With about one in every five Nigerian woman overweight, the head of nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chris Osa Isokpunwu says most obese people are actually malnourished because they eat very poor quality food.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says when a person is not getting enough food or the right sort of food, malnutrition is just around the corner adding that micronutrients deficiency, under-nutrition and over-nutrition are the three ways the disease manifest.as
According to a new study published by the open access journal PLOS One, a majority of obese women are actually malnourished adding that obesity is rising rapidly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
The study looks at Nigeria and finds that western influences on diet and lifestyle are playing a part in what looks set to be a serious epidemic that is going to create all the health issues the west is already struggling with.
The researchers at Warwick medical school found that more than one in five women in Nigeria is overweight or obese – among men the rates are much lower, which the authors think may be due to the amount of physical work men still do.
Contrary to popular opinion, Dr Isokpunwu said obesity in women is not necessarily caused by child-bearing as there are women that remain very slim even after delivery.
He said “It is about what we eat. We are beginning to be largely dependent on junks that just give you energy for the go but do not contain the necessary nutrients.”
‘Hidden Hunger’
The Nutrition expert who also working under UNICEF’s funded community management of acute malnutrition (CMAN) identified malnutrition as a silent crisis in Nigeria said “Junks just give you extra calories that that go into your body. That these women are getting bigger does not mean that their micro-nutrients level is strong. Many of them have what we call the hidden hunger.
“It is about teaching our women to eat right during pregnancy and out of pregnancy as they can remain slim even after five to ten children,” he noted.
According to UNICEF Chief of Nutrition in Nigeria, Arjan de Wagt women’s growing reliance on fast food means many are lacking the vitamins and minerals essential for health.
“The mistake is to think that if you eat an abundance of calories, your diet automatically delivers all the nutrients your body needs. But the opposite is true. The more processed food you eat, the more vitamins you need. That’s because vitamins and minerals lubricate the wheels of our metabolism, helping the chemical reactions in our bodies run properly,” he said.
The result, in the most extreme cases, is pot-bellies, wasted limbs and emaciated bodies.
Wagt said that a diet of pizzas, fries, crisps, pasta, rice, biscuits and cakes leaves many people consuming a lot of calories but few nutrients.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that obesity is paradoxically coexisting with malnutrition and is one of today’s most blatantly visible – yet most neglected – public health problems.
Get More Nutrient-Rich Calories
Eat more plant-based foods: Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains are the foundation of a lifelong ultra-prevention diet. They are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, fiber, and essential fatty acids. These foundation foods also eliminate the many triggers of chronic illness, such as saturated fat, trans-fat, sugar and toxic food additives.
Prioritize healthy plant-based fats: The best way to eat most of your fat is in the form of extra-virgin olive oil, nuts, and seeds with minimal amounts of properly processed vegetable oils.
Dine on modest amounts of lean animal protein: The best sources are small cold-water fish that don’t contain high levels of metals and other contaminants. Healthy fish choices include sardines, mackerel and salmon.
Remember, food is your best medicine! Whole foods are naturally packaged with a vast array of nutrients that work synergistically to optimize your health. They ripple throughout our entire physiology, reducing inflammation, boosting detoxification, balancing hormones, and providing powerful antioxidant protection – all things that repair the underlying causes of disease.
Source: Leadership News
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