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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Oct 2006 : 20:56:34
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Normally you get all the vitamins you need if you eat a various, balanced diet, then there usually is no need for having to take extra vitamins. Do they give iron to all women at Kwinella? First they need to check their blood if they are in need of it or not, not all pregnant women are anemic or in need of extra iron. My sister had infact too much iron in her blood, and still she almost bled to death during her very long and difficult delivery.
And it is a fact that too much iron is unhealthy, Ranga.
Hemochromatosis, the most common form of iron overload disease, is an inherited disorder that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. The extra iron builds up in organs and damages them. Without treatment, the disease can cause these organs to fail.
Foods that contain natural folic acid include orange juice, green leafy vegetables, peas, peanuts and beans. Iron sources include liver, kidneys, red meat, poultry, eggs, peas, legumes, dried fruits and dark, green leafy vegetables. Unless you are advised by your health care professional - there's no need to take supplements.
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ranga
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2006 : 23:28:36
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Babylon, I'm not considering pathological cases (like Hemochromatosis) in this discussion. I suppose a health care professional will be able to reliably detect "too much" or "too little" of any vitamin or mineral, including iron.
Since the health care professional is not watching, how can one be sure they're eating a balanced diet day to day? Is it your position that nobody needs to take vitamin supplements even if they don't consult a health care professional as long as they're feeling healthy? Do you also see a negative side to taking vitamin supplements (like too much iron)?
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T.K. "Ranga" Rengarajan
Founder, Geoseed Project
http://www.geoseedproject.com
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2006 : 09:54:45
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Ranga, all Iīm saying is that thereīs no need to worry of lack of vitamins if you eat a balanced diet. The body takes what it needs from the natural foods. And I believe most people in the Gambia do eat a balanced diet, well that is my experience anyway. The food is clean, ecologic and unprepared which is high in vitamin, unlike here in the west (where we have a problem with things like mad cow disease because they feed the cows with cows...) and the food is so prepared and poisoned most of the vitamins are gone before we even start cooking. Our bodys are toxic. No wonder we have this health hysteria here. We need our vitamins because we donīt know how to eat right.
I think however, even in the Gambia there should be the option to have vitamin pills for those who need it and want it. I think they should have everything they want there, even McDonalds if they want it. It is not up to us, the westerns, to decide what other people need. |
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ranga
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2006 : 16:40:01
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Babylon, your perspective is clear and a nice surprise to me. Like gambiabev, I've been assuming otherwise based on the health stats. There is probably a different explanation for the high infant mortality numbers.
Cheers!
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T.K. "Ranga" Rengarajan
Founder, Geoseed Project
http://www.geoseedproject.com
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ranga
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 05:54:47
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Babylon, just when I thought it all fit for me, I came across this dated story at http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31252.
Malnutrition high among children
ABIDJAN, 4 Dec 2002 (IRIN) - A survey in The Gambia in October found that acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months was 11.2 percent, which was above the 10 percent ceiling used in African countries to indicate an alarming situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme said on Tuesday.
"Boys seem to be more malnourished than girls, at 12.5 and 9.8 percent respectively. The age group most affected by acute malnutrition is the group of children in the weaning period - children between 12-23 months old. For this group the acute malnutrition is 18 percent...chronic malnutrition (stunting) is 16.2 percent," a FAO/WFP report said.
Morbidity, it added, was very high and over 50 percent of the children had suffered from malaria in the two weeks before the study. "There seems to be an association between morbidity and acute malnutrition. Acute malnutrition among children who had been ill over the last two weeks is equal to 14.3 percent compared to 5.4 percent for children who had not been ill," the report said.
The report: "FAO/WFP: Crop and food supply assessment to mission to The Gambia", said following erratic rainfall in most parts of The Gambia at the beginning of the 2002/03 cropping season, the government anticipated a massive crop failure which would result in food shortages, seed unavailability for the next planting season and high mortality for livestock.
"The first rains came in May, but were not sufficient for planting, which was delayed by 20 days. A dry spell from mid-July to August affected agricultural activities nationwide. Most early planted crops were lost, particularly in highlands. Early millet, maize, rice and groundnut performed very poorly countrywide," the report said.
It estimated the 2002/03 cereal production at 149,400 tons, compared to 200,000 tons in 2001/02 and a five year average of 150,400 tons. The estimated cereal crop is 25 percent lower than last year and 1 percent below the average of the last five years. Already a dramatic increase of the millet prices had occurred in recent months with retail prices jumping by 245 percent from May to mid-October, FAO said.
The Gambia is predominantly agricultural and about 80 percent of its population are farmers who contribute 33 percent of GDP. Tourism is the main foreign exchange earner, providing a livelihood for the coastal population. However the economy suffered a setback following political instability in 1994, sanctions by donors and decline in tourism.
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T.K. "Ranga" Rengarajan
Founder, Geoseed Project
http://www.geoseedproject.com
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 08:22:51
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Ranga, Babylon has a very rosy view of the Gambian diet and Gambian health. Babylon I wonder where your family live and if they have work?
In Kiang around kwinella, the health of the women and children is a big worry. Getting ENOUGH to eat is a constant worry. The diet is very basic.
Malaria is a very real and constant threat and it prays on the malnourished children the most. 'Survival of the fittest' is the order of the day in rural Gambia. |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 08:42:12
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I donīt like to victimize africans, I think that is a big insult. I think it is very agressive that westerners come to africa and have all sorts of home made solutions for all africas problems. Did it ever cross your minds that africans are capable of thinking for themselves without you interfearing?
Just wondering. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 08:55:35
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You didnt answer my question about what part of Gambia your family come from? Also do they have work?
If the Gambian president is capable of finding his own solutions to all of Gambias problems then why is the country still as it is? DO you think it is perfect and there is nothing to be done? OF COURSE NOT!!!
Assistance/support/charity/interference and so on. Thin lines between these things. I like Action Aid because they support local people to make the decisions for their communities and to empower them to have a voice. Incidently, the President sees Action aid as a thorne in his side and has nearly thrown them out of the country in the recent past!  
A helping hand is a friendly thing, not an aggressive thing. I dont get how you can see it as aggressive. 
Of course Africans are just as intelligent and capable of thinking for themselves. Where things seem to fall down is in the ACTION stage! I believe if you REALLY want to make something happen you can.
Sadly many of the Gambian people capable of doing this for Gambia have left the country for pastures new. Imagien if all those clever, intellgient, hard working people returned home, say for 12 months. WOW they would be a big force for change! |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 08:56:57
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| I dont have to answer all your nosy questions bev, this aint your classroom. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 08:59:05
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| The question is relevant to the discussion, but if you dont want to answer it, of course that is your choice. |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 09:02:46
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
You didnt answer my question about what part of Gambia your family come from? Also do they have work?
If the Gambian president is capable of finding his own solutions to all of Gambias problems then why is the country still as it is? DO you think it is perfect and there is nothing to be done? OF COURSE NOT!!!
Assistance/support/charity/interference and so on. Thin lines between these things. I like Action Aid because they support local people to make the decisions for their communities and to empower them to have a voice. Incidently, the President sees Action aid as a thorne in his side and has nearly thrown them out of the country in the recent past!
A helping hand is a friendly thing, not an aggressive thing. I dont get how you can see it as aggressive.
Of course Africans are just as intelligent and capable of thinking for themselves. Where things seem to fall down is in the ACTION stage! I believe if you REALLY want to make something happen you can.
Sadly many of the Gambian people capable of doing this for Gambia have left the country for pastures new. Imagien if all those clever, intellgient, hard working people returned home, say for 12 months. WOW they would be a big force for change!
I bet youīd be real happy if all africans returned home from england, so they wouldnīt be in your face all the time, only when it fits you and you decide to go to Gambia on a holiday.
About Gambian politics, it just aint OUR business if we donīt live in the Gambia. Get it. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 09:08:24
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Babylon I think you are deliberately misundertanding me and tryng to twist what I say.
If we arent Gambian and dont live there we have no right to an opinion? That means the bantaba is a total waste of time then. Why do you read it?
Bye for today.
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 09:34:27
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I just think itīs ridicilous that some people think they can interfear in other countries politics and say how things have to be (according to their western point of view). I donīt see britts interfearing in swedens politics so why must you be in africas business? If you really want to try and make a difference, instead of plaiyng saving saint or florence nightingale in some distant gambian village because it makes YOU feel so good about yourself, why not aim at the west and demand things like fair trade so that companies in africa can actually sell and export their products fto the west for a fair price. Things like that could actually save a countries economy.
If you really want to help africa, instead of this constant victimizition and undermining of africans intelligence, FOCUS ON THE WEST AND ADMIT they are to blame.
Until then, nothing will happen. |
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ranga
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2006 : 17:36:39
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Babylon, Africans know what's best for them. In fact, any solutions suggested from outside are likely to be inappropriate. However, that doesn't mean that Africans need to ignore all the hard lessons that others have learnt in the past. For example, this topic submits a common practice (multi-vitamin supplements) for evaluation. If it is a good idea, great! We learned from the mistakes of others. If it is not appropriate, great! We just wasted a few hours collectively. So, let's not hold back on exploring well-known solutions to issues.
From what I can see, all participants on the Bantaba are well-intentioned. We just don't agree on our points of view. That is fine. Every reader will make her own decision.
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T.K. "Ranga" Rengarajan
Founder, Geoseed Project
http://www.geoseedproject.com
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LEMON TIME
Afghanistan
1295 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2006 : 15:44:42
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| God bline me people need to chill a bit, |
There is no god but Allah |
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