United States-based Ghanaian practicing medical doctor, Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has urged the public to be conscious about diets as we enter the New Year.
Dr. Arthur Kennedy in a New Year message to Ghanaians advised that the huge sizes of carbohydrate meals such as kenkey, ‘banku’, ‘fufu’ and ‘akple’ should be reduced for more consumption of fruits and vegetables.
He said excessive alcohol intake must also be cut down adding that Ghanaians should be cautious about the use of illegal drugs.
"Please on your own let us try to cut down on the drinking of alcohol. Most of us drink too much."
"You must also watch drugs, illegal drugs, they are not good. In our context, we must also watch our diet, the size of the fufu, the banku, akple and the kenkey should be reduced and when they are reduced and replaced with vegetables and fruits and others, they are good for our health.
"In addition to that, particularly in the African context, we must watch how much we use herbs, particularly those we buy from outside, while some of them can heal, they have side effects that are sometimes dangerous.
"A lot of kidney problems and others relate from herbs with dosages we do not know."
He further urged the public to try and visit physicians in the new year to discuss general issues about health.