By Mercy Imali
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has strongly urged Kenyans to shun eating red meat altogether.
She said it is high time Kenyans went back to eating traditional foods to help fight the high burden of non-communicable diseases in the country.
“From a health point, we are being encouraged to move away from this kind of diet; that every day for Kenyans is nyama choma or red meat that you have boiled. We are being encouraged to move more towards a more vegetable-based diet as it were for a long time,” Kariuki said.
“The main point is to look into our lifestyle. The way we live we are too lazy to even walk. Even in rural areas, people use boda bodas to go to the market. Let’s avoid lifts and use stairs,” she reiterated.
“Let’s go back to traditional foods like vegetables, arrow roots, cassava, it will help. Let’s avoid refined food or food picked in a hurry from the shops.”
She reiterated that Sulphite is not to be used on meat. She called on County public health officers to conduct routine inspection of foods that are being sold. She added that the Health Ministry will work with Cofek, to ensure the message on change in lifestyle is passed across.Cofek is responsible for consumer education.
Her comments come in the wake of reports that supermarkets are using chemicals to lengthen the shelf life of red meat.
Naivas has since suspended sell of meat as it weathers the storm of accusations of using Sulphite to preserve its meats.