• Hausa Edition
  • Podcast
  • Conferences
  • LeVogue Magazine
  • Business News
  • Print Advert Rates
  • Online Advert Rates
  • Contact Us
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Leadership Newspapers
Read in Hausa
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Leadership Newspapers
No Result
View All Result

Healthy Food Policy As Panacea To Hypertension Epidemic

by Patience Ivie Ihejirika
2 years ago
in Health
Hypertension
Share on WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on XTelegram

Dietary patterns have a direct relationship with health outcomes, hence the importance of healthy eating combined with an active lifestyle cannot be undermined.

Advertisement

The desire to consume only healthy diets must be aided by an enabling food environment that includes, but is not limited to government policies, regulations of food products, and public awareness on the dangers of consuming highly salted foods and other unhealthy diets, amongst others.

According to the Non-communicable Diseases Alliance, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease are the primary cause of death and disability worldwide. Hypertension, alone accounts for 11 percent of deaths from cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria.

Another study by Harvard Medical School confirmed that these diseases can be prevented by taking appropriate actions to modify risk factors such as unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles.
Furthermore, the study revealed that simply reducing sodium/salt intake by limiting consumption of canned, convenience, and processed foods and replacing them with healthy diets produced a significant reduction in blood pressure.

According to t the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet is a diet rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and whole grains. Habitually eating from farm to plate offers a complete package of health benefits, and the potential tosignificantly reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, heart disease, type II diabetes, obesity, and some cancers,unlike processed foods that are stripped of vital nutrients and therapeutic benefits.

RELATED

Nigeria Excluded As WHO Set To Roll Out First Malaria Vaccine

WHO Launches Global Push For 50% Tax Hike On Tobacco, Alcohol, Sugary Drinks 

2 days ago
NMCN Inducts 365 Foreign-trained Nurses 

NMCN Inducts 365 Foreign-trained Nurses 

2 days ago

On the other hand, unhealthy diets comprise mostly foods that are heavily processed, and typically high in salt, sodium, sugar, and saturated fats. Sometimes additives like food coloring, sweeteners, preservatives, and other artificial substances are added to these foods during processing to improve taste, appearance, texture, and shelf life; thereby making them unhealthy for human consumption. Examples of processed foods include bread, noodles, biscuits, processed meat products like suya, cereals, canned food, high-sodium seasonings, and salad dressings to mention a few.

The Nigerian food environment is seriously challenged due to inadequate government policies, climate change, insecurity, insufficient funding, and poor support from the government to facilitate small holder farmers’ access to productive assets and resources to boost production, amongst others.
Industries, on the other hand, seize the opportunity to flood the markets with cheap, easy-to-use, and ready-to-consume food products with longer shelf life, low nutrition, and health benefits.

Due to loopholes in existing food policies and regulations, these industries adopt intense marketing strategies to promote these products as ‘healthy, quick and easy’ alternatives; others design their products with cartoons to target vulnerable groups like children with misleading information thereby increasing demand for highly salted, sugary, or fatty foods. Some of these adverts go to the extent of influencing consumer behaviors by portraying the consumption of ultra-processed foods as socially acceptable, and classy.

Consequently, this has resulted in a nutrition transition in food consumption patterns within the country. Preparation of nutritious fiber-rich meals from scratch within the household is fading out gradually with more families eating out more frequently. Nowadays, parents fill their children’s lunch packs with unhealthy processed foods instead of nutritious meals or fruits, these behaviors have resulted in a rising number of children diagnosed with hypertension, strokes, and cardiovascular diseases at an early stage; decades ago, these diseases were only prevalent among adults. This nutritional shift began in high-income countries but has now reached countries at all income levels.

Stakeholders have, therefore, opined that Policy interventions are needed to curb the rising consumption of ultra-processed foods and reduce their negative health outcomes.

To stem the ugly tide of a rising burden of hypertension in the country, the government must take proactive steps to enforce healthy food policies to create an enabling environment for the adoption of healthy eating habits. They said the government must implement programs and initiatives that will facilitate the availability, access, stability, and utilization of healthy and nutritious foods across the country, thereby creating a robust national food system and a well-nourished society.

A Programme Officer with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Bukola Olukemi Odele, said that mass media campaigns, health promotion, and nutrition education interventions can be adapted to sensitise the public and increase demand for healthier food options. “School programs and curriculums should also be reviewed to reach parents and children with nutrition education. Promotion and sales of ultra-processed foods must be restricted or banned in schools to promote healthy eating among school children,” she added.

Odele stressed the need for competent agencies responsible for legislation and implementation of food safety standards in the country to develop strategies for the regulation of food industries, SMEs, and street food vendors, to ensure compliance with global standards.

Also, she said advertisement restrictions must be in place to safeguard consumers from industry marketing tactics. Once all of these are achieved, health outcomes will greatly improve, and there will be a significant boost in national productivity.


We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →

Join Our WhatsApp Channel

BREAKING NEWS: Nigerians can now earn US Dollars from the comfort of their homes with Ultra-Premium domains, acquire them for as low as $1700 and profit as much as $25,000. Click here to learn how you can earn US Dollars consistently.


SendShareTweetShare
Previous Post

ADC Inaugurates New Leadership In Imo

Next Post

FCT Begins Assessment Of Health Facilities

Patience Ivie Ihejirika

Patience Ivie Ihejirika

You May Like

Nigeria Excluded As WHO Set To Roll Out First Malaria Vaccine
Health

WHO Launches Global Push For 50% Tax Hike On Tobacco, Alcohol, Sugary Drinks 

2025/07/03
NMCN Inducts 365 Foreign-trained Nurses 
Health

NMCN Inducts 365 Foreign-trained Nurses 

2025/07/03
WBFA, Reckitt Inaugurate 106 Students As Hygiene Ambassadors
Health

WBFA, Reckitt Inaugurate 106 Students As Hygiene Ambassadors

2025/07/03
Talking About Stress To Nigerians Used To Be Like Speaking Greek Language, Says Dr Akpe
Health

Talking About Stress To Nigerians Used To Be Like Speaking Greek Language, Says Dr Akpe

2025/07/03
Global Accolades For Kwara – born  Renowned Neurosurgeon
Health

Global Accolades For Kwara – born Renowned Neurosurgeon

2025/07/03
Universal Health Coverage: Federal Govt To Revive 17,000 Primary Healthcare Centres
Health

Traditional Ruler Commends Abia Government’s Renovation Of 200 PHCs

2025/07/02
Leadership Conference advertisement

LATEST

Tinubu Unmatch Influence; Over 140 Political Heavyweight Join APC Without A Single Election

Worrisome Discord In Opposition Coalition

C’River Plans Coffee Revival With ₦700m Subsidy For Farmers

NMA Seeks Dialogue With FG To Avert Health Sector Crisis

NAOWA Presents Food, Cash To Widows Of Fallen Heroes

State Govt, Experts Collaborate On New Bauchi City

Court Detains Philanthropist, 3 Others Over Killing Of PDP Chieftain

ALGON Congratulates Gov Sani Over Award

Katsina Partners PEBEC To Accelerate Business Enabling Reforms

42 Kwara Students Inducted As Hygiene Ambassadors

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.