Ghanaians have been urged to reduce meat consumption to at least once a week for their well-being and to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NDCs).
Mr. Emmanuel Fiagbey, Executive Director of Communication Initiative for Change, said the practice would help in reducing the prevalence of heart diseases, diabetes, strokes, kidney diseases, obesity, chronic illness, and certain cancers.
He made the call during a community education for women groups, community leaders, and chiefs at Nima on the ‘Meatless Monday’ campaign with support from the Center for Communication Programmes and the Center for Livable Future of Johns Hopkins University.
The campaign is a health initiative aimed at enabling Ghanaians to adopt the practice of not consuming meat at least one day a week for their well-being and called on Ghanaians to embrace the “Meatless Monday.” campaign.
Mr Fiagbey said it was important for people to consume fruits and vegetables on their ‘Meatless Monday’ as the practice could lower cancer risk, prevent diabetes, and maintain a healthy weight, among others.
He noted that rapid urbanization and a growing affluent middle class were transforming Ghana’s dietary patterns, adding that Ghanaian urban dwellers were turning away from traditional food consumption to processed foods and excessive meat intake despite the associated health risks.
He said market projections indicated that meat consumption in Ghana, including beef, pork, chicken, goat meat, mutton, and bush meat, was expected to rise by 9.57 percent annually, reaching a market volume of USD 6.65 billion by 2029.
Studies from Harvard University have shown that daily consumption of processed red meat, equivalent to the size of a deck of cards, is associated with a 30 percent increased risk of death from heart disease.
“The meat markets in African countries are projected to expand significantly. In Rwanda, for example, the meat market is expected to grow by 5-7 percent annually, reaching 6.65 billion dollars by 2029,” Mr Fiagbey said.
The Executive Director expressed concern about the low consumption of fruits and vegetables across Africa, citing that less than five percent of people consume the recommended 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily.
Mrs Catherine Adu-Asare, Programme Manager, Diet Healthy Lifestyle Programme Nutrition Department of the Ghana Health Service, educating participants on NCDs, said the public needed to be mindful of too much meat consumption.
She said globally, the four main NCDs claiming many lives include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases, and diabetes, adding that these conditions occured due to lifestyle.
“Heart problems account for the highest mortality rate among non-communicable diseases, with 17.5 million people dying annually. Maintaining a good diet, regular physical activity, weight management, drinking alcohol in moderation, and living stress-free lives are crucial to preventing NCDs,” Mrs Adu-Asare said.
Mrs. Elizabeth Esi Denyoh, the Chairperson of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Africa Region, sensitized participants on healthy eating and diabetes prevention and management.
She said people needed to be active and eat well to avoid NCDs, adding that the number of people living with type two diabetes in the country was worrying and reiterated the need for regular exercise, change in lifestyle and culture to help reduce the risk.
GNA