Professor Francis Kweku Amagloh, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University for Development Studies (UDS), advised Ghanaians to feed their infants sweet potato food matrix to promote iron absorption and enhance adequate brain development.
He said one of the crucial factors influencing a child’s development is nutrition, which directly impacts national development.
Professor Amagloh gave the advice during UDS’s 16th Inauguration Lecture in Tamale on the topic, “White to Orange: A small shift for a big impact.”
He says, “Earlier, the first 1000 days, from conception to age two, a window of opportunity to programme one for a brighter future when the brain, body and immune system develop and grow “.
He highlighted that issues of vitamin A deficiency are a perennial problem among Ghanaian children, which leads to poor growth and children’s development, increased risk of infection and its severity, poor signs, and eventually death.
Professor Amagloh said research indicated that sweet potatoes, particularly the orange-fleshed sweet potato, are an alternative, complementary food ingredient that provides a significant quota for children’s dietary intake of bioavailable provitamin A and Beta-Carotene.
Professor Amagloh reassured the audience that the dietary shift to orange-fleshed sweet potato is simple. He said, “The orange-fleshed sweet potato is naturally sweet, eliminating the need for added sugar. Therefore, it’s a straightforward switch from cereal-based complementary food to the nutritional benefits of orange-fleshed sweet potato.”
Professor Seidu Hassan, the Vice Chancellor of UDS, urged Ghanaians to start growing sweet potatoes in their backyards due to their nutritional benefits, especially for children.