By: Rachel Kakraba.
The Vegetarian Association of Ghana will on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th November, commemorate this year’s Vegetarian Festival otherwise known as vegfest.
The annual event which is used to demystify labelling associated with vegetarianism would take place at the Christ the King International in Accra.
Speaking in an interview with GBCGHANAOLINE ahead of the celebration, the president of the Vegetarian Association of Ghana, Kolawole Braimah, said vegetarianism which is a way of life, is more about incorporating vegetables, fruits and nuts into one’s meals.
“For us the focus is more on plant-based that people should incorporate more plant-based into their food because you see once you begin to label vegetarianism, it becomes murky because people feel maybe it’s spiritual or religious because each of those definitions is informed by something.
He said this year’s event will be used to sensitize people on the need to be more humane to animals, have an eco-friendly environment as well as the need to shift to plant-based meals.
“We have three main approach to our festivals and our operations. First, we want to encourage people to eat more plant-based, and secondly to have an eco-friendly environment because when people eat more plant-based food, the need for arable land to cultivate to feed animals will reduce. The last thing is animal rights. Everything that lives and breathes also deserves to have the space in its life, so we are supposed to treat them well”
Mr. Braimah, said the event will bring together experts in the Health and Wellness space, adding a highlight of the programme will be a speaking event and a cooking session. He asked the general public to participate in the two days family event.
“It’s always the food courts where we showcase what is possible without animal protein in food and all those things. It’s always key for us but of course the big part too is the Health Summit”
Programmes Manager John Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes Ghana, Saul Evans which is leading a campaign, Meatless Monday said it is partnering the Vegetarian Association of Ghana to promote healthy eating, especially on Mondays.
“Our focus is once a week on Monday because Monday is the start of the working week for all of us. It’s a day of planning, Monday too is a day when usually most of us have overindulged in other outdoor events, be it weddings or funerals. So Monday becomes a great opportunity for us to step back on our meat consumption and also consume more of the fruits and vegetables.”
He said this year’s event will be an opportunity to sensitize the public on the Meatless Monday agenda.
“Our collaboration with the vegetarian Association of Ghana in this year’s Vegfest, we will set up a booth where we will display and also make some materials available to the public because this concept is quite new”
Vegetarianism is said to reduce lifestyle diseases.
A 2019 review by Barnard et al., proved that plant-based diets may offer a number of cardiovascular health benefits for endurance, especially for athletes. These benefits include lower cholesterol levels, improved blood pressure and blood flow, better blood sugar control, lower risk and even reversal of atherosclerosis and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation.
A similar 2019 study by Kim et al., also found a link between a healthful plant-based diet and a lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease. The clarion call is for people to incorporate more plant-based meals into their meals for a healthier society, which reduces the country’s health budget.
