Nutrition
Media must be passionate about NCDs , mental health issues – Dr Mavis Sakyi
Dr Mavis Sakyi, the Acting Head of Public Health and Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health, has urged the media to be passionate on issues of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health to create platforms for financial support for awareness creation.
She said NCD rates such as cancers, respiratory disease, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, eye diseases, among others, and mental health were becoming alarming and could lead to the next pandemic in the country.
She stated that about 54 per cent of deaths were caused by NCDs and there was the need for agenda setting on the issue by the media in the print, online, social media, television, and radio for financial dialogue to support awareness creation.
Dr Sakyi advised at a day’s capacity-building seminar for media professionals and members of civil society organisations on NCD and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) on the theme: “Accelerating UHC through the 2 Global Financial Dialogue on NCDs and Mental Health”.
Mr Labram Musah, the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance in a presentation called on the government to earmark a percentage of the excise tax revenue for NCDs and mental healthcare.
He said more than 60 per cent of people living with NCDs face a financial burden, which results from out-of-pocket payment costs of medicine, outpatient visits, and hospitalisation, among others.
“This had led persons, families and communities into poverty,” he stated.
Mr Musah entreated the government to remove subsidies on harmful products such as tobacco, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans-fats, and the rest to prevent diseases.
He said; “It is estimated that 3.1 million Ghanaians are living with mental health issues, and globally, it is estimated that 15 million lives a year will be ended prematurely because of NCD and mental health.
“Treatment costs also increase exponentially in the case of multi-morbidities, which is becoming more of a norm rather than an exception,” he stated, saying; “NCD is cross-cutting and has dire consequences on many communicable diseases.
He said the catastrophic spending on the diseases had contributed to many households adopting negative coping mechanisms that included reduced spending on other health costs, food, education, and the rest. – GNA
Nutrition
Khebab
Khebab, popularly known as kyinkyinga in Ghana, is a very popular street food.
With meat variations ranging from beef, gizzards, chicken, guinea fowls, sausages and others, this spicy meat threaded on skewers and grilled over a gentle heat is usually served with sliced onions and spicy pepper powder.
It is very popular among the Hausa people in northern Ghana. The people that sell them are referred to as Abochi.
Ingredients
Kyinkyinga powder
●1 cup of ground peanuts (You can also use peanut butter powder )
●1 tablespoonful of onion powder
Salt to taste
●1 tablespoonful of paprika
●1 tablespoonful of ginger powder
●1 tablespoonful of cayenne
pepper
●1 tablespoonful of black pepper
Beef / meat on skewers
●5 Pounds diced beef /meat/ gizzard
●1/2 bulb of onion
Oil
Preparation
-Mix all the spices in a bowl together to get the kyinkyinga powder.
-Dip a cooking brush in oil and quote your beef on skewers with oil
– Generously rub your kyinkyinga powder mix on the meat and place them on a baking dish
-Place the baking dish of kebabs in a 350 degree Fahrenheit pre-heated conventional oven.
-Bake it for about 20 minutes and your beef / meat kebabs will be ready.
Nutrition
Overcoming urinary tract infections with our diet
Infections of the urinary tract (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection in the body. You may have a UTI if you notice pain or burning sensation when you urinate, an urge to use the bathroom much more often than usual, pain at the lower back, urine that smells bad, looks cloudy or reddish, and symptoms of fever, tiredness, or shakiness.
Bacteria are the villains behind UTIs. In fact, harmful bacteria from our stool sometimes manage to sneak into the urethra, the opening where urine exits the body. From there, they may spread to the bladder. Urinating helps wash/ flush these bacteria out of the urinary tract.
UTIs are more common in females than males, and particularly common in diabetics, people undergoing chemotherapy, people on steroids, people living with HIV/AIDS, among others. Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment, however the following tips will go a long way toward helping you avoid UTIs:
Food to include
• Proanthocyanidins rich foods such as Cranberries, blueberries, and grapes.
• Probiotic bacteria rich foods such as fermented milk or yoghurt.
• Vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, tangerines, pineapples, and bell peppers.
• Drinking about 8 glasses of water a day to increase urination and hence flush out bacteria.
Lifestyle modification
• Avoid unnecessary usage of steroids.
• Adherence to medication if you are diabetic or a person living with HIV/ AIDS.
• Observe very good personal hygiene.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.
• Avoid sedentary lifestyle and incorporate exercise in your daily lives.
In conclusion, to avoid the uncomfortable and painful situation of living with a UTI, there are many ways and means that are well within our reach. Our diet and lifestyle play a major role which should not be underestimated, and with careful adherence to these tips, we will avoid UTIs completely.
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
