The GTbank Food and Drink fair 2017- A taste of Naija!

I attended the GT bank food and drink fair today and it was a market-place.
There was a huge mob of people and a lot of exhibitors showcasing variety of food and drinks. It was indeed a generous display of the flavours, tastes and aroma of Nigerian food.
Being the foodie that I am,  I sampled a lot of food and drink and I must say it was an interesting feast. I was particularly impressed by the variety of  fruit juices, vegetable juices and smoothies that were not only healthy but tasted really good. There is a lot of innovation in the preparation and presentation of Nigerian food. I actually think Nigerian food does not get enough attention and acclaim on the global scene. We actually have a wide variety of delicious food with different modes of preparation. For example, with rice you can have rice and stew, jollof-rice, fried-rice, coconut-rice, banga-rice, ofada rice. With beans you can have normal boiled beans which can be eaten with stew or made into a porridge, steamed blended beans known as moi-moi or when fried- akara. Not to talk of our different soups and swallows. So kudos to GT bank for showcasing Nigerian food, chefs and food entrepeneurs to the world.
However, despite the variety of food we have in Nigeria, a lot of Nigerians are malnourished, especially our children.
In my practice as a GP,  I see a lot of children that are small for age, stunted, with failure to thrive, skin rashes and other signs that point to undernutrition and it makes me wonder. I know there's a recession in Nigeria right now but even before the recession, there was a high level of malnutrition in the land despite our variety of food and fruit. I know poverty contributes to the malnutrition but ignorance also plays a big part. I mean, most mothers do not know the combinations of food that are nutritious so they end up giving a child only eba every day with little soup and maggi-cube sized meat. While they pack all the meat and protein for the head of the house and adults who are already grown and do not need the extra nutrients. So we may see well-fed men with pot-bellies who have thin, malnourished children. Mind you, it is not only the poor who are malnourished, the rich may also be malnourished, when they do not combine their food properly or if they over-eat. There are also specific diets required for special conditions and situations like during infancy, childhood, pregnancy, breast-feeding mothers, disease conditions like hypertension, diabetes and aged people.
So this week I'll be dealing with nutrition in all its facets.  Join me in this series and lets educate ourselves on how we can lead healthy, nutritious lives for ourselves and those we love.
Dont forget to check the blog tommorow. Till then stay happy, well-nourished and healthy pink.
Dr Anire Oduko.