Thembelihle Zwane
12 October
Iviki Lokudla Okunempilo Kuzwelonke (National Nutrition Week) lifika kulo nyaka phakathi kwesimo abacwaningi asebesibiza ngokuthi yinkinga yendlala – futhi ubufakazi obukhulayo besayensi bubonisa ukuthi imiphumela iya dlula ngale kwomzimba, iye ekutheni sicabanga futhi sizizwa kanjani.
I-nutritional psychiatry, eyayiyingxenye encane yezokwelapha, manje isisohlangothini oluphambili locwaningo lwezempilo yengqondo. Le mkhakha ifunda ngoxhumano phakathi kwesisu nengqondo (i-gut-brain axis): ukukhulumisana okuqhubekayo phakathi kwezigidigidi zamagciwane asesiswini lapho kugaywa ukudla nengqondo, okwenzeka ngomsipha wamathambo we-vagus, uhlelo lomzimba lokuzivikela, kanye nezakhi ezikhiqizwa yiwo lawa magciwane. Ukudla yikho okuyisisekelo esikhulu kunazo zonke esinaso sokuguqula lo mphakathi wamagciwane – okusho ukuthi lokho okusepuletini lethu kungase kwakhe isimo sengqondo, ukumelana nengcindezi, nokusebenza kwengqondo ngokuqondile njengoba kwakha isisindo somzimba.
Kanti eNingizimu Afrika, lolu lwazi lufika ngesikhathi esinzima. Umbiko omusha ovela ku-FoodForward SA nesikhungo Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (i-SALDRU) sase-University of Cape Town sichaza “inkinga yendlala enyukayo”: inani labantu abangenayo indlala eNingizimu Afrika liye lakhuphuka livela ku-14.85 million ngo-2022 laya ku-17.8 million ngo-2023, kanti izigidi eziyisi-8 zezinhlelo zabantu zahlangabezana nendlala enzima – kufaka phakathi ukulamba noma ukuhlala usuku lonke bengadlile lutho. Ucwaningo oluhlukile, olumele izwe lonke olwenziwa ngo-2024, luthole ukuthi indlala emakhaya iye yakhuphuka isuka cishe kwenye kwamakhaya amahlanu ngo-2021 yaya cishe kwamabili kwamahlanu ngo-2024, futhi amakhaya angenayo indlala abonise izinga eliphakeme kakhulu lokukhathazeka nokucindezeleka kwengqondo.
“INingizimu Afrika imi enkingeni enkulu,” kusho isandulela sombiko we-SALDRU, njengoba izindleko zokuphila ezikhuphukayo namanani okudla enyusa ubunzima “kwizigidi zabantu.” UProf Reza Daniels, umqondisi walesi sikhungo, ukusho ngokucacile: “ubufakazi kufanele buqondise izinyathelo zethu, futhi lezo zinyathelo kufanele zisekelwe.”
Indlela lezi zinkinga ezimbili eziphambana ngayo isiqala ukucaca. Ukudla okwakhiwe kudala indlala – okuvame ukuba amaphakethe okudla ashibhile, agcwele izinto ezicutshungulwe kakhulu, kodwa okuncane kwifayibha, imifino emisha kanye nokudla okuvutshisiwe – kuye kwehlise ukuhlukahluka kwamagciwane esiswini akhiqiza ama-short-chain fatty acids, izakhi eziye zaxhunywa kakhulu nokwehla kokuvuvukala nokulawuleka kwesimo sengqondo ngokungcono. Ingcindezi eqhubekayo evela endlaleni ngokwayo iphinde iphazamise isisu, lapho ukukhathazeka nokudla okungenampilo kuqinisana khona. Imininingwane ye-FoodForward SA/SALDRU iyakuveza lokhu ngokusobala: amakhaya abika ukweqa ukudla, ukushintshela emakhaya kokudla okushibhile, futhi kwizimo ezimbi kakhulu, ukuyeka ukuthenga imithi ukuze kuthengwe ukudla – izindlela zokumelana ezibhalwe kanye “nokucindezeleka okwandayo okugqugquzela impilo nokuzinza.”
Isayensi yaseNingizimu Afrika manje isiphakathi nendawo ekuvaleni leli gebe locwaningo, hhayi nje ekulobeni inkinga. Umcwaningi wezengqondo waseStellenbosch University, uSian Hemmings, ungomunye wababhali bephepha lika-2026 elishicilelwe ku-Nature Mental Health elithi ucwaningo loxhumano phakathi kwesisu nengqondo luye lwagobisa lwagxila kakhulu emazweni acebile, futhi ukulandisa ukuze lufinyelele emazweni asathuthuka – kufaka phakathi neNingizimu Afrika – njengoba ababhali besho, “akulona nje okufanele ngokwenza okuhle; kuwumsebenzi wobunono besayensi.” uhlangothi lwabo luqiniswa umsebenzi owenziwa phambilini uholwa yiNingizimu Afrika owahlola indlela amagciwane esisu ehluke ngayo phakathi kwabantu basemadolobheni nabasemakhaya ezweni lonke, kanye nocwaningo lwango-2025 oluthole ukuthi ukudla kwendabuko yesintu saseAfrika kwakhiqiza izimpawu ezingcono zokuzivikela nezokuguqulwa kokudla kunokudla kwesimo saseNtshonalanga kubantu abafanayo.
Lokhu kuhlangana kobufakazi kukhomba isifundo esisebenzayo se-viki Lokudla Okunempilo Kuzwelonke: izinhlelo zokuqinisa ukuphepha kokudla azihlukene nezinhlelo zempilo yengqondo – ziyinye yezinto eziqondile kunazo zonke ezikhona. Ukudla okuhlukahlukene, okugcwele ifayibha, okuncishiswe kakhulu ukucutshungulwa – okwakhiwe ngemifino, imithombo yamaprotheni, kanye nokudla okuvutshiwe okunjengamasi – akuyona nje injongo yokudla, kodwa ngokwandayo, kuyinjongo yengqondo. Njengoba imininingwane yendlala yaseNingizimu Afrika iyibeka ngokusobala, kwizigidi zamakhaya lokhu kukhetha akulona okwabo njengamanje. Ukuvala leli gebe, kusho ubufakazi obusaphuma, kuwuhlelo lwempilo yengqondo njengoba kuyinqubomgomo yokudla.
