21st Century Health

Here’s what this is not, a scientific paper. It’s not going to be entertaining either. It is however steeped in current realities. Realities about life and death. Fact, we all know of a person who lost their life to a health condition. Chances are this health condition was once thought to be an old people’s disease. Or maybe a rich peoples disease.?It’s also likely that they at one point or another had a doctor ask them to do this, cut that, drop the other to improve their chances at survival. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t.

Case and point, as January was clocking out it has seen many across the country and beyond mourning the demise of Kenya’s former education cabinet secretary. Cause of death, a fatal cardiac episode preceded by unrelenting high blood pressure. Undeniably, he was a man of great accomplishments by many standards and as such many prominent figures gathered to eulogize him. As these Kenyan political icons stood to speak, I couldn’t help but notice how some of them are poster cards for obesity, a leading cause of many chronic non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease which is among the top 3 killers. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/report-content/statistic/1221721)

It is not the African way to speak ill of the dead and so help me, I’ll tread carefully with this one. This dear man was a doctor by training. A surgeon to be specific. He probably on numerous occasions saved the lives of many a people. He had the knowledge on how to preserve life and was bound by an oath to do no harm. By all these standards, he should have known better. He should have done better. Some have said and thought. Yet how many of us do? Even when its life and death, how many of us will subscribe to the discipline needed to maintain health? No smoking. One glass of wine a day if must to aid in digestion as they say. Exercise at least thrice weekly for no less than 30 minutes. Stay hydrated. Get quality sleep at regular times each day. Eat less sugar, and even less foods that are factory processed.

We live in such peculiar times. The information age we call it. Drenched in a sea of information on all manner of subjects and still yet to master the one thing we all have full autonomy over: our body. Everyone has a body, albeit different in age, size, shape, texture, color, and scent you’ve got yours and I’ve got mine. And in as much as aspects of health are a matter of public health and formulated policies, to keep and to maintain health will ever remain to be personal responsibility.

As Kenyans much like our fellow global citizens continue to fill our plates with the convenience of quick service fast food in place of traditional cuisine, obesity will be the ever present angel of death. And at this rate, we might also embrace the resulting micronutrient deficiencies. Why stop there, when physical activity is frowned upon by this our tuktuk, uber and boda boda generation. Plus the current food system is not doing us any favors with their ever growing march towards flooding markets with cheap obesogens and carcinogens. The greatest health challenge of our generation I dare say is our collective choice to undermine our bodies when good health is within our grasp.

Rightfully stated as we began, this is definitely not a scientific paper. It’s not here for entertainment and is not informed by my personal opinions either. My hope in all these is that you my dear reader are the skewed one who decides to challenge the status quo and master your body. And so I wish you a Happy New Year filled with health and wealth.

Your Dietitian – Nutritionist,

Ababach Tamiru-Achar.

Founder - Nilishe Health. Eat. Drink. Live.