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Momodou
Denmark
11790 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 21:46:58
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Foroyaa Editorial:
FOOD!! FOOD!! FOOD!!
ARE WE POISONING OURSELVES?
The country has experienced a growth in Liver Cancer. Medical science tells us that groundnuts and other grains that are kept until they are mouldy are likely to have aflatoxin which can cause cancer.
In the same vein eating and swallowing hard things like rocks which are found in low quality rice could increase chances of appendicitis. One problem that the National Nutrition Agency and the National Environmental Agency should look at is the use of chemicals to either preserve food items or to spray to kill insects with regard to the food that is kept unprotected.
Just look at this scenario of a shop keeper having bread on the table at night while he sprays to kill mosquitoes! What about this man who sprays the bees before venturing to extract his honey. What about these women who gathered all those nuts from Denton Bridge and then transform them into groundnut paste for sale. What about this farmer who used chemicals to preserve his beans. We can go on and on. It is necessary for our people to know the dangers of eating mouldy foodstuffs just to fill stomachs while increasing our chances to get liver cancer. What kills is not food. Let the Nation be informed of all the dangers to ill health that goes with the food we eat.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 41/2007, 11 - 12 April, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 22:08:04
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In the UK the main cause of liver problems is Alcohol. The liver has to deal with any toxins in the body. The best way to help the liver function well is to eat good food and drink pure water.
Artifical sweetners are very bad for the body, and have been linked to cancers in some studies. Some are band in some countries. Lots of soft drinks contain them because it is cheaper than using sugar. We should all restrict our intake of fizzy drinks. They are bad for teeth,bad for the liver and bad for the temprement. In some ways I think they are more addictive than alcohol. 
My ex brother in law is a peanut trader in holland and he said he didnt buy Gambian nuts because they were full of toxins and poor quality.
Obviously whatever is sprayed goes into the land and then into the peanuts.
Mosquito sprays are made of awful things. I prefer to cover up and wear trousers and long sleeved tops. I really hate spraying.
I feel the sprays are toxic.
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 22:18:00
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This is a far reaching topic. What do we need to do to be healthy?
We need to eat good quality and unrefined food. The Gambian diet APPEARS to be fairly healthy. BUT if you are spraying your land do you know what you are putting on the land and what effect that has on the human body?
YOu don't generally drink alcohol, but you do drink alot of soft drinks. What do they contain? I drink alcohol, but probably only drink one fizzy soft drink per week. Which is worst for the liver? Wine or coke?
Chicken......I presumed that Gambians ate oragnic home reared chicken. That would be very good for you. But then soemone told me that alot of chicken in Gambia comes from the far east and is frozen. Is that true? If so, doyou know how it is reared, what it is fed and how it is killed and transported?
Lots of factory farmed chicken is given antibiotics to keep it healthy. This makes its way into the food chain.
It is a very complex issue.
Food should be kept simple. As organic as possible. As home grown as possible. Least airmiles possible. Least additives possible. |
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Momodou
Denmark
11790 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 22:56:29
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Bev, it’s very rare that Gambian farmer spray their groundnut farms. Although fertilizer is used by those who can afford it, I can’t remember seeing any farmer spray a groundnut farm. You can’t compare the use of chemicals by the European farmer to a Gambian peasant who can hardly afford any food during the rainy season which is the time for growing groundnuts much more fertilizers or chemicals to spray. Perhaps that’s the reason for poor quality of seeds.
You are right; this is a far reaching topic. I know a couple of Gambians who died in Scandinavia due to lever problems and this could be related to the food we eat. It is alarming that diabetes and hypertension are also on the raise in The Gambia. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Jack
Belgium
384 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 08:38:43
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| I'm convinced that a lot of toxic waste enters the food chain by the numerous dumpsites in every corner in every street all over the country. Chickens, goats and cattle are eating this waste which contains all kinds of toxic materials (batterys, motor oil, etc...) |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 09:40:58
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The way waste is disposed of is very important to the food chain. In Gambia very little care seems to be taken about where things are thrown away.
Sweetners in soft drinks are a big concern of mine and I think they will be a big health story in the future. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 09:42:32
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| Did those gambians start drinking alcohol when they moved to europe? This is still the main cause of liver disease. |
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inez
279 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 10:50:49
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
The way waste is disposed of is very important to the food chain. In Gambia very little care seems to be taken about where things are thrown away.
Sweetners in soft drinks are a big concern of mine and I think they will be a big health story in the future.
It used to be same way in europe before, people threw batteries and all kind of stuff everywhere...the education in that would be good but there also need to be places where to throw poisonous waste and someone to take care of it.
I agree on sweeteners but I think there is also plenty of extra colour in soft drinks in Gambia. I´ve never seen Fanta that yellow anywhere and all those sweeteners and coulour stuff causes cancer. I stick to local beer just because of that What about the use of oil in food? I feel it´s far too much but then people dont eat all the time...but could that have some affect since lever is the cleaner?
And maybe the groundnuts are small and so because they are ecologigal? so what they say is bad quality is the opposite..I been having my ecologigal (small)garden here and noway all the corps get that big and perfect than the ones sold in supermarkets but the taste is much better. some of them look better and some of them the snails eat up..but of course, water is important too...
they do sell frozen and imported chickenlegs at market and that was a big surprize for me too most of eggs are imported from holland. Is there no money to invest in chicken farms in Gambia? why lots of things that can be produced in Gambia are imported? maybe this is a new topic and allready discussed and I have missed it? |
Edited by - inez on 12 Apr 2007 10:52:14 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11790 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 12:20:17
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
Did those gambians start drinking alcohol when they moved to europe? This is still the main cause of liver disease.
No, they never drank alcohol.
Inez, I have also heard the connection of too much oil and the high lever cancer among Gambians. We use too much oil in our food especially during all kinds of celebrations. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 01:54:40
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There is a very high incidence of Hepatitis B in The Gambia.
Hepatitis B is a virus that affects the liver.
This leads to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
I was of the understanding that babies/infants in The Gambia were in a programme of immunisation for Hepatitis B many years ago. Does this still take place?
WHO recommends vaccination as early as 24hours after birth against HBV.
Hepatitis B (HBV) is highly contagious & 50-100 more infectious that HIV.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 08:48:45
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| What causes Hepititis B to spread? Is it just blood contact? People travelling are usually recommended to be vaccinated against it. |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 11:29:38
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Infections are from mother to baby at birth - child to child transmission - use of unsterilized needles & syringes - all the usual blood & body fluids including semen & vaginal mucos.
I think it is about ninty per cent of infants that contract hep B and thirty per cent go on to be carriers.
So you can see this a very different route/complication to that of alcohol related liver disease by either 'wine tappers' in Africa or European drinkers.
Have a good weekend, sab
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 14:12:13
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| I wasnt aware it was such a BIG problem, thanks for that. |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 19 Apr 2007 : 20:51:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Momodou
Bev, it’s very rare that Gambian farmer spray their groundnut farms. Although fertilizer is used by those who can afford it, I can’t remember seeing any farmer spray a groundnut farm. You can’t compare the use of chemicals by the European farmer to a Gambian peasant who can hardly afford any food during the rainy season which is the time for growing groundnuts much more fertilizers or chemicals to spray. Perhaps that’s the reason for poor quality of seeds.
thanks Momodou for attempting to set the record straight before we all get carried away. if i am correct the toxin in groundnuts is from fungus (a natural thing) and not from pesticides.
gambiabev, i really appreciate your concerns about imported chicken gambians are eating nowadays. however they are not from Asia but from Western Countries that are subsidising food exports to third world countries. since you are a Wesrterner kindly tell us how these chicken are reared, killed, transported so we can stop eating them for our own good and that of our economy.
Jack, chicken goats and cattle do not eat batteries nor do they drink oil.
no country on Earth, atleast has managed to obtain food security without processing food!! to process food you need to preserve it. to preserve it you need to add chemicals.
we must not try to be Doctors/experts and simplify the argument, Nature herself is/can be harmful. another example is Cassava(tapioca) which naturally contains cyanide thus some varieties have to be boiled properly!! nature also contains arsenic!!
we should all simply exercise moderation and try to have a balanced diet as well as exercise, because even pills have side effects. |
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Jack
Belgium
384 Posts |
Posted - 19 Apr 2007 : 21:12:59
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Njucks plz dont react that simplistic . That issue is part of my profession....
First of all sometimes they really do. Ask butchers and slaughters what they find in stomachs of cattle and goats...
Secondly heavy metals, dioxines and several other dangerours toxins enter the food because these toxins come into the soil or groundwater, are taken up by micro organism, plants and invertebrates and succesive by chickens, cattle, goats besides other animals.
The population of prey birds declined dramatically in Europe in the years 1960-70 only because of the use of DDT in agriculture - scientifically proven. And prey birds dont eat DDT....
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rassimian
United Kingdom
168 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2007 : 18:39:50
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An interesting topic and some varied discussion about food. Just a few points to add. The frozen chicken that seemed to predominate in Serrekunda market was from Holland. I don't eat it myself but it was difficult to find fresh chicken meat (not live chickens of which there were plenty) I used to work in a frozen chicken factory which processed thousands of chickens a day which means they were probably battery reared birds not free range. So chances are any frozen chickens from Europe imported into the Gambia are not free range. They have no taste. Salmonella in chicken rules anyway !
One of my issues is the amount of white sugar consumed when making 'attaya'. White sugar is so so bad for you. I usually have about 3 or 4 attayas a day when in the Gambia and although everyone who brews it does it in a slightly different way I came across Gambians who would use all of a 5 Dalasi bag of sugar when making it.
White sugar is not only responsible for heart and associated ill health problems but also rots the teeth. No way out of that one though as drinking attaya is not going to disappear anytime soon.
My favourite drink was Gamjuice but it was difficult to find in regular quantity.
I think there is also a problem with the oil used to cook as I understand that palm oil is full of saturated fats and these clog up the arteries. |
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