HEALTH MATTERS
arthritis, high cholesterol levels etc.
Gladys: Let me get back to Nancy. Kepha has mentioned that addressing the root-cause of the problem is where the solution lies. Were you attracted to the junk food and why?
Nancy: I would eat junk foods because they tasted good and whenever I went to town I bought chicken, chips and other fast foods because of cravings. But when I visited Kepha, he addressed the cravings and nowadays I have adopted a healthy lifestyle and my diet comprises of healthy foods.
Gladys: But it wasn’ t easy. Was it? Because I can tell you for sure, even when you cook chips in your house and you pass by a hotel, you want to have those that are cooked in the hotels.
Nancy: Yeah. It was not easy, but it’ s all about our mindset and getting the right information. The lifestyle diseases scared me and I had to make up my mind. I also wanted a good body shape and to fit into my clothes.
Gladys: Help me understand, when you were growing, did you come from a background where you were exposed to the healthy foods that we are talking about, you know the traditional foods?
Nancy: Yes, I come from Kalenjin Land and I was exposed to the traditional food. I used to eat vegetables, drink milk and eat brown ugali. When I came to Nairobi, my lifestyle changed and I started eating fast foods. In fact, I didn’ t know they were unhealthy.
Gladys: Interesting. Let me hear from Edward. When it comes to nutrition especially for men, half the time as long as they are full, it doesn’ t matter what is on the plate. How was your lifestyle? What were you attracted to?
Edward: I used to eat just for the sake of filling the stomach. I didn’ t know and didn’ t care what I was eating. But when I met Kepha …
Gladys: Before we go there, what were you attracted to?
Edward: Of course fast foods! They were very tempting and I used to take tea with a lot of sugar. In a day I could take 6 to 7 cups of tea. I realized much later that my sugar consumption was too much! Whenever I wanted to bite something, I would go for biscuits.
Gladys: Edward are you saying you are not a fan of” nyama choma” because most men struggle with this one?
Edward: My late father had a gout problem because of nyama choma. I was aware of the nyama choma menace and so I used to eat but in moderation. I did this because I was scared having seen my father suffer from gout.
Gladys: Kepha, you said you don’ t need to tell somebody to stop eating the processed foods, you address why they are attracted to these foods. What have you found is normally an instigator to some of these cravings?
Kepha: First and foremost, craving means that the body is crying for nutrients. The moment you start getting cravings, it means that your body lacks certain nutrients. We have experience in assisting patients to get rid of food cravings. As we
“ Obesity affects reproductive health because it causes hormonal imbalance. Hormonal imbalance during pregnancy can cause problems including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, high or low birth weight, or even miscarriage. Studies have shown that weight loss helps address hormonal imbalance and promote reproductive health.”
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