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Food Choices
Maria Ssematiko
- January 22, 2021
Ever heard about the phrase” You are what you eat?”I mean, if it doesn’t taste good then we won’t eat it. Even when it seems like the easiest decision to make, it is not about what we actually eat but more of what our bodies become as we eat.
I believe that as one grows older, all they have taken in comes to life physically in the body
and as the body continues to age, many processes within start to follow suit. It is at this point when the body banks on the food choices you made back in the day. Imagine having chosen to eat un-healthy for most of your youthful days, what do you think becomes of that? The thought of the inevitable could not let me choose my most desirable cravings.
Whilst this does not give an assurance of a long life, food contributes to the possibility of a
long life. “Don’t we all want long life to achieve success and become the dream?” These, not
so cool habits, don’t make that happen. These habits make us lose what we dreamt of for one minute of pleasure. It is as simple as your sweet tooth; a bite of that chocolate filled donut or the French fry. That ‘once in a while’ is the choice you make that reduces your chances of the possibility. It may seem like a long shot but worth your while.
As a team we are very excited to begin on a worthwhile journey of studying the food environment of children and adolescents under the FACe-U project. We are trying to contribute to reduction of childhood obesity and Uganda’s increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We are contributing to multiple existing initiatives seeking to make NCDs prevention and control a development priority in Uganda. We shall engage policymakers, parents, the private sector, public health specialists and other key stakeholders as we try to promote healthy food and beverage advertising to these young impressionable children at a critical stage of their lives. Hopefully with this foundation – which we owe them, they can grow up beyond childhood and adolescence to live healthy, strong and productive lives.
About the Author
Maria studied public health and tries to “walk the talk”. She is an Associate at CHASE-i, also leading on Compliance and Project Administration for the FACe-U project.
