It’s not only about our food, but also how we eat it
Lately, Covid-19-related deaths have become common globally. It is obvious that most are not caused by the virus itself, but due to an aggravation. You have a heart condition or diabetes and you get corona, you are in big, big trouble! The body’s defences are weak so you are more vulnerable. In the majority of cases it is the immune system not being able to fight off this terrible nuisance.
Vaccinations might prevent the virus, although the anti-vaccine camp has been yelling, “Even after getting the vaccine, people are still dying!”
Being healthy may help.
I once heard a Chinese doctor say it over and over again that we humans are sick, so our job is to stay well. Meaning we are no longer following a natural lifestyle. We have embraced technology, and forgotten where we came from and how we were made to be. Animals , trees and plants still follow the natural cycle, but we don’t.
Take the example of sleep. We are supposed to sleep 7 to 8 hours daily. We do not. We are either watching television till the wee hours, getting drunk, overworking or playing with our phones. Next day we are filled with fatigue and search for stimulants – cigarettes, coffee, sweet fizzy drinks, more booze, etc.
We have embraced wealth more than health.
What about Africa?
Our rich continent has abundant natural foods. That is why most plant-based foods are imported from Africa. Some are very expensive, overseas, albeit cheap in Africa. Coconuts, avocados, papaws and sweet potatoes are part of expensive “superfoods”, yet cheap and plenty in the tropical world. But do Africans value them?
If we check out the average African, he or she eats what is familiar, what is custom, but not necessarily healthy.
We Tanzanians do not value salads. Ask most of us what salad is and kachumbari would be cited. We do not realise that kachumbari is not originally Tanzanian. It hails from India and the Mediterranean. And it is only ONE type of salad. There are many other varieties with different dressings. Kachumbari’s dressing is mostly lemon, lime or salt. And that is just among tens of dressing types.
So we do not eat salads. We do not value salads. But the issue is not just eating “carbs” (carbohydrates and starches) with salad. The issue is we eat but NOT properly. And it is not about money. It is also not about education. Because you see very well educated folks, highly placed knowledgeable graduates who do not know how to handle nutrition. If they did they wouldn’t have bulging stomachs, or serious but avoidable illnesses at the age of just 40!
So the moral of this short reminder here is for us to look into not just what to eat but HOW to eat.
In order to know how to eat we need to revisit the basics of a well balanced diet.
We need – on a daily basis – four types of foods. Carbs (grains, yams, rice, etc), proteins (meat and vegetables), vitamins (fruits), minerals (nuts, raw organic plant-based).
Fruits, raw vegetables and nuts need be taken either before meals or separate from main meals. This is because of digestion. Fruits and salads digest much quicker than meats and starches.
And what do we do instead?
Most of us have large plates of carbs (ugali , chapati, etc) with proteins (meat) then munch a bit of fruit afterwards. Fruits and salads are never given priority as a major part of the diet. Fruits need to be eaten in big portions as they play a key role in the body. Not only are fruits key to making digestion better (like preventing constipation) but may help reducing fat and subsequently, losing weight.
There are also habits. Consuming things because we are “used” to. For example, drinking sweet things like tea with food. When we mix too much liquids with our meals we reduce the quality of main meals and disturb digestion.
Too much sugar actually contributes to fat and cholesterol.
Then exercise. There is a big surge of “working out” in Tanzania. Still, it is not done properly. I have heard from people who say they run or visit the gym daily. That is overtraining, which just stresses the body. We also do not know how “to treat” exercise. There are three types of exercise. Those that make us pant and sweat (cardiovascular), like running and swimming; those that make us exert internal pressure (“isometric” like yoga or pilates) plus ones requiring specific techniques, e.g. martial arts and boxing.
They are all similar, but need a different approach.
So where do we start? Awareness begins with knowing why we are doing something. Let us acknowledge the need to be healthy before we discuss how.
