Experts: Right Foods Can Help, Not Cure All Ailments

At a Lagos press conference announcing a two-day health seminar on “How Diet Choices Affect Health and Productivity,” alternative medicine practitioners urged Nigerians to take charge of their health by returning to their parents’ natural food habits.

Rev. Mike Okonkwo, Executive Director of the Good Health Centre, blames poor diet for preventable diseases and emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet for longevity. His organization, along with the Hayford Alile Foundation, is hosting the “Live Now” seminar to educate Nigerian leaders about food and disease prevention.

Okonkwo, who also consults for the Hallelujah Diet, advises Nigerians to avoid swallowing meat unchewed, linking it to diabetes and other problems. “We aim to Nigerianize every food we consume,” he said. They’ll address common diseases like high blood pressure, stress, and infertility, offering solutions through dietary changes.

“Sugar isn’t the sole cause of diabetes,” Okonkwo clarifies. “Quitting sugar doesn’t guarantee avoiding it. Meat takes 72 hours to digest. Chew each bite 50 times before swallowing.”

Apostle Hayford Alile, the program facilitator, expects over 60 attendees. He stresses the seminar is open to all, regardless of religion. Alile blames preventable disease deaths on poor diet and cites prominent Nigerians’ deaths as motivation for the seminar’s focus on reversing this trend.

Alile attributes his own good health to a good diet. “You are what you eat,” he says. “This can significantly impact your performance.” Alile advises Nigerians to embrace a healthy diet for a healthy life.

He criticizes the eating habits of the wealthy who travel abroad for medical care, calling their diet misguided. Alile, a former Stock Exchange Director General, adds, “In just the last three years, many my age have battled cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, and various ailments.”