It was a very busy day at work; at 7:30 pm, I closed my laptop and was set to go home. Leaving my office in Lagos Island, I took a ‘keke’ to Obalende where I boarded a bus to Oshodi via the Iyana-Oworo axis (apology to non-Lagos readers). I soon found myself a corner in the bus and waited whilst the bus filled up. The last passenger was a middle-aged plump man in a khaki jacket that took the conductors seat. The bus moved and soon the driver started the usual rhetoric ‘Your money, line by line’. A volunteer in each row started collecting the money from each passenger, but on reaching the newest passenger, he was gone, far far away in dreamland.
The man next to him shook him but that was the beginning of the night’s entertainment, for the man simply started his snoring engine and we couldn’t get him to wake or stop. This generated some tension as passengers began making sarcastic comments, whilst others were calling him names. This did not help as the greater the tension, the louder his snores became. Eventually, we got to Iyana Oworo and the bus came to a stop. The driver hopped out of his seat, opened the door to the bus and gave our sleepy passenger a correct beating that woke the passenger up. He asked for his money and ordered him to alight. The weary man staggered out of the bus whilst the remaining passengers continued with their melodrama. He was drunk in all senses of the word, without dignity. It was a shameful sight to see.
Anytime I reflect over that incident I am often forced to ask myself that fundamental question ‘How responsible is my consumption?’ I have an uncle, who is very religious and does not consume alcohol at all, but drinks a lot of soft drinks. He got addicted to Coca-Cola, so much so that he could consume five bottles a day. Soon he began to have health challenges. He was advised to stop his high-calorie diet if he wanted to live a healthy life.
Self-discipline is fundamental to human existence and must encapsulate every aspect of our lives if we are to grow and lead a happy and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, most of the things that appeal to our appetites are often destructive. Which is why only a few people have the discipline to fight their way to the apex of any successful ladder. The price for achieving great feats is often high and demanding.
In attaining a healthy lifestyle, a list of responsible habits and consumption patterns are found below:
- Breakfast is good, have a healthy one every morning.
- Avoid high calories, carbonated drinks, cakes, chocolates and plenty of sugar.
- Avoid soda, studies have linked high consumption of soda to cardiovascular diseases, depression. Which studies please provide link
- Be active throughout your day. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. If your work requires long hours of sitting, ask for 15 minutes break to take a walk.
- Eat more of fruits.
- Eat more fibre, it aids digestion
- Drinking water is very good for detoxifying the body and aiding digestion too.
- Drink responsibly, if you have too. High consumption of alcohol has been linked to several life-threatening diseases. please provide link
- Avoid canned foods or those produced in containers that are not bio-degradable. why?
- If you must eat at night at all, let it be very light.
- More importantly, be sustainable conscious.
Attaining the SDGs goes beyond wishful thinking. It requires translating ideas into actions. We are naturally wired to follow conventions and norms but with conscious and decisive effort, we can attain our aims. Sustainable consumption in nutrition and lifestyle habits will not just save us and the society the stress and cost of managing nutritional induced health challenges but also promote minimal wastage and sustainable society with higher life expectancy.