A retired Chief Nursing Officer, Oge Agu, has advised Nigerians to take more of organic food because of its high level of nutrients.
Agu, who retired in 2012 from the Medical Centre, College of Education, Nsugbe in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) on Tuesday in Akwa.
According to her, nutrients deposited in organic food contain more health benefits than what is obtainable in non-organic food.
Agu said that it was very important that people should develop personal hygiene for long active life, and eat natural foods for longevity.
Agu quoted an old adage that says you are what you eat to buttress her claims.
She added that this meant that most diseases that affect man were due to either nutritional deficiency or excess of one type of nutrient or the other in the body.
The health official noted that a good and balanced diet was usually derived from natural fruits.
“Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said may your food be your medicine and may your medicine be your food, which means that daily food intake of people contains curative properties.”
Agu added that scientific evidence had recently shown that some nutrients in our diets were agents that caused or cured certain diseases in the body.
“The Biblical statement that life comes from trees supports the fact that humans should eat many fruits and vegetables for healthy living.
“God said I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruits with seed in it, they will be yours for food. Genesis 1 verse 29” she said.
According to her, it has been scientifically proven that human blood is structurally the same as plant blood called chlorophyll.
She said that was the reason people of old relied more on natural sources of food and lived healthier and longer life than people of new age despite the availability of medical care.
Agu urged people to eat more fruits and vegetables despite the economic hardship that was making people complain that fruits and vegetables are costly in the market
She said that it was a true statement but still advised the public to always eat fruits during the seasons that they are always available and within their economic means.
“ We can cultivate more fruits and vegetables in gardens of our homes instead of planting more flowers as they will add more life to our lives and eating these organic foods will help us,” saying, “prevention is better than cure,”
She noted that the incidence of sudden death in society was on the rise, saying “most times an individual may stop in the middle of his daily activities only to slump and die.
“ Most times, the causes of such deaths are due to excessive blood cholesterol with its numerous implications, wrong feeding pattern, and general lack of exercise, which contribute to the high level of cholesterol in the blood.
“ The modern era of Western lifestyle has contributed to this wide spread of clinical conditions; unless the present trend in people’s life changes, there will be an alarming increase in cardiovascular diseases in the next decade because of the growing cases of obesity among the entire human population.
“Cholesterol is one of the major food nutrients that constitute the components of all body cells which is a major class of lipids which is manufactured by all animal cells as plant cells do not manufacture cholesterol,” she said.
Agu explained that “plants cells manufacture phytosterols which human bodies need very much for a healthy living.
“For disease prevention and treatment, we must develop a useful habit of eating a good quantity of these plant products because they are very important for a healthy living.”
She advised Nigerians to reduce their intake of fried foods, industrial sugar, smoking, high alcohol consumption, high salt intake, drug abuse, and misuse of drugs.
She said that they should indulge in regular exercise to stay healthy and alive.
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