Food and beverage company, Nestlé Ghana Ltd., has held a day’s workshop for journalists on good nutrition.
The training, organized in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), was to provide participants with relevant information to enhance their reportage on proper nutrition.
Professor Matilda Steiner-Asiedu of the University of Ghana’s Nutrition and Food Science Department, said adopting a healthy eating habit is important for the overall wellbeing of an individual adding that, “You are what you eat.”
She indicated that when choosing a diet, one should ensure the features of balance, moderation, variety, adequacy, calorie control, and safety are present.
Prof. Steiner-Asiedu emphasized that eating an imbalanced meal can lead to a condition called hidden hunger where the body is deprived of some of the nutrients it needs to function properly.
For instance, she said eating local meal ‘Red Red’ prepared with beans, palm oil, gari and fried ripped plantain is good as it is rich in protein, carbohydrate and iron.
However, she said, “Eating ‘Red Red’ with too much gari and fried ripe plantain will increase the level of calories and that is what has been the major issue causing overweight and obesity in our people”.
She thus advocated for people to eat in moderation adding that foods rich in fiber are important in helping to manage overweight, obesity and control blood sugar levels.
Prof. Steiner-Asiedu thus urged the participants to promote good nutrition by focusing their reportage on interventions such as food safety, nutrition education for healthy choices, increased dietary diversity, food supplementation, and food fortifications which are crucial in meeting important components of a good diet.
Speaking on the themed, ‘Inspiring Nutrition: The Role of the Media’ GJA President, Affail Monney, charged participants to use their platforms to disseminate accurate nutrition stories.
He said, it was through sustained awareness creation in the print and electronic media on healthy eating habits and its benefits to the individual and family that the country can address its malnutrition challenges.
“GJA is partnering Nestlé to help build your capacity on nutrition reporting so you can lead the advocacy to help alleviate hunger and malnutrition,” he said.
Quality Assurance Manager, Nestlé Ghana Ltd, Raphael Sitsofe Kuwornu, took the participant through the quality assurance process of the company indicating that Nestlé holds itself to high quality standards.
“We have systems in place to ensure the reliability of Nestle to deliver quality,” he added.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri