A Ghanaian chiropractor and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Wellness Centre, Dr Naa Asheley Ashietey, has called on Ghanaians to rethink their eating habits, warning that excessive cooking of food may be depriving the body of essential nutrients needed for optimal health.

According to her, while many Ghanaians consume enough food to satisfy hunger, their daily meals often lack the fresh fruits and vegetables required for healthy body function and disease prevention.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Personality Profile on Thursday, June 25, Dr Ashietey stressed that nutrition should go beyond simply filling the stomach and instead focus on providing the body with the nutrients it needs to function efficiently.

“Right now, I’ll say that we need to change the way we eat. Food is life. A lot of our food is highly cooked. If you’re eating fufu and soup, the soup has been boiled over 10 billion times. And so I’ve been starting to think, how much nutrients do we really get from our nutrition here in Ghana? Looks like we’re burning it all out,” she said.

Nutritional value

Dr Ashietey explained that prolonged cooking can alter the nutritional quality of certain foods, particularly vegetables and proteins, reducing the amount of vitamins and other nutrients available to the body.

She observed that although traditional Ghanaian meals are rich in carbohydrates and proteins, they frequently contain very little fresh produce.

“I mean, if you’re looking at proteins, they are denatured by the time you absorb them. You’re eating tomatoes, but it’s boiled over 10 billion times. So at the end of the day, for instance, if you had ‘koko’ in the morning, you had kenkey and fish for lunch, and in the evening you had rice and stew, which is a typical Ghanaian meal for the day, you realise that you didn’t get any fresh fruits or vegetables at all,” she noted.

Beyond survival

The wellness expert said healthy eating should be aimed at helping the body thrive rather than merely survive.

She explained that the human body requires a consistent supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other micronutrients to support cellular function, strengthen immunity and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

“And I think that we are not getting those essential nutrients from meals that we need to thrive, you know, not to grow, but to thrive and thriving at the cellular level inside your body. I think that’s one thing we need to pay attention to,” she added.

Healthy lifestyles

Dr Ashietey’s remarks come at a time when health professionals are increasingly encouraging Ghanaians to adopt healthier lifestyles as non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases continue to rise.

Public health experts have consistently advocated balanced diets that combine whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables with regular physical activity, adequate hydration and sufficient sleep to improve overall wellbeing.

Dr Ashietey urged individuals and families to deliberately include fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diets and pay closer attention to how food is prepared, saying simple dietary adjustments could significantly improve long-term health outcomes.

She emphasised that proper nutrition remains one of the most effective and affordable ways of preventing disease and enhancing quality of life.