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A well-nourished, healthy workforce is a pre-condition for sustainable development. At the same time, the nutritional well-being of a population is a reflection of the performance of its social and economic sectors.
In recent times, there has been increasing evidence within the medical profession that a major public health issue of contemporary society is the epidemic of poor nutrition.
As a result, high death rates from cardiovascular diseases and obesity in conspiracy with the common and costly diseases of hypertension, diabetes and malnutrition have adversely affected the economic productivity of our country.
The paradox of our generation is that despite the abundant knowledge on nutrition and a variety of foods, what has contributed more to these diseases is plentiful food.
“Part of our problem is that food is everywhere unlike in the past when food was only found at home, which limited the eating,’’ says James Wainaina.
Dr Wainaina, the Nakuru County Director for Health, says this food availability contributes a great deal to obesity, which in most cases leads to high blood pressure.
For example, Wainaina says, his colleagues drink tea throughout the day and never fail to have lunch, yet they lead a sedentary lifestyle most of the time.
“If your work involves being seated for more than five to six hours, be extremely careful about what you eat and how much you eat,’’ he advises.
Unfortunately, even non-office employees are affected because there is food everywhere including walking paths.
Before the Industrial Revolution, non-communicable diseases were rare and were only found among the aristocrats. However, the revolution and the ‘civilisation’ of the world removed food from homes and brought it to the streets in the form of hotels and restaurants, making it possible for people to get the ‘rich man’s diseases’, says Wainaina.
The introduction of fast food restaurants had a magnetic pull on people mainly due to their convenience and the sweet smells wafting out of them.
“Nowadays people can buy food and eat in their cars, offices and even while walking."
Only disciplined people who understand the consequences of eating in an arbitrary manner can avoid such eating habits.
He urges Kenyans to reassess the way they eat — not just eating because they can afford it and because the food is available.
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