Parents have been cautioned against feeding children, especially girls, with junk foods because it could lead to infertile.

Dr. Emmanuel Kwame Asenso, a Naturopathic Medicine Practitioner, also noted that processed foods including sweets tend to destroy the internal organs and have no nutritional value.

He gave the warning at the launch of the Ashanti branch of the Vegetarian Association of Ghana (VEG-Ghana) in Kumasi under the theme “Your health matters”.

He recommended that people should eat lots of fruits, leafy vegetables and whole grains.

They should take in more raw foods and just about 20 per cent of cooked foods, he said, pointing out that about 80 per cent of chronic diseases could be prevented by eating natural foods.

Dr Asenso said people should avoid processed drinks and pastries made from flour and white or refined sugar and asked that these be substituted with fresh fruits, groundnuts, coconut juice and tiger nuts.

He further drew attention to the health dangers associated with the consumption of animal products and said that was the main source of cholesterol.

He kicked against genetically modified foods and said these must be resisted for healthy lives and longevity.

Again, people should refrain from the use of fertilizers for food crop production.

Dr. Kofi Asare, President of VEG-Ghana, underlined the importance of drinking more water and said people should eat only when they were hungry and to make sure the food was chewed properly.

Preference should go to the local foods but not the fast foods.

He counseled women against the use of artificial skin products since about 60 percent of their content enter into the blood stream and could lead to a number of diseases.

Dr Asare appealed to importers of processed foods to rather invest in the production of local foods, which were more beneficial to the health of the population.