The Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) has offered some clarification to the comments regarding the size of banku one can consume.
GAND maintained that the amount of banku one can eat is not one egg size. It said, “The evidence does not support this assertion”.
Comments attributed to Dr (Med) Roberta Lamptey of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital indicate that “the size of banku you eat shouldn’t be bigger than the size of an egg”.
The comment has received varied reactions on social media as to how an egg-size banku can satisfy the average Ghanaian.
But the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is of the view that “when it comes to deciding how much to eat, serving sizes and portion sizes are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.”
It explained that a serving size is a standardized amount of food, used to quantify recommended amounts or represent quantities that people typically consume on a Nutrition Facts label. While Portion size is the amount of food you choose to eat at any one time, which may be more or less than a serving.
“Thus, eating too much or not enough of any type of food can increase your risk of health problems. Portion sizes are individualized, tailored to meet your nutritional needs, and not a one -sized fits all. The recommended portion size depends on your age, sex, body size, health, and activity level”, it said.
The Academy further noted that the diets of Ghanaians are changing rapidly.
“There is increased consumption of dietary calories from energy-dense foods, high salt and fat foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages,” it said, adding, “These changing diets and lifestyles are closely linked with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and cancers.”
According to GAND, these diseases account for about 65% of deaths in the country.
The Academy also maintained that a healthy diet consists of the amount and type of food that is consumed, that provides nutrients that help to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as chronic diseases.
“A key part of a healthier lifestyle is to integrate a variety of foods in the right amounts into your daily regimen”, it advised.
Read the full statement below:
