Please note: AMAKA always advises readers to make an appointment with a local GP or nutritionist with any matters regarding physical health.

Understanding healthy eating habits is important as the world grapples with growing cases of malnutrition and obesity. In a 2016 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 650 million people were dealing with obesity related health problems, out of which 115 million lived in developing countries. As for malnutrition, Dr. Franceso Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at WHO, stated in a 2019 report, that 462 million adults were suffering from malnutrition. He therefore called for a review into food production, and an investigation into the types of foods people are consuming.

According to Sherese Ijewere, a practicing clinical nutritionist for 19 years, and the CEO of Caribbean Health, to eat healthy means, “Staying close to mother nature, eating from the earth, eating things that are natural and grown, not [things] that are processed.” Dr. Somi Igbene, a registered nutritionist in the United Kingdom, adds that eating healthy is about prioritizing wholegrain in meals as well as consuming healthy fats from things like avocados, coconut, palm oil, nuts and seeds. However, she noted that, “While the principle of healthy eating for good health can be generic; there are some people who can tolerate certain foods more than others and in such instances, what constitutes a healthy eating pattern can vary from person to person.”

What is healthy eating? Dieting and healthy eating explored

There is an ongoing discussion about diets such as Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, and healthy eating. But Ashley and Jasmine, registered dieticians and nutritionists, and founders of EatWell Exchange based in North Carolina, USA, explained that there is a difference between dieting and eating healthy, “Health is so much more than body image and weight. Skinny or thin does not mean you are healthy and if you are heavier it does not make you unhealthy. Diets are short term fixes; they are usually geared at losing weight within a particular time. Diets do not last long term, because if a diet is restrictive, it will help you lose weight, but you cannot continue living like that for long. Healthy eating is a lifestyle, it is making choices every day to put foods into your body that provide the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive...You should not have to dread eating foods that are healthy or need a “cheat” day away from those foods. All foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle.”

Interestingly, Igbene points out that with most fad diets, the weight that is being shed is not fat. She explained, “Most people tend to be stuck in diet mentality, [thinking] I will just eat this to lose X amount of pounds. However, all that achieves is loss of water; you don’t actually lose fat and fat is the thing that causes inflammation. For you to lose fat successfully and keep it off, you need to change your eating habits long term.”

Ashley urges those who embark on diets to be cautious, she said, “People should be mindful when considering most of these diets. For [example] the Keto diet, [though] followed [in] different ways, the original implementation was to help patients who were experiencing seizures and neurological disorders. Our brain needs carbs as fuel, so the simplified way of explaining it was to limit fuel to the brain to stop over activity. Think about that?”

Ijewere stated that the connection between diet and eating healthy has persisted due to misinformation. She urged those who desire to change their eating habits to shun diets and embrace plant based nutrition, “When nutritionists say plant based nutrition, those are your yam, plantain, vegetables without bringing in the processed foods.”

The Women Sharing Egyptian Food With the World

Eating tips for good health:

Women must ensure that they consume meals that have high nutritional value, and four essential vitamins and minerals were unanimously agreed upon by the experts:

1) Vitamin D: Ijewere explained vitamin D is pivotal for the absorption of calcium and maximizing bone health. Women suffer great morbidity and mortality related to osteoporosis and fractures, which may be decreased by interventions such as vitamin D. While exposure to sunlight is a known source of this vitamin, some other sources include egg yolk, cheese, beef liver and mushrooms.

2) Iron: Iron is essential for the transport of oxygen in the body. Much of the body’s iron is found in the haemoglobin of the red blood cells where it assists oxygen delivery to all tissues. Adequate iron intake in the diet is needed to maintain optimum health, replenish iron stores, and prevent iron deficiency anaemia. Igbene explained that this mineral is important for women because of our menstrual cycles, therefore she emphasises the need for women to ensure they are eating iron rich foods to replenish. Some sources of iron are cooked spinach, roasted cashew nuts, and white beans.

3) Foliate: Igbene explained that foliate is very important for DNA repair. It also helps prevent birth defects in young babies such as spina bifida. According to Igbene, in the United Kingdom, flour is being fortified because there are still many women not getting enough folate in their diet. Some sources are dark green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and nuts. Fruits rich in folate are oranges, strawberries and bananas.

4) Zinc: Chineye Duru, CEO of Ducho Nutrition Services, and member of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria and Nutrition Society of the United Kingdom, explained that women need adequate intake of Zinc in order to boost their immune system. Ijewere added that Zinc helps with hormones, adding that due to the constant hormonal changes women go through from menstrual cycle to menopause, Zinc is needed for regulation and support. Some sources of Zinc include almonds (dry roasted), wholegrain (oats, brown rice), kale, and fish (sardines, salmon and flounder).

Summer Goodness from the Wood Kitchen in Zambia

"Healthy eating is a lifestyle, it is making choices every day to put foods into your body that provide the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive"

Dietary supplements:

When it comes to healthy balanced eating tips, dietary supplements are included as part of it. Ashley and Jasmine agree that dietary supplements are helpful in maintaining a healthy balanced diet. They said, “Vitamin supplements can help provide a better coverage for vitamins and minerals, [therefore people should] use supplements to help ensure that [they] are getting adequate levels of necessary nutrients.” Ijewere recommends plant based supplements as she said, “[Use] supplements derived from plants such as Spirulina, Gano-Mushrooms, Karela that gives you the B vitamins that you need and the beta carotene that you need.”

However, Duru noted that eating healthy remains the primary way to ensure good health and nutrition. She said, “Supplements help but the issue is a lot of people that are prone to having deficiencies cannot afford supplements. Therefore eating the right things remains the best form of ensuring optimum health and nutrition.”

Challenges to healthy eating:

Igbene stated that the challenge women have to eating healthy comes from misunderstanding about what it actually means. She said, “Many women think they understand what a healthy diet is but they really don’t. They have the misconception that you need to cut out food to be healthy ⁠— most think African foods are unhealthy, this is another misconception. Women believe you need to detox, that when you do your body gets cleansed, but that is false because your body has organs in there to detox you. There is no food you will eat that will detox you. What women need to do is to unlearn or let go of all the misconceptions, whether it is from parents or social media, and go to practitioners who can teach them what healthy eating is.”

Ijewere added that another challenge women have is time. She explained, “As women we are multitaskers; there are children to tend to, and the office, and now we have the Zoom meetings. We are juggling so much that we do not really take time for ourselves. We are taking care of everybody but us, and so I definitely say you need to have a meal plan if you are so busy; it helps with purchase so you know exactly what you are getting and [you are] sticking to it.”

A healthy balanced diet is not about strict limitations or attaining unrealistic body standards. Eating healthy is not about perfectionism but about embracing a healthy lifestyle by making meal choices that would daily improve your quality of life.