An elderly person sent me a video a few weeks ago. The speaker, Dr. Chidi Ngwaba, a doctor who specializes in lifestyle medicine, really did an excellent job.
I found everything he said so interesting that I looked for his social media handles. During my search, I came across how a colleague of his introduced him while he was preparing people for a health interview a few years ago.
The colleague said: “Why would a surgeon put down his scalpel to talk to his patients about diet and lifestyle? Tune in to my live conversation with Dr. Chidi Ngwaba.”
The section ‘Why should a surgeon put down his scalpel’ reminded me of what Thomas Edison, an American inventor, said in 1903 that ‘the doctor of the future will not give medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of man’ . framework in nutrition and the cause and prevention of diseases.”
There is a ward at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, where patients are treated with food and plants.
The future that Thomas Edison predicted is indeed here. Join me on this journey as we take an in-depth look at nutrition and how it can make or break our health.
By the time we’re done, be prepared to say “I do” to a healthier you.
Nutrition is the process by which an organism obtains its nourishment – the supply of nutrients that the body and cells need to stay alive. It is a fundamental aspect of a healthy lifestyle.
By making conscious choices about what you eat and eating a balanced diet, you can improve your overall well-being, reduce your risk of chronic disease, and enjoy a longer, more fulfilling life.
Remember that nutrition is not just about what you eat today, but an investment in your future health and vitality.
God seemed to pass on a message about the right kind of diet for humanity by placing man in a garden after creation. What you have in gardens are fruits, vegetables and food in their raw form and not processed foods such as cakes, doughnuts, puff pastries and bottled fizzy drinks.
However, it is a shame that man ever rebelled against eating this God-given food. No wonder an American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead, said: “It is easier to change a man’s religion than to change his diet.”
When I was told to name this column, I threw it open to my siblings and they made several suggestions. One of them made a rib-cracking joke by suggesting, “Eat right or you’ll die.”
It’s funny, but that’s the truth! No matter how good food is for our bodies, it can still be the cause of disease if we make the wrong choices. As one of the leading figures of early American history, Benjamin Franklin said, “Few die of hunger, many die of food.”
Bestselling author Dr. Mark Hyman also said, “Food is the cause and food is the cure of most diseases.
Our ancestors were healthier; they were mostly nomadic. Hunter-gatherer culture was the way of life. The lifestyle of hunter-gatherers was based on hunting animals and foraging for food.
Foraging is the act of searching, identifying and gathering food sources in the wild, including a wide range of uncultivated plants, mushrooms, herbs and fruits that grow naturally in our environment.
I have shared with you how as a child we used to go to my village for holidays. The source of drinking water then was a river. The people drank the water and were healthy. They had the strength to do their farm work and no one suffered from water-borne disease.
I also told you how in Garkawa, Plateau State, where I observed my National Youth Service Corps, there were water sources without cover and after every rainfall the water became muddy.
This is how they used the water and they were still healthy. The only answer to all this is that these people ate well. The biggest benefit you can get from following natural diets is that your immune system will fight infections for you.
Unlike today, we are sedentary and as if that is not enough, we also eat unhealthy diets, which are risk factors for many non-communicable diseases.
Many references have been made to the benefits of eating natural diets.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, advocated the use of food in the treatment of patients. He once said, “Leave your medicine in the pharmacy jar if you can cure the patient with food,” and “Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”
Let me remind you of stories I already shared.
There is a group I belong to on Facebook that advocates carb abstinence as a means to lose weight and stay healthy.
You will see things like, “Admin, you need to look for my period,” often because there are usually many cases of unplanned pregnancies.
In the same group, those with hypertension stopped their medications as their blood pressure normalized.
The truth is that good nutrition is linked to good health and to the prevention and treatment of many health problems.
In another group they had a ‘no soda challenge’ and it was a great success.
One of the members said: “This is the best period I have had in my entire life.”
Are you still unsure what good food can do to the body? Okay, this one will blow your mind. In 2003, at the age of 26, bestselling author Chris Wark was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.
He had surgery, but refused chemotherapy. He used diet and natural therapies to heal himself. He is still alive and cancer free!
You can’t improve your health until you improve your diet. The health challenge you are going through may not be hereditary, but dietary.
Just because someone in your family has died from diabetes does not mean you will die from the same disease. Even if it’s hereditary, it doesn’t mean it’s written in stone; you can be a curse breaker with a good diet.
A study entitled ‘The Role of Nutrition in Maintaining Optimal Health’ by Martin Clarke concludes that nutrition is a cornerstone of optimal health and influences physical, mental and emotional well-being.
By prioritizing nutrition and making informed food choices, individuals can optimize their well-being and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Here are some ways in which nutrition plays a crucial role:
- Increases natural immunity
Optimal nutrition not only protects against chronic health problems, but also strengthens your immune system. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, sources of nutrients such as selenium, iron, zinc, protein and vitamins C and D, supports the function and growth of immune cells.
- Lowers the risk of chronic conditions
Combining optimal nutrition with making healthy lifestyle choices, such as exercising regularly and not smoking or drinking alcohol excessively, is a winning combination. It plays an important role in lowering the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.