases conducted by The World Health Organisation, Ghana Health Service and Ghana Statistical Service has revealed findings that should push for action.
According to the report, 21.7 per cent of adults aged 18 to 69 in Ghana are living with high blood pressure. Even more alarming is that 51.1 per cent of those with hypertension are not aware of their condition.
This means that more than half of the people with dangerously high blood pressure are walking around without knowing it until tragedy strikes. That is the real danger of this silent killer.
Literature has shown that hypertension is preventable and manageable. But only if we treat it like the threat, it is. That means regular checkups; that means understanding the risks and that means talking about it openly, urgently, and with compassion.
The deadly power of myths
Why are so many Ghanaians untested or untreated? Is it out of ignorance, or the pervasive myths about hypertension and its treatment?
• Some believe blood pressure medicine “weakens the body” or “shortens life.”
• Some believe blood pressure medicine “weakens the penis and kills sexual drive”
• Others think once you start taking medication, you are “dependent for life.”
• Many say, “I feel fine, so I must be fine.”
These beliefs are not only false, but they are also deadly. The truth, according to the World Health Organisation, is that effective treatment can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 40 per cent and heart attack by 25 per cent. Avoiding treatment does not prevent dependence rather, it accelerates death.
As Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, has noted, “Hypertension is preventable and treatable, but our biggest battle is misinformation and late detection.”
A national conversation we must have
This is not just a health issue it is a national emergency. Sudden deaths rob families of breadwinners, communities of leaders, and the country of its productivity. In every obituary notice caused by hypertension, there is a story of loss that could have been prevented with a simple blood pressure check and treatment.
Behind every life saved is a moment of awareness, a decision to act, therefore, the media must rise to the challenge.
Radio and television programmes should dedicate regular airtime to demystify hypertension. Newspapers should carry survivor stories, expert interviews, and practical lifestyle advice.
Social media influencers should spread awareness in local languages, reaching young people who assume they are safe.
Public health experts also have a responsibility. Screening must move beyond hospitals into churches, mosques, markets, schools, and workplaces. People should not have to wait for illness to know their BP status.
What we can do together
To stop the silent killer, we need a collective response:
• Check your blood pressure regularly, even if you feel healthy.
• Follow medical advice faithfully if diagnosed because treatment saves lives.
• For healthy lifestyle, eat less salt, reduce alcohol, reduce starchy, fat and oil intake, avoid smoking, and exercise at least 30 minutes daily.
• Encourage one another talk about blood pressure in families, communities, and workplaces.
Conclusion: Silence is killing us
What kills is not just the disease, but the silence, fear, and myths that surround it. The STEPS 2023 report has sounded the alarm: nearly one in five Ghanaian adults has high blood pressure, and more than half don’t even know it.
This is the time for bold conversation, public education, and decisive action. The media, health professionals, policymakers, and ordinary citizens must join forces to expose the myths, spread the facts, and save lives. Let us not wait for another headline.
Let us make blood pressure a national conversation before it becomes a personal tragedy. With awareness, treatment, and collective will, Ghana can stop the silence and stop the sudden deaths from the silent killer.
Written by: Ansah Moses Teye-Akam – Senior Statistician, Sociologist/Scientific Research Organisational Expert.
Email: moses.ansah@ statsghana.gov.gh/ansahmosesteyeakam@ gmail.com.gh Contact: 0244539034 / 0204359034
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