Mrs Iyabode Adenrele Alabi is a dietician and retired as a Deputy Director, from the Department of Dietetics, at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. In her interaction with Rotimi Ige, she talks about her career and love for dancing, Among other things.BackgroundI was born in Lagos on July 12, 1950 to the Aderonmu family. We hail from Ibadan and I attended Children's Home School, before I proceeded to Yejide Girls' Grammar School, where I finished my secondary school education. Then I stayed briefly at the Adeola Odutola College for my A' level. I, however, didn't finish there before I travelled abroad. I went to Western Germany, Hamburg to be precise and I was there for almost two years to study the language. I later travelled to New York, where I did my first degree at Pat Institute and I bagged a B.Sc degree in nutrition and dietetics. Then I was at the New York University for a Masters in Full Service Management in 1979. I worked briefly in the New York as a dietician before I came back to Nigeria in 1982. I served at the University College of Education, before I went back to the United States. I returned to Nigeria in 1987. I got a job as a dietitian in UCH in 1988 and to God be the glory, I rose to the rank of the deputy director. In fact, I am the first dietician in UCH to become a deputy director. I also coupled as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, while I was a head of department in UCH, as it was affiliated to my job, I lectured at the department of Human Nutrition for four years. I retired in July 12, 2010 at the age of 60.Your experience in the course of your career'I had a lot of experience, because I was able to lecture at the premier university, the University of Ibadan and I attended many conferences, both here in Nigeria and abroad. I was at American Dietician Conference, Colorado and Chicago and for the home based conferences; I was at Benin for the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), another one in Abuja, we organised one here in UCH, another one in Lagos. I attended so many conferences, including the Nutrition Conference in Abeokuta. So I had a lot of experience because when you are dealing with human beings, especially patients, you have to be very careful, tolerant and you must be a complete human being. You must have passion for the patient. I really loved the job because I was matured dealing with patients. It served as a guide for me along the years, I know to relate with public, I know when to smile, to console and when to be frank.What can you identify as the challenges with nutrition in Nigeria'I always try to counsel people on how to eat right. I talk about diet on TV. I have been on programmes on BCOS, AM Express, Eyi Ara, Splash FM and sorts, all in a bid to preach the importance of what people eat to them. Our people need a lot of counseling; you don't have to be rich before you eat right. Eating right has nothing to do with your wealth. Most people don't have a clue on how to eat right. I am sorry to say this, but Oyo State is the only state where there are no dieticians or a state department of dietetics. Had it been that we had dieticians, we would be able to counsel people, reach across towns at the grassroots to teach them on how to eat right and prepare their foods. We need awareness as it is the most important thing, which we lack so much in Oyo State. I hope that someday, this issue would be tackled because many people are dying just because of wrong diet. What other projects are you involved in'You know when you are working with the federal government, you must not do any private business or practice. So I obeyed the law while in practice and didn't do anything. But when I retired, I was introduced to a programme, a gathering of nutritionists and dieticians. This year, we have decided to organise a symposium on human diet and health tagged 'Casserole 2012' and it's going to take place in Ibadan in October. We were supposed to do it last year but due to many constraints, we couldn't. It is going to hold from October 15-19. It's based on different types of food that are not expensive, we'll lecture people on the nutrient contents of various Nigerian dishes, how good the food is and everything they need to know about cuisines from all tribes in Nigeria. For instance, not so many people know how good the snail is to your body, or how nutritious fresh vegetables are. And for Casserole 2013, we hope to invite people from other African countries to bring their food so we can learn more.You travel a lot, why'I love traveling, though not by road. Though it's not really my hobby, I find myself travelling a lot. I love to explore and expose myself to new experiences. I have lived in the United States of America, Germany, visited Italy, Dubai, The Gambia, Britain, and France. While I was in Germany, I visited Sweden and Switzerland.When did you get married'I got married in the US in 1977 and did my traditional engagement in Nigeria, also in 1977. How has it been over the years'I thank God I married a very tolerant, caring, God-fearing, gentle and a responsible husband, Mr Clement Ajibola Alabi. And the Lord blessed our marriage with two sons, Ayobami and Ayokunnu. They all live in the United States.Christian lifeMy father was a Muslim, my mother was in between but I was brought up the Christian way. My grandmother took all of us to St David's Church, Kudeti and told the resident Reverend then, to baptise us. I was a chorister right from primary school and secondary school. I can't do without my rosary every day. I am a member of various committees in the church and God has been my strength. What are your hobbies'I really love dancing, nobody can beat me. I love going to parties. I go out a lot and if you come to my home and you don't call before coming, you might meet my absence.Things you can do without'First of all, dancing. When I am dancing, I don't remember anything. I also can't do without drinking water, especially in the morning and lastly, I cannot do without watching television and movies.Advice for Nigerians about their nutrition'Eat right. Anything they want to eat must contain carbohydrates, protein and a little fat that is low in cholesterol. Nigerians must reduce meat intake, eat scaly fish because scaly fish store their fat in their liver and we don't eat the liver. Also, vegetables, as it contains fiber. Nigerians must also learn to drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day.
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