OPINION / Let me please your palate. By Dorcas Tabitha Mbuyi Here’s the thing, I love food. I mean who doesn’t, cooking brings me a lot of pleasure. Have you seen the art behind every detail of ingredients and the different tastes merged to complete a dish? How much do you know about the food you consume and its effects on your health? Firstly, our consumption of food has increased drastically in the past 20 years. We have seen an increase in Westernized styles of food including more fats, meat, and oils, and a more popular one is soft drinks. According to the Food Technology magazine , South Africans and most of the world consume less vegetables. The total percentage of sugar intake was 12,3%, above the initial recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The percentage of salt consumption levels is 8,1 g/day, which is double the recommendation of WHO. What we eat affects more than our physical health but also our mental h...