Article written by Dr Jane Ambuko
A balanced diet and good nutrition are not only important as a source of energy for our active lives but are critical for our defense against disease. According to the world health organization (WHO) a healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases, including such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
While there is no cure from the COVID-19 infection and indeed no food can prevent the infection, a nutritious and healthy diet rich in protective foods can boost one’s immunity and capacity to fight the infection.
What constitutes a healthy and nutritious diet?
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water are the main groups of nutrients which together, but in variable amounts, make up a balanced diet. One is required to consume these seven nutrient groups on a daily basis to maintain their bodies in good health. Deficiencies, excesses and imbalances in these nutrients is the cause of various forms of malnutrition including:
- Under-nutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age)
- Micro-nutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micro-nutrient deficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals) or micro-nutrient excess
- Being overweight, obese and having diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers)
The exact make-up of a balanced diet is dependent on individual factors (age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity), cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. These differences notwithstanding the principles of what constitutes a healthy diet are universal. The food we eat is broadly categorized into three main groups as follows:
Three Main Food Categories
While it is important to ensure adequate amount of all the food groups for a healthy life, protective foods especially fruits and vegetables have a special function and are often not consumed in adequate amounts.
How much of each of the food categories should one eat for a healthy and balanced diet?
The Food Pyramid
The food pyramid defines the number of servings for each type of food that one should eat on a daily basis to provide their daily nutrient needs.
A healthy diet should contain proportionate amounts of the various food categories as indicated by the number of servings. Of all the food categories, fruits and vegetables are often not consumed in sufficient amounts. According to Kenya’s Ministry of Health (MoH, 2016), only 2.5 million Kenyans (6%), consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. This situation has been aggravated under the COVID-19 situation due to restricted movement. As people rushed to stock up food ahead of the partial lock down, the most sought-after food group was the energy giving foods which include staples such as maize, rice and wheat products among others. Many also included protein-rich pulses including beans, green grams and others. Owing to their perishable nature, fruits and vegetables require special handling and storage to avoid quantitative and qualitative losses. This is because unlike the non-perishable staples, fruits and vegetables have a short shelf-life, even under refrigeration at household level. The shelf-life can be extended if they are frozen or processed into shelf-stable products which can be stored for longer periods. Therefore, most households purchase their fruit and vegetables on daily or weekly basis and this has been greatly affected negatively due to restricted movement and disruption of the informal fruits and vegetables supply chains.
From the foregoing, there is a high likelihood that consumption of fruits and vegetables has greatly reduced, when in fact it should have increased as a protective measure before, during and even after COVID-19 infection. The WHO-recommended daily intake is at least 400 g, or five portions (80g each) of diverse fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, fiber and other health-promoting phyto-chemicals which are required to keep our bodies healthy by regulating body processes and boosting immunity and capacity to fight disease causing agents.
NutrientSource: Vegetable and Fruit
NutrientSource: Vegetables and Fruit
Vitamin CBroccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, citrus, guava, kiwi, leafy greens, strawberry, tomato
Vitamin ADark-green vegetables (sukuma wiki, spinach, collards, African leafy vegetables); orange vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato); orange-fleshed fruits (apricot, cantaloupe, mango, orange, papaya, peach, persimmon, pineapple, tomato)
Vitamin ENuts such as almonds, cashew, macadamia, walnuts
FlavonoidsRed, blue and purple fruits (apples, berries, nectarines, peach, plums, pomegranate…)
FiberMost fruits, vegetables, nuts etc.
FolateDark-green leafy vegetables, legumes, oranges
Mineral nutrients (Macro and Micro-nutrients)Most vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts etc.
Nutrient composition of some of the commonly consumed protective foods
How can you improve your daily intake of fruits and vegetables?
- Include fruits and vegetables in ALL meals
- Eat fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks in between meals
- Eat dried fruit and vegetables as snacks (in place of highly processed junk foods)
- Drink fruit and vegetables juices during and in between meals. Note that some drinks or ‘juices’ only contain fruit/vegetable flavors, sugar and color and therefore do not qualify as fruit/vegetable juices
- Increase the variety and diversity of fruits and vegetables
- Diversify preparation methods and presentation of fruit and vegetables to make them more palatable and attractive especially for children. The preparation methods used must ensure minimal losses of the nutrients.
Besides increasing our consumption of the protective foods, we must drink water regularly and stay well hydrated. Drinking ample amounts of plain water (at lease 8 glasses a day for adults) also helps our immune system.
Often people resort to food as comfort during times of stress and anxiety. The ‘comfort’ foods that many people resort to are often the ‘tasty’ junk foods such as chips, crisps, burgers, pizzas, chocolate, sweets, ice cream etc. which high in fat, sugar, salt and calories. As much as possible we must avoid these junk foods as they destroy the internal body system due to the unhealthy ingredients.
There may be a challenge of accessing protective foods such as fruits and vegetables during this COVID-19 pandemic as a result of restricted movement of people and to some extend food. This is especially so for the highly perishable fruits and vegetables, 80% of which are produced by smallholder farmers in rural areas. Many of these farmers depend on informal transport and marketing options which have been greatly disrupted by the restriction on movement as a measure to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. There is need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders including farmer organizations, consumer organization, civil society, private sector, national/County governments) and others to map out strategies that will ensure that movement and distribution of fruits and vegetables into cities such as Nairobi and Mombasa which are on partial lock-down is not disrupted. In addition, food aid to needy families should take into consideration the need and importance of including protective foods such fruits and vegetables in the food packages.
Dr. Jane Ambuko is a senior lecturer and head of Horticulture at Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection of University of Nairobi. She is a horticulturist with specialization in Post-harvest science and technology.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the University of Nairobi.
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