One hard truth must be spoken clearly and honestly: our health cannot wait for government action. While policies, programs and regulations are important, the most powerful decision about health is made daily by consumers at the market, in the kitchen and at the table. Complaining about food prices, weak enforcement or slow reforms will not lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes or protect our children. Only what we choose to eat can do that.
Healthy eating is a personal responsibility with collective impact. Every Ugandan control at least one thing: what goes into their mouth. You do not need permission, funding or a policy document to drink more water, reduce sugar, eat more vegetables or cook with less oil. These choices are immediate, affordable and life-saving.
Too often, consumers say government should ban junk food or healthy food is expensive, yet local markets overflow with nutritious, affordable foods, beans, greens, millet, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, fruits and small fish. These foods existed long before packaged snacks and sugary drinks entered our communities. Waiting for government action while ignoring local solutions only hands power away from the individual.
Your plate is your Parliament, change starts at home.
Government can guide, regulate and support, but it cannot chew for you. A family that chooses boiled foods over fried ones today will feel the benefit long before any national nutrition policy takes effect. A parent who packs fruit instead of biscuits for a child does more for health than a press conference ever could.
Stop outsourcing responsibility for disease.
High blood pressure does not come from State House. Diabetes is not passed in a bill. Obesity is not caused by a policy delay. These conditions grow quietly from repeated daily choices excess sugar, too much salt, frequent fried foods and oversized portions. Taking ownership of eating habits is not blaming the consumer; it is empowering them.
Healthy eating is possible even on a tight budget.
Consumers must reject the myth that healthy food is for the rich. In Uganda, the cheapest foods are often the healthiest. Processed snacks and sugary drinks drain household income while offering little nutrition. Cooking at home, buying in season and choosing local foods are powerful cost-saving strategies that protect health at the same time.
The market follows the consumer.
When consumers keep buying unhealthy foods, vendors keep selling them. When consumers demand fruits, vegetables and whole foods, supply increases. Change does not always start with regulation; it starts with demand. Every purchase is a message to the market.
Teach by example, not complaint.
Children learn eating habits from what they see, not what adults argue about. If families wait for government while feeding children junk food, the next generation inherits disease. But when parents model healthy eating, children grow up with better habits regardless of politics or policy.
Use knowledge, not excuses.
Nutrition education is widely available on radio, Papers, Tvs, social media, clinics and community programs. Consumers must use this information. Knowing that excess sugar causes harm and still choosing sugary drinks is a choice, not a failure of government. Empowered consumers act on knowledge.
Community action beats endless criticism.
Community barazas, church discussions, workplace wellness programs and community gardens can transform eating habits faster than national debates. Communities that support each other in healthy living build resilience that policies alone cannot deliver.
This is not a call to ignore government responsibility. Strong policies matter. But waiting, blaming and complaining while continuing harmful eating habits is self-defeating. Health is too personal to be postponed.
Kamara Daniel, Outstanding Nutritionist of the year 2025, Ministry of health- Heroes in Health Awards.
