When the virus that causes COVID-19 is able to swerve hand sanitisers, face masks and other safety protocols and eventually lands in the human body, the last mechanism it struggles with is the immune system.
This is because the immune system is the body’s defense system that is armed with biological structures and processes with which it fights all manner of diseases that enter the body.
So President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was absolutely right when he advised Ghanaians to adopt healthy eating habits to strengthen their immune system against the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday.
In his address to the nation on Sunday, the President urged the citizenry to eat foods such as oranges, kontomire, millet, cashew nuts, crabs, plantain, okro, dawadawa, brown rice and mushrooms which are rich in vitamins.
“We are told that the key vitamins that fortify our immune system are vitamins A, B6, C, and E. Fortunately for us, in Ghana, all of these can be found in many of our foods”, he said.
Although the advice did not receive much media attention due to competitive news angles in the President’s address, the Ghanaian Times, is of the view that it was one of the key highlights of the night.
Indeed, the immune system’s place in the fight against COVID-19 cannot be underrated owing to the fact that persons who have died of the virus so far had underlying health conditions that had weakened their immune system.
According to medical experts, good diet, when combined with regular exercise and personal hygiene is the best bet to healthy living and fortifying one’s system against diseases.
Fortunately for Ghanaians, the foods recommended by the President and more, abound in the country and in some cases, they are left to go bad due to low patronage.
The Ghanaians Times sees this as an opportunity for Ghanaians to revisit the nutritious delicacies that our fore fathers consumed and derived the needed nutrients to live long and healthy lives.
However, we would like to caution against price hikes of such foods as done with the sale of hand sanitisers and food items weeks back, because this would derail the fight against the virus.
We add our voices to the call by President Nana Addo to all and sundry to eat healthy since this would be the last resort to protecting ourselves if all safety measures fail.
Like the President said, “improving our lifestyle habits should become part and parcel of our daily routines, which will help bolster our immune systems, and help us in the fight against the pandemic.”
