The Power of Traditional African Diets and Lifestyle Changes in the Fight Against Obesity.

Everyone today is heavier than they would have been if living in 1980. The current environment promotes excessive fat accumulation, a major problem for society. The recent Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, released yesterday, depicts a glim picture and repercussions of our poor lifestyle. The survey found that 50 percent of women aged 20 to 49 with more than secondary education are either obese or overweight compared to 26 percent of women with no education.

The survey also shows that about six in 10 women of reproductive age in the highest wealth quintile are obese, compared to one in five women in the lowest wealth quintile. A woman is more likely to be obese if she lives in an urban area, with 43 percent of women in the same age group reporting being overweight or obese compared to 39 percent in rural areas, according to the report published every five years. According to the World Health Organisation, overweight and Obesity negatively impact many people's health. Both are major risk factors for several reproductive health and chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

So, what should we do to evert the Obesity epidemic? At a personal level, you need to audit your lifestyle to improve three key areas. Diet, Exercise, and Sleep. On diet, go back to the traditional African foods and ways of cooking – avoid cooking using unhealthy vegetable oils. You don't need to sign up for a gym membership for exercise. Walking a minimum 6000 steps daily is an excellent place to start if your lifestyle is sedentary. You can later on increase the steps to 10,000. Sleep is critically important for maintaining a healthy weight. Several studies have found an association between lack of sleep and Obesity. Aim to have seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Good sleep reigns in on hormones such as ghrelin which triggers hunger, making you eat more than you should. Chronic sleep deprivation can trigger insulin resistance, causing inefficient blood sugar regulation, increased fat storage, weight gain, and possibly type 2 diabetes.

The Government should pass laws that will safeguard the citizens from profit-making food corporations that sell cheap, unhealthy toxic, and calorific foods. I was recently admitted to a five-star private hospital in Nairobi for minor surgery. Their diet (high in carbohydrates i.e, rice, bread, potatoes etc.) should not be on the hospital Menu. To make it worse, international fast-food restaurants, specifically Java, have invaded what should be sanctuaries for patients to sell them unhealthy fast foods. Why, in the name of our good Lord, would a hospital allow a fast-food restaurant to operate from their premises, yet the treatment they offer the patients was most likely caused by eating those unhealthy foods?

Ever think about making more rules to stop junk food from being so available? Some folks – good and bad – say we shouldn't. They believe in 'personal choice'. We should all get to decide what we eat, they say. But remember when we all had to start using seat belts in cars? A lot fewer people died in accidents after that. And guess what? Those same folks didn't seem to mind. Also, when smoking is banned in indoor public places, everyone's health improves. And that wouldn't have happened if we'd just asked people nicely to stop smoking. So why not do the same for food? If we can make rules about harmful stuff like cigarettes, why not make rules about junk food that's just as bad for us?

Major international food companies act to protect profits. They devote much money to spreading misinformation and bending political ears, just as the big tobacco companies did before legislation.

But is this wrong? Not entirely. I expect companies to produce goods or services and make a profit for their shareholders. Clever marketing tactics are justified to achieve these aims. The problem lies not in commerce but in the lack of regulation. Regulation would still leave a level playing field for competition. Limitation of fast-food outlets close to schools, a reduction in the calorie content of snack foods, and the constraint of mega-size or two-for-one bargains, clear calorie labelling of products are just a few of how a new level playing field could be created for commercial interests to compete freely.

Here are my triple S solution to (simple suggested steps) to decrease population-level food intake. Several more are also feasible, but this would be a good start.

1. Restrictions on fast-food outlets operating close to schools

2. Regulation of added sugar and fat in processed/ ready meals

3. Labelling of the calorie content of single consumption items (e.g. fast food, ready meals, restaurant meals, individual cakes in coffee shops, cans of beer) which is clear, visible, and easy to understand

4. Regulation of supersize and bargain meals i.e Terrific Tuesdays

5. Impose high Taxes on sugar & sugar-sweetened beverages

Weaving these steps into our societies may not be easy. There will be resistance, hesitations, and struggles. In my wishful world, I would hope our legislators would pick up this battle on behalf of their constituents and themselves because we know most of them are managing lifestyle conditions.

Our best bet for a healthier future is to go back to our African roots in diet and physical health and for the Government to implement some of the proposals, one at a time, as we promise ourselves that every small step taken, every victory achieved, no matter how tiny, is a leap towards a better, healthier, happier world

Credits: Duncun Motanya – Diabetes Educator and Founder Diabetes Management Medical Center – Ngara – www.dmrckenya.co.ke