EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

Many people have different eating habits. Whilst some people eat three times a day, others eat  more than that and some others even eat just once. That is how unfair the world is sometimes. Some of my friends are always seen eating. I mean every time, they eat.Some people eat before meals , others eat after meals  and some others in betweeen meals.  A portion of food that is often smaller than a regular meal and  eaten before the main meal is taken is  referred to as snacks.

Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from fresh ingredients at home.

Some examples of snacks include biscuits such as digestive biscuits, short bread, jack and jill biscuits and drinks such as fanta, coke, frutelli and don simon. Sand wiches, nuts and fruits are considered as snacks. With the spread of convenience stores, packaged snack foods are now a significant business.

CERES AND EVEN

Digestive biscuit, Ceres, Minute Maid and Don Simon

A line of snacks

Biscuits

Snack foods are typically designed to be portable, quick and satisfying. Processed snack foods are designed to be less perishable, more durable, and more portable than prepared foods.

They often contain substantial amounts of sweeteners, preservatives, and appealing ingredients such as chocolate, peanuts, and specially-designed flavors (such as flavored potato chips). A snack eaten shortly before going to bed or during the night may be called a midnight snack.

Snack foods are often subjectively classified as junk food because they typically have little or no nutritional value, and are not seen as contributing towards general health and nutrition. With growing concerns for diet, weight control and general health, government bodies like Health Canada are recommending that people make a conscious effort to eat more healthy, natural snacks – such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and cereal grains – while avoiding high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food.

The question we should however be asking our selves is  are snacks necessary at all? Why at all should humans take snacks? Teddy tells us in the video below why he loves to take snacks;

Patience also has this to say about her favourite snacks in the video below;

As an individual why do you take in snacks?  what then will we term the drinks that people drink along side their meals? In the Ghana Institute of Journalism (G.I.J) cafeteria for instance a lot of students especially the ladies are seen eating and taking drinks alongside. The boys sometimes claim the ladies do that to show off. Well reasons are best known to the individuals themselves.

Most often when these drinks are taken, they  are not able to take in water anymore. but to the best of my knowledge, water is supposed to be consumed to aid in digestion.  does digestion take place then? If yes, does digestion take place well? Well this is just a food for thought.

All in all it is good to eat snacks at least once in a while . Like i always do, at least three bottles of malt  a day just makes me go" gaa gaaa"  If not for anything, just for the fun of it i guess.

DRINKS; A WANT OR A NECESSITY?

Most often, after eating when I do not take water I still feel hungry. I sometimes wonder if this happens only to me or others as well. Many a times, after eating I still feel for a drink even after taking water. A drink can be defined as a liquid that can be swallowed as refreshment or nourishment. A drink is also said to be a kind of liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption.

There are many types of drinks which can be sub divided into various groups such as plain water, alcohol, non- alcoholic drinks, soft drinks (carbonated drinks), fruit or vegetable juices and hot juices. Most drinks aside fulfilling our basic needs form part of the culture of human society.

Alcoholic drinks are drinks that contain ethanol commonly known as alcohol. When an individual consumes excess alcohol, it eventually gets the person drunk. Some people however take alcohol for many reasons. Whilst some take it to release stress, others just take it for the fun of it. Some people too drink occasionally whilst others are seen drinking every day.

 In our Ghanaian society for instance, people who take in alcohol excessively and usually get drunk are not respected at all. Beer has however been a part of human culture for about eight thousand years now. In many countries drinking alcoholic beverages in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition. In Ghana for instance, local alcoholic drinks are mainly “pito” and “palm wine”. 

Though they usually have a sweet taste, too much of it when taken usually gets the individual drunk.

 It is a normal thing to see men drink in Ghana but when women drink, it raises eyebrows. Why should this be the case? Below are photographs of alcoholic drinks:

 

Alcoholic drinks

 

Hunters and Guinness

Moving further, non-alcoholic drinks are drinks that contain little or no alcohol. Soft drinks such as malt, coke, fanta are typical examples. Beverages such as soda pop, lemonade, milk, tea, tap water and energy drinks are examples of soft drinks.

 

Soft Drinks

When some people are eating, they prefer to take soft drinks along side, whilst others may prefer alcohol or just water. Medically, individuals are advised not to drink water immediately after eating but can however take in water thirty minutes after.

It is funny how I most often feel very thirsty right after eating; I sometimes find it strange though.  Interestingly, some people drink in between meals.  Why then do we take drinks and when do we take them?

In the video below, Francisca tells us what drink she prefers and why she prefers it;

Edem also shares his views with us below;

 

All in all, it is very important to take drinks at least once in a while be it alcoholic or non alcoholic. It is however interesting that it is written on bottles “18+” meaning the individual before taking the drink should be eighteen years and above.

Aside that, individuals are cautioned to drink responsibly but some still turn a deaf ear to it and drink to stupor. Meanwhile at our bars and pubs when people are seen drinking beyond their limit, they should be stopped immediately. Thumbs up to the bars that ask of the ages of

individuals before they sell alcoholic drinks to them especially when they feel they are not up to age. 

Some substances such as butter milk, soup and yoghurt may be defined as either food or drink and accordingly may be eaten with a spoon or drunk depending on their thickness and solutes. Hence not all drinks are alike. Be sure you know the alcohol content of you drink before you take it.

WHAT IF THERE IS NO FOOD?

It is very painful to go hungry; at least I am speaking from experience.  Sometimes when I get  hungry I begin to curse the skies. It is amazing how I become happy all of a sudden once I get satisfied.

No wonder there is a saying that a hungry man is an angry man, at least I can testify to that fact. I define food as anything that we eat or drink to derive a maximum satisfaction. The third edition of the Oxford dictionary of current English however defines food as any substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb to maintain life and growth.

Some people think that it is only when you eat that the particular substance that is eaten is considered as food. This is rather unfortunate because once the substance, be it liquid or solid gets into the persons mouth and maintains his or her life and growth, it is considered as food.

In this case, the question that a lot of people may ask is, Is water food? There are so many varieties of food, in Ghana for instance some foods are identified with some particular ethnic groups. Fufu and ampesi with palaver sauce for instance is identified with the Akan community. Tuozaafi popularly called T.Z with ayoyo soup is tagged with the Dagombas and other tribes in the Northern Region. Akple is recognized with the Ewes and other people in the Volta Region.

Kenkey with hot pepper and hot fish which is my favourite meal is identified with both the Gas in Greater Accra and the Fantes in the Western and Central Regions. Whilst the Gas boost of having the original kenkey, the Fantes also boost of having the original kenkey. 

Many people in diverse cultures however eat for many reasons. Whilst some people eat food because they are hungry, others eat because they  just feel like eating or just for the fun of it. Below are two examples of food;

Indomie and Fish

Fufu and light soup with Fish

In school for instance, I have realized that some people eat because their friends are eating. Funny isnt’t it? Some people just follow their friends to the cafeteria and with the initial thoughts of not eating, they end up eating when they did not even plan to eat. Most of these people end up wasting their food because they are not able to consume a lot. 

This brings to mind the issue of left overs. Left overs in my own words are foods  that are left in plates and bowls after eating. Some people may choose to refer to them as ‘surpluses’.

Sometimes I wonder why people are not able to eat all their food and have to leave some left overs. A friend said “ I am just used to leaving some food in my plate after eating. Whether  I am satisfied or not, I just choose to leave some left over because I am used to it. Amazing right? Below is a photograph of a left over meal:

A left over of Jollof rice and fish

 As an individual, I sometimes wonder what will happen if we all woke up someday and realized there is no food. I ask myself how will humans live? Will there be another alternative? Or maybe God will be our provider. I find no answers to these questions myself. There is this adage  that “ water is life”.

How about food? Shouldn’t it be considered as life as well? I for once sometimes can sometimes wake up and not drink water the whole day but can never wake up and not eat food the whole day.

 I consider water as very significant too though but with water, it sustains humans but does not necessarily make one satisfied.

This is a whole debate on its own I guess. Selorm suggested that if there is no food, she just doesn’t know what she will do. Below is the video ;

 Esther also says she will look up to God if there is no food in the audio below;

 All’s well that that ends well and I know very well a whole lot of people have never thought about what will happen if there was no food. Anyway this is just a  food for thought and the question still remains “ what if there is no food?’’Am out………..