As the world marks World Diabetes Day, the following are suitable for diabetic patients; fruits and vegetables, lean protein and food with little or no sugar.
Protein deficiency is emerging as a genuine health concern in Nigeria. It is the state of the relative or absolute shortage of body proteins or one or more of the essential amino acids.
To effectively tackle the problem, experts acknowledge that there is an urgent need to explore its true status in Nigeria, examine the possible reasons why it has lingered and then evaluate options for curtailing incidences.
This is precisely what the Protein Challenge Webinar Series 5, themed ‘Protein Deficiency: Bridging The Knowledge Gap’ sought to address. It was a platform to identify strategies to help in alleviating protein deficiency for individuals, families and the nation at large.
The keynoted address was delivered by Professor Henrietta Nkechi Ene-Obong, Nutritionist and Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Calabar. Panelists on the webinar included Dr. Ifeoma Augustina Akeredolu, a member of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria and Chief Lecturer, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, YabaTech, and Dr. Bimbo Oyedokun, a medical expert and Managing Partner, QuePlus Health Services.
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Here are Top 10 points from the webinar to boost healthy living;
- Food is one of the basic needs of life. We all need food to survive. However, the quality of food must be considered. The quality of food is essentially the nutrients in the food. Protein is a nutrient needed by the human body for growth and maintenance.
- Protein quality depends on three things:
a. The balance of essential amino acids (complete and incomplete protein)
b. Limiting amino acids and
c. Digestibility: the capacity of the protein to be broken down by the enzymes of the intestinal tract. - Everybody needs protein. People with more physiological requirements, like pregnant and lactating mothers and children, need more proteins in their diets. People have to learn how to plan meals, to optimize the available food sources. Quality Information about foods and their nutrient classes must be gotten from nutrition experts and health practitioners. Variety, they say, is the spice of life.
- Nutrition education is indeed a very important part of resolving malnutrition. Advocacy and proper implementation of nutrition policies must be done in Nigeria to checkmate protein deficiency.
- Protein deficiency can manifest in different forms; anaemia, micronutrient deficiency, among others. Protein deficiency can lead to other nutrient-related illnesses, like anaemia, beriberi and wasting. Signs and symptoms of protein deficiency include water retention, reddish skin, pale skin, limp hair, fatty liver, etc. Children who have been malnourished are at risk of losing their hair and teeth.
- Changing behavioural communications in society can also lessen the burden of malnutrition. Nutrition should be included in the educational curriculum.
- Empowering health workers in rural communities with appropriate funding and tools will enable them to disseminate nutrition information.
- Preventive measures are more preferable in tackling protein deficiency and malnutrition. It is crucial to increase our protein intake. Soybeans have been used in the eastern parts of Nigeria, like Nsukka, to better improve staple diets.
- Protein deficiency lingers for many reasons, but largely because of monotonous diets and poor utilization of available food resources. Poverty and low levels of education in the rural areas have caused protein deficiency to linger in Nigeria.
- Protein complementation with plant-based, affordable proteins like soybeans, legumes, will help to reduce the scourge of malnutrition. Other indigenous legumes like the African yam beans, pigeon peas and Bambara are also very rich sources of protein.
