Increased lifespan has resulted in a growing ageing population with non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, among others that are chronic in nature. Thus, causing dependency, disability, poor quality of life, and increased medical costs. This paper uses South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda to understand how improved medical interventions and social‐economic conditions have increased life expectancy while changing dietary and disease patterns. The countries are chosen due to their variations in urbanization and ageing levels. South Africa is more urbanized (66%) with an 8% aged population, followed by Ghana (56.06%) with a 5.3% aged population and Uganda (23.77%) with a 4.5% aged population. Lately, healthy dietary patterns are encouraged to promote healthy ageing and prevent, slow and reverse NCDs, through consumption of organic foods (higher in wholegrain foods, vegetables, fruits, with low meat consumption). Organic products are considered healthier, nutritious, fresher, and environmentally friendly because their production excludes pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and chemical food additives. Through literature reviews, we identified how older persons' nutritional patterns in South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda have evolved and their impacts on ageing. Findings indicated rising incomes and urbanization leading to nutrition transition, with traditional foods being substituted with foods high in meat, fats, refined sugars, and oils. Consequently, a double burden of diseases that are communicable and non‐communicable is emerging. Changes in diets of older persons have promoted overweight/obesity and under nutrition/underweight. It is, therefore, necessary to use strategies that improve levels of organic food intake through educational programs to the aged and their families on how to control diets and lifestyles. Also, household organic food production can be promoted by encouraging growing vegetables and fruits. This will help boost older persons' nutritional wellbeing, as well as promote the production of local organic foods that are environmental friendly and socially sustainable.

中文翻译：

---

绿色和灰色：三个撒哈拉以南非洲国家的农村和城市地区的营养生活方式和健康老龄化

寿命的延长导致人口的老龄化，增加了非传染性疾病（NCD）的发生，例如心血管疾病，糖尿病，癌症以及其他慢性疾病。因此，导致依赖性，残疾，生活质量差和医疗费用增加。本文使用南非，加纳和乌干达来了解改进的医疗干预措施和社会经济状况如何在改变饮食和疾病模式的同时增加了预期寿命。选择这些国家的原因是城市化程度和老龄化水平的差异。南非的城市化程度更高（66％），老年人口为8％，其次是加纳（56.06％），老年人口为5.3％，乌干达（23.77％），老年人口为4.5％。最近，我们鼓励人们采用健康的饮食习惯来促进健康的衰老，并预防，延缓和逆转非传染性疾病，通过食用有机食品（全谷物食品，蔬菜，水果中的含量较高，而肉类消耗较低）。有机产品被认为更健康，营养，新鲜和环保，因为它们的生产不包括农药，化学肥料和化学食品添加剂。通过文献综述，我们确定了南非，加纳和乌干达的老年人的营养方式是如何演变的，以及它们对老龄化的影响。研究结果表明，收入的增加和城市化导致了营养过渡，传统食品被肉，脂肪，精制糖和油含量高的食品取代。因此，正在出现传染性和非传染性疾病的双重负担。老年人饮食的变化促进了超重/肥胖和营养不足/体重不足。它是，因此，有必要采用通过对老年人及其家人进行有关如何控制饮食和生活方式的教育计划来提高有机食品摄入量的策略。此外，鼓励种植蔬菜和水果可以促进家庭有机食品的生产。这将有助于提高老年人的营养状况，并促进环境友好和社会可持续发展的当地有机食品的生产。