Medical practitioner, Dr Yaw Osafo has advised Ghanaians to be mindful of the food choices they make during this festive season.

To keep people healthy and avoid hospitalizations during the festive season, the Chief Executive of the Medicas Hospital emphasised the importance of making healthy food choices while celebrating.

In an interview with Lexis Bill, he stated that there is likely to be an abundance of food and Ghanaians must know what to eat and what to avoid.

"There is going to be a lot of food in the next two weeks. Fortunately, most people will not have to pay for the food. The temptation to eat as much as one cow is there. We need to make the right choices regarding food."

Also on the show was a nutritionist, Ella Yayra Saku who urged the public to read labels of food packages.

According to her, the ingredient list on a food label is ordered from most to least abundant, with the ingredient found in the greatest quantity listed first which would help Ghanaians with specific conditions know what to eat and what to avoid.

“Maybe you want to gift a diabetic loved one something, but once you look at the ingredients and you see sugar as your first ingredient, it’s not a very good choice to give to that person. So you look for something else. So let’s consider the ingredients list as one practice to make good choices within this festive season.”

Additionally, she stated that allergenic foods are often labelled as such to inform the consumer about what the food contains so that, people with allergies to some ingredients will avoid such food items.

She also stated that the expiry dates found on food items must not be ignored as this causes huge problems.

“When you get a product that says best before, it means the product is at its maximum. The benefit you’re getting is at its maximum. But after that date, it means you are consuming the food but you’re not getting its optimum nutrition.”

“The Use By date and the expiry date are closely related. It means that if the date stated elapses, you consume that product at your own risk. The product is not very wholesome for consumption.”

Yayra also encouraged party hosts and event organizers to provide healthy food options for their guests during this festive season.