Feeding our children right
Awareness over the matter of health and fitness in Nigeria has now become more of an everyday topic rather than the unpopular conversation it was a few years ago. Back then; people did not seem to pay as close attention as they do now to this new “fit fam” era. They even had such theories as the need for slim people not to pay as close attention to their health as others, or that with wealth and age, one must “fatten up” to demonstrate their perceived superior well-being.
In today’s world where the occurrence of health issues such as allergies, genetic deformations, obesity, diabetes and cancer are on the rise, it is true that we have to be extremely careful of what we do with our bodies. We are now exposed to so many toxic conditions, some of which we have little or no control over unfortunately. This is why these illnesses are so common, especially amongst younger generations and even with children. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980; more than 65% of the world’s population lives in countries where being overweight kills more people than being underweight; and more than 40million children under the age of five are overweight.
Furthermore, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (United States), the prevalence of food allergies and cancer incidence rates amongst children under the age of 18years are growing. While these statistics are representative of the population in the United States, we cannot hide the fact that these diseases are becoming very common in Nigeria as well.
However, notwithstanding our knowledge of such issues, we may not be doing all the right things to ensure that our children and we are not at risk, at least to the extent within our control. Diseases such as obesity, for instance, are preventable. Additionally, as Africans, we also need to be careful, because we are at higher risk of diabetes due to our diet and lifestyle choices. So when we are preparing meals for our children, we have to be mindful of the following:
1. Chemical Additives: These serve the purpose of preserving and fortifying food with taste. Some, such as MSG (Monosodium glutamate), found in many seasonings, are very high in sodium and promote fat retention. This is a silent killer that may be worse than alcohol, nicotine, and drugs.
2. Genetically Modified Food: These are essentially protein-engineered food, some of which the direct effect on the human genetic and immune system is unproven, yet they are still out there and available for us to consume.
3. Fast Food and Junk Food: Food should not be a quick fix. There should be nothing “fast” about it. Shouldn’t the fact that food is now readily available to be consumed within such few minutes make us question the authenticity? Fast food and junk food are very heavily processed and are also quite far from their natural form. They have such high fat and sugar content, and barely any valuable nutritional value (including some so called healthy snacks and fruit juices).
So every time we give our children something to eat, we should really think beyond just satisfying their hunger or need to snack on something. We should bear in mind what value they are getting out of what they put in their bodies at the time.
It is imperative that we ensure that our children get the best out of their meals. Even in the short term, a healthy diet helps develop and improve their cognitive strength, agility, concentration, physical appearance and health in general. Visits to the doctor will not have to be a common occurrence in their lives.
There are certain areas we must be aware of when it comes to our children’s health and nutrition so ensure that their state of well-being is fully intact. Some of these include:
• Drinking more water as opposed to fizzy drinks
• Adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to their diets and removing the “bad” fat and sugar
• Going as natural as possible: A simple rule of thumb is to ask ourselves how far a certain item of food is from its natural form when we pick it up. If we cannot point a finger at its source very easily, then this item is very likely packed with chemical additives.
• Turning down the heat when we cook: Cooking at very high temperatures, first of all denatures the food hence reducing the nutritional value. Secondly, it leads to the formation of acrylamides, a proven culprit to cancer
• Involving our children in more cardiovascular activities and avoiding the sedentary lifestyle of sitting down at home with our eyes glued to the television, computers, video games and ipads. Gradual changes like taking the stairs rather than lifts once in a while or a calm evening strolls with the family could go a long way.
In conclusion, we must not be ignorant of what we expose ourselves to these days. The world is becoming a more toxic place to live in and we must do our best to protect our children, as well as ourselves. We must also ensure that we educate them about these things as well, so that they can take such healthy lifestyle practices beyond childhood.
Oyin Egbeyemi
•Oyin Egbeyemi is an Executive Administrator at Tender Loving School, Ikoyi, oyindamola.egbeyemi@tlslagos.com