When I was still a young girl, I always wondered why we hardly had meat at meals. Most of the time I thought it was because my parents couldn’t afford it. As an adult I am so thankful for my diet when I was a child.
My plate usually consisted majorly of pulses (i.e. beans, lentils, and peas), vegetables and groundnuts alongside a staple starch food such as rice, potatoes, and maize flour (posho).
In my household now, we have meat once or twice a week. You see; meats and dairy products are great source of proteins and vital vitamins such vitamin B12, however, they also contain bad cholesterol and saturated fats, which contribute to the following top killers: heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and various types of cancer.
This is why I call upon all persons reading this article to make necessary changes and inclusions to their diets, I strongly would recommend that one third of your daily food intake should consist of vegetables, another third or slightly over to be starch and the last third to consist of the other items meat included (refer the picture).
Starch or carbohydrates are not as bad as people think. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. They also contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Susan Mbabazi is a registered pharmacist in the UK.
