Ghanaian pathologist, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa
Ghanaian pathologist, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, has cautioned against the consumption of seed oils, describing them as unfit for the human body.
He made this statement during an interview with ‘Talking Africa’ on March 8, 2025, while addressing poor eating habits of Ghanaians.
The pathologist and lifestyle wellness consultant recommended the use of natural tropical oils for cooking.
“Tropical oils are the best option for you. They are natural oils. Be it coconut oil, groundnut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, shea butter and other natural tropical oils.
“Seed oils are industrial oils. They were created because the West didn’t want to spend all their money importing tropical oils. So, they produced their own oil. I can tell you that those oils are fit for machines not for the human body. I say this with all sincerity. I don’t believe any president should ban them but, they must educate their people to eat their own organic oils,” he said.
While explaining the safety of natural oils, he stated that seed oils were industrially created in 1910 and Africans were made to believe that they were premium oils.
“If you grate coconut and put it in the sun, the oil drips. If you boil the flesh of the palm nut and put ice on it, the oil solidifies and you can just take it and warm it. Then you have palm oil. If you take palm kernel and you grate it just like coconut, you’ll get oil. These are natural.
“You cannot boil maize and get oil. You can’t! It doesn’t happen! You have to take the seeds through industrial processes. 1910 brought the creation of seed oil and they told us the seed oils are the best, but I will tell you in all sincerity that they aren’t the best oils for you,” he said.
He added that every person is responsible for his or her own health and must consciously be guided by the choice of food they consume.
He also advised the public to adopt lifestyles that promote health and wellness.
“It is a common adage in public health that you produce your health. Your health is not produced by health professionals. Therefore, what you eat, how much water you drink, the physical exercises you do, the mental exercises you do, are all beneficial to your health,” he said.
Prof Badu Akosa also indicated that African cuisines are largely starch-based and hence pose a lot of health challenges.
He urged Ghanaians to ensure that they eat a balanced diet with the right proportions of protein, vegetable and carbohydrate.
“As Africans, our food is too much starch-based. It’s too much carbohydrates-based. Carbohydrates ends up in your body as sugar. So, you may not be eating granulated sugars or cube sugar per say, but the amount of food you eat, the white rice, white bread are all starch-based. So, ensure that a third of your servings for a meal constitutes only 1/3 of carbohydrates. The other 2/3 must be proteins and vegetables with a fair inclusion of fats and natural oils,” he said.
VPO/AE
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below: