Nutrition
Yellow rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rice
- 50grammes of butter
- 1 heaped tablespoonful of caster sugar
- 1 table spoonful of ground cinnamon
- 6 cardamom pods , shelled and seeds crushed
- 1 tablespoonful of ground turmeric
- 5 tablespoonfuls of raisin
Preparation
-Put all the ingredients in a large pan .
-Add one tablespoonful of salt and water.
– Heat until boiling and the butter is melted.
-Stir, cover and leave to simmer for six minutes.
-Take off the heat and leave, still covered, for five minutes.
– Fluff up and tip into a warm bowl to serve.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com
Shepherd’s pie
Ingredients of Shepherd’s Pie
- 2 tablespoonfuls of vegetable oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 450 grammes minced lamb
- 2-3 carrots (sliced), peeled
- 1/4 tablespoonful of salt
- 1 tablespoonful of ground cumin
- 25 grammes plain flour
- 300 ml lamb or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoonfuls tomato puree
- 700 grammes potatoes (boiled), peeled
- 25 grammes butter
- 4-5 tablespoonfuls of milk
- 50 grammes of cheddar cheese, grated
Preparation
-Heat the oil in a pan and add the bay leaves followed by the onion and fry for a couple of minutes.
-Then add the green chillies, lamb and carrots and continue frying for 8-10 minutes until the mince turns brown.
-Add the salt, cumin and flour and stir for a minute. Slowly blend in the stock and tomato puree.
-Cook until the mixture thickens. In the meantime, peel and boil the potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes until soft.
-Preheat the oven at 200C. Mash the potatoes with the butter and milk.
-When the lamb mixture is thick, tip it into an oven proof dish.
Spread the mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle over the cheese.
-Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Source: food.ndtv.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
