Abuja - 23 December 2022 - The festive season is a time for celebration. However, enjoying the holiday’s food does not mean neglecting healthy diet, being inactive and putting your health at risk. 

Elizabeth Agbonkhese, a chef and event planner residing in Abuja, says despite the celebration in the air, she will ensure her family eats healthy meals during the yuletide season. 

Conducting her final Christmas shopping at one of the markets in Abuja, Mrs Agbonkhese says she intends to encourage them to eat healthy food and junk eating will be sparingly. 

“I will be making healthy fresh meals during Christmas. It will have more of fruits and vegetables and fewer carbohydrates and sweetened foods”, she says.  

Mrs Agbonkhese says during the yuletide, many people put their healthy eating habits aside and are tempted to overindulge in rich, high-calorie foods which can cause ill health after the celebrations. 

“The busy and celebratory mood of the season makes it difficult for people to stick to healthy diets and difficult to find time for regular exercise. In my family, we have been a stickler for a healthy diet, and I intend to keep it so during the festivities because my children rarely eat outside the home, it will be easier to monitor what they will be ingesting and this means fewer carbohydrates, and more vegetables, fruits and proteins”. 

For Mr Ojo Anthony, the Secretary Nigeria Butchers Association at the Wuse Market, Abuja says his family will be sticking to healthy safe food and in moderation. 

“My family has done the Christmas shopping and though I am a butcher, my family will be celebrating the festive period with moderate food i.e. less carbohydrate, protein and drinks. Too much of everything is bad and can lead to obesity and other health complications and I will not want to spend money at the hospital after the celebration”, he says. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Unhealthy diets are major drivers of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world. 

The NCDs, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease, are collectively responsible for 74% of all deaths worldwide. The risk factors for NCDs are tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets which causes devastating health consequences for individuals, families and communities, and threatens to overwhelm health systems. 

Buttressing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle during the yuletide, a physician working with the United Nations Clinic in Abuja, Dr Ogennna Okeke, says with a little planning and discipline, people can enjoy festivities without putting their health at risk. 

Dr Okeke says to stay healthy, people need to make a deliberate effort to eat in moderation. 

Moderation is the keyword for making healthy choices when it comes to food during the festivities. I know that it is quite difficult to minimize a lot of habits that we tend to carry out during the holiday and this habit than carry out a lot of 

“I enjoin people to also incorporate exercise into their daily routine as they are mindful of what they eat. Those on daily medication such as diabetes or hypertensive patients, should endeavor to use their medications diligently, and not get carried away with the festivity”, she says   

In his yuletide message, the WHO Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo while wishing all successful celebrations, emphasized the need to remain healthy.

"In this season, there’s a lot to eat and drink. Remember while celebrating with friends and family to eat healthy with minimal intake of junk food and drinks. Also, ensure at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, at least 3 times per week. Finally, do not use tobacco products and say no to drug abuse”, he says.