Registered Ghanaian dietician, Benedicta Kessewah Addo, has addressed concerns Ghanaian foods are full of starch, hence unhealthy as compared to foods from other countries.
She described this claim as falsehood, saying every country has foods with starch.
“What do you mean by something is starchy? When someone is educating an audience which is not highly educated in Ghana, one may refer to carbohydrates as foods with starch and not necessarily mean starch or sticky foods.
So, if you say Ghanaian foods are starchy but still like to eat other carbohydrates from elsewhere, then there is a misunderstanding for starters,” she told Samuel Eshun in a special ‘Made in Ghana’ discussion on the topic, ‘Health Benefits of Local Ghanaian Cuisine.’
According to the dietician carbohydrates are a required source of nutrients for a balanced diet. “We need to take that starch thing out of our minds. The issue has to do with whether the carbohydrate is a whole or refined carbohydrate and that’s where the debate lies.”
Whole carbs are minimally processed and contain the fiber found naturally in the food, while refined carbs have been processed more and have had the natural fiber removed or changed.
Examples of whole carbs include: vegetables, quinoa, barley, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, oats, beans.
On the other hand, refined carbs include: sugar-sweetened beverages, white bread, pastries and other items made with white flour
She advised Ghanaians on the importance of eating well balanced diets containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils with the required nutrients from fruits and vegetables.
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