Whether you consider food solely as fuel or you eat to taste every flavor and texture, everyone needs food to survive and carry out their daily tasks.
In fact, the F.A.O {Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations} estimates that over 590 million people in Africa alone lack food to eat. The remaining demographics consume meals with poor nutritional content. Food is important, and is a basic, fundamental need of all humans.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics in the U.S, 84.8 million U.S. citizens consume fast foods every day, of which 65 percent of these people are Post - Millennial's.
Post – Millennials are a select group of people, irrespective of race or gender that are born from around 1996 - 1997 till date. They are called the Generation Z, and they are followed by Generation Y, or the Millennials.
Millennials are a group of people, irrespective of race or gender that have reached young adulthood in the early 21st century. Demographers and researchers typically use the early -1990s to early - 2000s as starting birth years for classifying this generation.
Generations provide the opportunity to look at individuals both by their place in the life cycle – whether a young adult, a middle-aged parent or a retiree – and by their membership in a cohort of individuals who were born at a similar time.
Generation Z, (often abbreviated as Gen Z) are found in every country on earth, and Nigeria is no exception. Most of Generation Z have used the Internet since a young age and are comfortable with technology and social media.
This makes them tech savvy, and increases the rise of micro-communities, based on social media connections. Frequent usage of digital media, consumes energy and subtly increases the demand of food and nourishment on –the – go. As such, many want to eat and discuss with their micro communities online, increasing the need for easy or fast foods.
The fact that fast food is convenient, readily available, quickly served and could be taken on the go makes it the choice of a critical segment of the Nigerian society, especially the young ones {generation Z}, members of the middle class and the nouveau-riche.
To them, fast food joints and quick service drive ins have become the saving grace from the boring routine of going to the kitchen to prepare their own meals or wasting unduly long hours on shopping for foodstuffs.
Fast foods tend to be high in calories, fat, salt and sugar, which -- when consumed in excess -- can be associated with obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among other health risks.
Obesity or over nourishment, is defined as the dietary energy intake which exceeds requirements for the maintenance of a healthy bodyweight. This occurs with the steady consumption of fast foods on a daily basis, especially by Generation Z. Diets consumed with poor nutritional content, will inevitably lead to some sort of nutrient deficiency.
Unfortunately, these negative nutritional attributes and the danger they may pose to health are often over-looked by most teens and youths of this generation, and middle-class members of the society, who wrongly view the emerging fast food culture as a status symbol.
This quite naturally has resulted in food abuse that could cause various diseases like cancer and macro nutrient deficiency.
Fortunately for the post – millennials, the solution is right in front of them —the natural meals of their culture.
Mother Nature has provided us and the entire human race with all the necessary ingredients to live a healthy, disease free life.
First, the post-Millennials need to be reached out to on all forms of social media, to be educated on the dangers of relying on a junk food diet. Since a vast majority of Generation Z spends a lot of time on social media, the media will be an effective tool to reach out to them, on a daily basis.
Secondly, the parents/guardians of these people have a large role to play. They have a responsibility of ensuring that the teens and youths are taught that preparing healthy, natural meals are fun and nourishing, as opposed to their thinking. The health of their wards should be of principal importance.
Fruits, vegetables, and even African meals (like Eba, Egusi, Vegetable soups, soy beans) are highly nutritious and possess great health benefits. All these are natural, organic, unprocessed foods that keep an individual free from nutrient deficiency and boost overall health.
In many jurisdictions in advanced societies, tax has been imposed on fast food to reduce its consumption and prevent the tendency towards obesity among the populace.
Agencies like the NOA (National Orientation Agency) and NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control) can launch awareness campaigns, sustainability programs and community engagement.
Recall that during her tenure as the Director General of NAFDAC, the late Professor Dora Akunyili did a respectable job in informing Nigerians to the hazards of indiscriminate eating of fast foods and the need to embrace Nigeria’s traditional foods.
Finally, conscious efforts should made to discourage people from over-dependence on junk food due to the danger it poses to health.
Natural meals are the way to go.
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