Eat right to avoid getting sick

The sad reality is that most health professionals are not trained in the latest, evidence-based nutrition or exercise prescriptions. Picture: Pexels

The sad reality is that most health professionals are not trained in the latest, evidence-based nutrition or exercise prescriptions. Picture: Pexels

Published Apr 4, 2020

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Without ill people, the medical fraternity will not be profitable. Aside from most health professionals, all other stakeholders (pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage industry, etc) will not tell you the key components of prevention because without treatment, they lose sustainable business. 

As a result, there is no congruity between the prevention and treatment spheres within the health fraternity.

In addition, the food fraternity rarely speaks to health, and the health and medical spheres rarely place an emphasis on what patients should be eating. As a result, there is a disconnect where people continue to eat products that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, including processed foods, or toxic chemicals.

Most of the diseases and conditions that patients are facing is a result from poor eating (aside from other factors, also depending on whether their condition is a result of acute, chronic, hereditary or traumatic reasons), sedentary behaviour, inadequate sleep, high stress levels or smoking. 

The sad reality is that most health professionals are not trained in the latest, evidence-based nutrition or exercise prescriptions. They are also briefly informed about nutrition and dieticians at medical school or within their relevant health professions curricula. They continue to focus their approach on treatment (that’s what pays the most) and rarely on prevention.

In essence, treatment sells, so they need people to be or become sick. Prevention is not only a precautionary to people becoming ill but it’s also a prevention of wealth accumulation in the health and medical fraternity.

Dr Habib Noorbhai, MPhil (Biokinetics), PhD (Exercise Science) (UCT) (@Habib_Noorbhai). Noorbhai is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sport & Movement Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg.

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