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Long before your children choose their own food, they learn what a meal should look and taste like from the family pot.

That same pot carries family memories. It may also carry more salt, oil or fatty meat than your hearts need.

The answer is not to abandon our food.

Jollof rice, beans, yam, plantain, swallow and our soups can all remain on the menu. What matters is what goes into the pot, how the food is prepared and the amount served.

Start with the cooking:

• Use less salt and fewer seasoning cubes
• Measure oil instead of pouring freely
• Add more vegetables and beans
• Choose fish or skinless chicken more often
• Keep processed meat for occasional meals

Then look at the plate.

For many meals, a useful guide is to make vegetables about half the plate. Protein can take one quarter. Rice, yam, plantain or swallow can take the remaining quarter.

Mixed dishes will not always divide neatly. Use the guide to improve the overall balance rather than forcing every meal into exact sections.

For jollof rice, serve a smaller rice portion, add vegetables and choose grilled fish or chicken instead of fried meat. And if you do want the fried feel, try air-frying, if you have an air-fryer.

For soup and swallow, put more vegetables in the soup. Use less oil, choose leaner meat and make the swallow portion smaller.

With beans and plantain, allow the beans to take the larger share. Boil, bake or air-fry the plantain more often.

On World Food Day, the message is ‘Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.’

Innovation in your kitchen does not have to mean expensive ingredients or foreign recipes. It can begin with changing how a familiar meal is cooked.

One better family pot can feed more than one healthy heart.

#WorldFoodDay
#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

The scale has not moved, so you reassure yourself that nothing has changed.

But your waistline is telling a different story.

Your weight can remain the same while the amount and location of body fat change. Fat stored deep inside the abdomen, around the organs, is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

This health information is important because your bathroom scale may miss this.

A simple screening rule for many adults is:

Try to keep your waist measurement below half your height.

If you are 170 cm tall, half your height is 85 cm. Aim for a waist below 85 cm.

If you are 5 feet 6 inches tall, your height is 66 inches. Aim for a waist below 33 inches.

To measure your waist:

• Stand with your abdomen relaxed
• Find the midpoint between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone
• Place the tape around this point and keep it level
• Make it snug without pulling it tightly
• Take the measurement after breathing out normally

Record the number so you can compare it over time.

If your waist is increasing, have your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked. Speak with a health professional about gradual changes that are realistic for you.

Waist measurement is a screening tool. It does not diagnose a disease. And please note that this rule is not intended for pregnancy 😄

#HeartAndStrokeMonth
#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

By Saturday morning, the guilt has been waiting all week.

So you try to repay five days of sitting with one punishing workout.

Here is the part many people do not know:

Weekend exercise still counts.

Research suggests that people who achieve the recommended weekly amount of physical activity over one or two days can still gain important health benefits.

The goal is at least:

• 150 minutes of moderate activity each week
or
• 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week

Muscle-strengthening activity is also recommended on two days.

Moderate activity means that you are breathing faster but can still talk. Brisk walking, dancing and easy cycling can qualify.

If weekends are genuinely the only time available, use them. Split the activity across Saturday and Sunday when possible. Begin at a level your body can manage, especially if you have been inactive.

A ten-minute walk counts. You can add more time as your fitness improves.

Your weekend workout does not make prolonged sitting irrelevant, though. Look for ordinary opportunities to stand, walk or stretch during the week.

Please do not try to exercise until you collapse simply because you missed several days. Fitness is built through movement you can safely repeat.

Stop exercising and seek medical advice if you develop chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness.

Your heart does not need punishment.

It needs movement you can keep doing.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You stopped eating eggs because someone said “cholesterol.”

Then you replaced them with meat pies on your way to work.

Did that swap actually help your heart?

Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol. But for most people, the bigger dietary concern is often saturated fat across the whole diet.

Saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol.

LDL is often called “bad” cholesterol because when too much remains in the blood, it can build up inside the arteries. Over time, this increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Meat pies may contain saturated fat from the pastry, the fatty filling or both. The amount depends on the recipe. Commercial pastries made with partially hydrogenated oil may also contain trans fat.

This does not mean eggs are unlimited.

For many healthy adults, up to one whole egg a day can fit into a heart-healthy diet. How you prepare it and what you eat with it still matter.

A boiled or poached egg served with vegetables, fruit or whole-grain bread is very different from an egg fried in plenty of butter or oil and served with sausage or pastries.

If your LDL cholesterol is already high, ask your doctor or dietitian how eggs fit into your own diet. Your advice should be based on your cholesterol results and overall heart risk.

When checking packaged food, look for:

• Saturated fat
• Trans fat
• Partially hydrogenated oil

Removing one food will not protect your heart if the rest of the plate remains unchanged.

The egg may not be the biggest problem on your breakfast plate.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You paid more for the bottle because it said “heart-healthy.”

Now you pour it straight into the pot without measuring.

A healthier oil is a better choice of fat. It is not permission to use an unlimited amount

Liquid plant oils such as canola, sunflower, soybean and olive oil contain more unsaturated fat than butter, lard, palm oil or coconut oil. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat can support heart health.

But all cooking oils are calorie-dense.

One tablespoon contains about 120 calories. It does not matter which oil.

A generous free pour can quietly add several tablespoons to one meal. Measure the oil before it enters the pot. A teaspoon or tablespoon makes the amount visible.

Grilling, baking, steaming and air-frying can also reduce how much oil a meal needs.

What about frying oil you have already used?

There is no single number of times that oil can safely be reused. It depends on how hot it became, what was fried in it and how it was stored.

If you plan to reuse it, allow it to cool. Strain out the food particles and store it in a covered container.

Discard it when it becomes unusually dark or cloudy. Throw it away if it smells rancid, develops persistent foam or begins smoking at a normal frying temperature.

“Heart-healthy” describes the type of fat.

It does not mean calorie-free, and it certainly does not mean pour freely.

Choose the better oil. Then measure it.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

“I don’t add salt at the table anymore.”

That is a good start.

But how many seasoning cubes went into the pot?

Salt does not only come from the saltshaker. Sodium may already be present in seasoning powders, instant-noodle sachets, processed meats, packaged snacks, sauces and restaurant food.

Even when the food does not taste particularly salty, the sodium still counts.

When buying packaged food, check the nutrition label:

• Find the amount of sodium
• Check the serving size
• Work out how many servings you will actually eat
• Compare similar products and choose the one with less sodium

When cooking, remember that seasoning cubes and added salt both count. Use less of each. Build flavour with onions, garlic, ginger, herbs, pepper or lemon.

For most adults, the World Health Organization recommends less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day. That is equivalent to less than 5 g of salt from everything you eat in the entire day, or just under one level teaspoon.

It is not one teaspoon for you to add to the pot.

Too much sodium can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

So removing the saltshaker is useful. Now check what else is entering your food.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Your father had a stroke at 52.

You are getting closer to that age, and without telling anyone, you have started wondering whether the same thing is waiting for you.

Family history can increase your risk. But you did not inherit an appointment for a stroke.

What you inherited is a reason to start paying attention earlier.

At your next medical appointment, say:

“My parent had a stroke at 52. What should I check now?”

Start with:

• Your blood pressure
• Your blood sugar
• Your cholesterol
• Whether you have an irregular heartbeat

High blood pressure is one of the biggest stroke risks, and it may cause no warning symptoms. That is why feeling well is not enough. You need to know your numbers.

Do not smoke. Reduce excess salt. Stay physically active. If medication has been prescribed for your blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol, take it consistently.

Please do not start taking aspirin simply because stroke runs in your family. Whether aspirin is appropriate depends on your personal medical history and should be decided with your doctor.

And remember the warning signs:

Face drooping. Arm weakness. Speech difficulty.

If these begin suddenly, seek emergency help immediately. Do not wait to see whether they will pass.

Your family history is a warning to start earlier. It is not a date for your own stroke.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth
#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You are still going to work and answering everyone’s calls, so they assume you are fine.

But getting through each day now takes everything you have.

Please do not dismiss that as “just stress.”

Stress is a normal response to difficult situations. But when distress is not easing, keeps returning or begins interfering with everyday life, it deserves attention.

Tell someone exactly what has been happening. If it continues, speak with a qualified health professional. You do not have to wait until you break down before asking for help.

If someone tells you they are struggling, listen before offering advice.

Ask:

“What has this been like for you?”

“What support would help?”

Prolonged stress may disturb sleep, affect blood pressure and make it harder to follow prescribed treatment. However, managing stress does not replace medical care or heart medication.

If you are thinking of harming yourself or feel unable to stay safe, do not remain alone. Tell someone immediately and seek urgent professional help.

This World Mental Health Day, let us listen to people’s lived experiences and respond with meaningful support.

#WorldMentalHealthDay

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

Your vision becomes blurry, so you assume you need stronger glasses.

But what if the problem is not your glasses?

High blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye. This may happen without pain or an early warning.

Changes in blood sugar can temporarily blur vision. Over time, diabetes can damage the retina, the part of the eye that receives light and allows you to see. Early diabetic eye damage may cause no symptoms.

This is why an eye examination can reveal more than whether you need new glasses.

Know your blood pressure and blood sugar. If you have diabetes, arrange regular dilated eye examinations and keep the appointments even when your vision appears fine. Controlling blood pressure and blood sugar helps protect your sight.

Sudden loss of vision needs urgent medical attention. A sudden vision change accompanied by severe headache, weakness, difficulty speaking, chest pain or a blood-pressure reading of 180/120 or higher is an emergency.

On World Sight Day, please send this to someone who keeps postponing an eye examination.

#WorldSightDay

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch

You looked at 135 and relaxed.

But the 90 changes the reading.

Blood pressure is not calculated by averaging the two numbers. Each number matters, and the one that falls into the higher category determines how the reading is interpreted.

The upper number is the pressure created when your heart pumps blood out.

The lower number is the pressure in your blood vessels while your heart rests between beats.

With a reading of 135/90, the lower number is already at the hypertension threshold under WHO and International Society of Hypertension guidance. Under AHA/ACC guidance, a lower number of 90 falls within Stage 2 hypertension.

Does one reading confirm that you have hypertension? Usually, no.

Sit quietly for five minutes and repeat the measurement correctly. Keep a record of readings taken on different days and discuss them with your clinician.

Your clinician will also consider other factors that affect your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke. These include diabetes, kidney disease, high cholesterol, smoking and any previous heart or stroke problem.

Do not dismiss 135/90 as “not too bad.”

Save this poster. The number you almost ignored may be the one that matters most.

#HeartAndStrokeMonth

#HealthyLivingWithDrKetch