Nutrition
You Are What You Eat: The Silent Power of Good Nutrition
They say, “you are what you eat.” But in Ghana, what we eat — and what we don’t — tells a much bigger story about health, inequality, and public policy.
Across the country, the double burden of malnutrition and lifestyle-related diseases is growing. In one home, a child suffers stunted growth due to poor nutrition; in another, an adult battles hypertension or diabetes linked to unhealthy eating habits. These are not just personal health problems; they are reflections of national nutrition governance.
Ghana has many well-intentioned nutrition policies and programmes, but implementation gaps and weak accountability continue to limit their impact. In many communities, the food served in schools lacks adequate protein or vegetables, even though guidelines exist. Street food vendors operate without nutritional standards, and nutrition education is still missing from most community health outreach programmes.
Nutrition should not depend on luck or privilege. It should be a right, guaranteed by systems that ensure access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food for all. That’s why experts are calling for stronger inter-ministerial collaboration between Health, Agriculture, Education, and Local Government — supported by adequate budget allocation to nutrition interventions.
At the household level, simple choices can make a difference — swapping fried foods for boiled ones, reducing sugar and salt, and adding more local vegetables and legumes. But without supportive policies such as subsidies for nutritious local foods, better agricultural extension services, and stricter regulation of processed food advertising, personal effort alone is not enough.
As Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) continues to advocate, good nutrition is not just a kitchen issue — it’s a governance issue. It requires leadership, public awareness, and sustained investment. Every policy that supports farmers, improves school meals, or enforces food labeling laws brings us closer to a healthier population.
In the end, a nation’s strength depends on what its people eat. Nutrition is not charity — it’s smart governance.
Feature Article by Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition Project.
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In March 2025, world leaders gathered in Paris for the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the most important global gathering on malnutrition of the decade. Over $30 billion in new financial commitments were pledged globally by more than 170 actors from 82 countries. Ghana was there. Ghana made commitments. The question now is: are those commitments enough, and will they be delivered?
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Summit. One of the most significant is a pledge to spend at least $6 million annually from 2026 for the procurement of essential nutrition commodities including ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), iron-folic acid tablets, vitamin A supplements, and anthropometric equipment for measuring child growth.
This financial commitment is meaningful. For years, Ghana’s nutrition programmes have depended heavily on donor funding, leaving services vulnerable to aid cuts and supply disruptions. A domestic budget line for nutrition commodities signals a shift toward ownership and sustainability. It also directly supports Ghana’s Nutrition for Growth commitments from the 2021 Tokyo Summit, several of which remain off track.
The Bigger Picture
The 2025 N4G Summit was about more than funding. It called for systemic change: embedding nutrition in food systems, health coverage, climate resilience, and gender equality. Every dollar invested in nutrition is estimated to return $16 to the local economy. Yet malnutrition still costs Ghana an estimated 6.4 per cent of its GDP annually. That is not a public health statistic. It is an economic emergency.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has acknowledged that converting summit outcomes into actionable change requires transparent policy dialogue and locally driven solutions.
Commitments made in Paris must be tracked, funded, and implemented in Ghana’s communities. Programmes must move from pilot scale to national coverage. That will not happen without sustained political will, dedicated domestic financing, and public accountability.
Commitments made on global stages matter. But they only become meaningful when they translate into services in communities. The question is not what Ghana promised in Paris. It is what Ghana delivers at home.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
Cabbage is very rich in fibre, the main supplier of roughage. This helps the body retain water and it maintains the bulkiness of the food as it moves through the bowels.
Thus, it is a good remedy for constipation and other digestion-related problems.
Ingredients
-1 large cabbage
– 4 large fresh tomatoes
– 1 large onion
– Pepper
-Garlic
-2 large salmon
-1 tin of mackerel
-2 large green pepper
-Salt to taste
Preparation
-Chop cabbage roughly and wash in a large pot of water
-Pour vinegar on it and wait until you make other preparations. Then drain.
-Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat
-Cook and stir onion in hot oil until onion turns dark brown.
-Blend tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and onion and add to the oil
-Add tomato paste, mackerel and salmon to stew
-Add cabbage, stir and cover to cook for 7 – 10 minutes
-Allow to simmer when it is soft and serve with rice, yam etc.
