Fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming an integral part of patients

Fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming an integral part of patients’ medication.

They are known to contain essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are needed for the Fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming an integral part of patients’ medication. proper functioning of most organs of the body, especially the brain and the heart.

I have yet to come across any health promotion message that does not recommend a daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

Not only must one take fruits and vegetables regularly.

The quantity taken is so important that experts recommend five portions of fruits and vegetables daily for optimum health.

This translates roughly to about five oranges or a combination of different fruits and vegetables, with each one being regarded as one of the five portions.

Problem analysis
How do we get the fruits and vegetables?

To say that fruits and vegetables are very expensive to buy is to state the obvious.

In general, the prices of fruits, and food in general, are very expensive compared to the salary of the average Ghanaian worker.

Experts say the average worker will spend almost all his earnings on food.

Indeed, the price of fruits and vegetables may even be more expensive than the drugs that have been prescribed with them.

Whereas the prescribed medication may be for a while, fruits and vegetables are a daily requirement.

Gone are the days when one would top up his food with fruits and vegetables when he was not satisfied after eating. Today, you risk buying fruits and vegetables at the expense of the food you will take.

It is, therefore, not enough to recommend fruits and vegetables to clients or patients without knowing how they will get them.

In my earlier article about steps to ensure a disease-free environment (refer to Daily Graphic of May 4, 2016, p. 20), for example, I indicated that there cannot be a behavioural change if the enabling environment is not provided.

The health sector must ensure their availability, to complete their health promotion message.

Recommendations
To this end, it is recommended that all health institutions should have a fruits and vegetables unit, where patients can go and collect their requirements at affordable prices, rather than letting them purchase from the open market where financial accessibility may pose problems.

To ensure a continuous supply of fruits and vegetables at affordable prices, the health sector must collaborate with the agricultural sector to ensure that fruit and vegetable production is increased.

Efforts must be made to store and preserve fruits and vegetables during the season of plenty to ensure that they become available all year round.

The unmet need for fruits and vegetables is high and the health sector, which is at the forefront of championing good health, must be prepared to invest in their production, procurement and distribution, the same way they do with drugs, to ensure that the benefits inherent in the regular intake of fruits and vegetables are achieved.