Zimbabwe Are We Getting Fat ?

Growing up in Harare in the 1980s eating out or buying fast-food was rare. It was so rare so much that even if you liked fast-food you never looked forward to eating it.

Today, the good thing is that most people still eat home cooked healthy meal. Even if they buy food, it’s usually a decent healthy meal. However things are changing especially in the towns and cities of Zimbabwe. One cannot help but notice the obesity starting to slowly creep in. The extra kilos around the waists and the chubby looking kids. It’s not a national crisis yet, but judging by the way things are going, it could be just a question of time before it reaches critical levels.

In the past years there have been a number of fast foods outlets popping up on street corners. Many other international fast-food brands have shown strong interest to come to Zimbabwe, that’s well and good. That is what comes with urbanization.

Frankly, people have the right to choose what they put in their mouths. If you feel like stuffing yourself with pizza, Fanta, doughnuts, deep fried chicken and chips, suit yourself because when diabetes, BP and heart disease comes knocking you will have to deal with that too.

Most people dont realize that it is not only GMO chickens that may cause health risks. The facts are that bad eating habits may cause all sorts of health problems too. I have heard many people at the begining of each year claiming they are going on a diet. However the effectiveness of most diet plans are questionable.

Good eating habits must not start and end with adults . Teaching our children good eating habits is just as important as teaching them to tie their shoe laces. If kids are our future then ensuring they learn good eating habits whilst they are still young is also important.

At times when a country starts to make economic progress a lot of food choices become available too. These choices are however not always good choices but because they are choices that were previously unavailable a few people take time to assess the pros and cons of eating such food.

Here are things you can do to cultivate good health.

1-Avoid fast-food that fried in deep fat opt for healthy traditional meals instead.

2-Avoid snacking on sweets chocolates biscuits choose fruit, pure juice water and nuts as alternatives.

3-Try to eat healthy home cooked meals that do not use excessive cooking oil.

4-Include a lot of fruit and vegetables in your meals; avoid eating a lot of carbohydrates.

5-Avoid excessive drinking of soft drinks and alcohol. Regular cleanses can help the body greatly.

6-Make it a point to keep you weight in check. Use a bathroom scale if you must.

7-Avoid snacking at night, if you must choose fruits.

8-Never starve yourself to loose weight.

9-Always consult your medical doctor before taking advise from any article on the internet, including this one

10-Exercise- for those of you who dread going to the gym you can walk to the shops instead of driving, use the stairs instead of the lifts, if you can ride a bicycle, do that often.

On that note, I would like to send a shout out to someone I know for causing somewhat of a Zumba exercise craze amongst the ladies in Harare.