Author: Ahmed Ogundimu

Ahmed is a Food Scientist/Technologist first of all. A Web Developer, Seasoned Blogger, Astute Marketer, Food Enthusiast and Manchester United Lover. I read anything and everything available so I know so many useful and useless things.

Categories
Food Safety

Is MSG In Seasoning, Chicken Cubes, Ajinomoto, etc! Safe?

msg

MSG is an abbreviation for Monosodium Glutamate. It is a flavor enhancer (the sodium salt of the common amino acid glutamic acid) commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups, and seasonings.

In Nigeria, many of us use seasoning and condiments that are packed with Monosodium glutamate. Examples of these are Maggi, Knorr, Ajinomoto, Vedan, etc.

What’s the big deal about MSG?

Many people have deemed it unsafe and do not want to consume it or even see one ingredient containing it.

Over the years, regulatory bodies and clinics in many parts of the world have received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG.

msg

These reactions have now been put under a new term called MSG symptom complex.

These symptoms include but not limited to these in people who have recounted their experiences;

  • Headache
  • Sweating
  • Facial pressure or tightness
  • Numbness, tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas of the body
  • Rapid heartbeats (heart palpitations)
  • Chest pain
  • Nausea
  • Weakness

So, you might be wondering, “why did NAFDAC approve MSG when people see these symptoms?

Is MSG safe for consumption?

MSG is known as an excitotoxin – a substance that overexcites body cells to the extent that they are damaged or killed. 

Studies show that regular consumption of MSG may result in adverse side effects which include depression, disorientation, eye damage, fatigue, headaches, and obesity.

However, FDA, for example, claimed to have received reports of symptoms such as headache and nausea after eating foods containing MSG.

However, FDA was never able to confirm that MSG caused the reported effects. 

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) also examined the safety of MSG in the 1990s. FASEB’s report concluded that MSG is safe.

Even NAFDAC allows it as food ingredients in Nigeria, they must have regarded it as safe for consumption.

What Foods Contain monosodium glutamate?

Most canned soups, beef and chicken stock, flavored potato chips, snack foods, frozen dinners, and fast foods are flavored with added MSG.

Other ones include instant noodles, soy sauce, steak sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and cheeses.

In Nigeria, NAFDAC allows the use of MSG in seasoning cubes such as Maggi, Knorr, and Ajinomoto. Others that you can still find on NAFDAC’s website include;

seasoning cubes
  • Ever Rich Tasty Cube Chicken Flavour

Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Chicken Proteins, Monosodium glutamate (MSG, Salt), Starch.

  • Hanno Chicken Cubes 100G

Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Chicken Proteins, Monosodium glutamate (MSG, Salt), Starch

Which ones should you be wary of?

The products that give me the most concern are Ajinomoto, A-1, Vedan and the seasoning that comes with most Noodles. Ajinomoto, A-1 and Vedan appear to be only MSG that has been made into granules.

People use them to cook meat a lot and many “buka” and “mama put” joints still use them a lot.

These products are made by the Chinese and it seems to be a major ingredient added to many of their foods.

It was discovered and patented in 1909 by Ajinomoto Corporation in Japan. In its pure form, it appears as a white crystalline powder.

MSG has been established that they can cause problems in animals when consumed in some quantities. 

However, when added moderately in foods and ingredients, they should not cause any problems. Some quantities have been shown to cause adverse effects.

How to know a food contains Monosodium glutamate

Regulatory bodies the world over require that foods containing added MSG be labeled as such. Manufacturers are required to list it in the ingredient panel on the packaging as monosodium glutamate.

As mentioned earlier, MSG occurs naturally in ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate, as well as in tomatoes and cheeses.

ajinomoto monosodium glutamate

When these listed foods/ingredients are used as ingredients in foods, manufacturers are not really required to list the food ingredients as containing MSG.

However, they must list all those ingredients on the ingredient panel.

About how much MSG we should consume!

The FASEB report identified some short-term, transient, and generally mild symptoms. These include headache, numbness, flushing, tingling, palpitations, and drowsiness. These may occur in some sensitive individuals who consume 3 grams or more of MSG without food.

However, a typical serving of a food with added MSG contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG. Consuming more than 3 grams of MSG without food at one time is unlikely.

Let me say at this point, that we should limit the level of consumption of MSG. Even though it was reported that we can’t easily consume 3 grams of added MSG in foods, we should also note that glutamate is available naturally in some foods.

Finally, the level at which MSG is added in most foods today is safe. It would be hard to eat enough to see the adverse effects.

If you see develop any of the above symptoms from eating foods that contain MSG, you may want to avoid it.

ALSO SEE:  The Unhealthy Side Of Tomato Paste or Puree Consumption.

Categories
Food Recipes

Learn How to Make Ewa Aganyin

ewa aganyi

These days, I rarely find the sales of Ewa Aganyin (also spelt Agoyin) within our communities compared to how it was commonly hawked in all the nooks and crannies of our neighbourhood particularly in the 90s. In fact, sometimes last year, I was virtually hunting for a local buka around my area where I could actually enjoy the perfect food but to my disappointment I could not locate a place. All I find is the common beans and fried stewed which is distinctively different both in looks and taste to Ewa Aganyin.

ewa aganyi

In my reminiscing, I can not but remember how I and my brothers looked forward to visiting my maternal grandmother as we were sure to eat plenty Ewa Aganyin within the first few days during the Easter break. These days, the younger ones are clueless of the meal and It is fast becoming a meal that is rarely included in our diets particularly for some of us residing in cities.

How To Cook Ewa Aganyin

This post will show you how to make the Ewa Aganyin delicacy for your family. No need to go hunting to enjoy the perfect meal.

Ewa Aganyin Ingredients

  • 2 tins cups of brown beans.
  • 2 large white onion bulbs and 2 small bell pepper (Tatashe)
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger or to your preferred taste.
  • One cup of dried Chilli Pepper – popularly called Shombo by Yorubas.
  • 5-6 cooking spoons of palm oil. You could use slightly more than this amount.
  • Salt and Maggi to taste.
  • Some quantities of powder crayfish.

Instruction For Preparation of Ewa Aganyin Beans

  • Collect some amount of brown beans based on the quantity you would like to cook.
  • Separate the shaft and other unwanted items.
  • Pour some amount of water to clean up the beans and do the process twice.
  • Place your pot on cooker and add some amount of water. You could use a pressure cooker to quicken the cooking time.
  • When water is hot pour your cleaned beans into the pot and allow to cook until the beans had absorbed all the water and very soft. Add salt to taste just before the beans had absorbed all the water. You can always add more water to give room for further cooking at any stage.
  • Use a pestle to mash all the beans until you cannot find a whole bean again.

This is quite a simple procedure…….but what makes Ewa Aganyi actually unique compare to other foods in my opinion is not really the beans but the stew. You will definitely ask for more if you get it right.

Instruction For Making The Ewa Aganyin Sauce

  1. Slice the two big size onions into very tiny pieces and set aside.
  2. Soak the dried chilli pepper in hot water for 10minute to make them absorb and soften. Drain water, rinse once more and set aside with about 1-2 cleaned pieces of fresh bell pepper.
  3. Pour the pepper mix excluding the onions into a blender with little amount of water. Do not turn the pepper to complete puree. It must be in the form pepper to be used for rice stew.
  4. Set aside over a sieve to remove excess water.
  5. Place a non sticky pot over a cooker under low heat and pour palm oil.
  6. Allow the oil to get heated up until it becomes clear. Add the diced onions and stir until the onions turns dark colour but not burnt. This could take some minutes. The continuous frying helps to ensure.a.sandy grainy texture.
  7. Add powder crayfish and ginger, blended pepper, salt and seasoning cube (Maggi). All this must be done under medium heat. Stir continuously and cover pot to allow the mixture to cook for 15-20 minutes until the stew turns dark.

Your Aganyin stew is ready. Please note that the end result of your stew must be of slightly thick consistency with a lot of palm oil all over as that is the ideal form for the delicacy. So, you could extend the cooking period to achieve this result.

Dish out the beans and pour the sauce over the top of it. Serve with Agege bread or fried plantain.

Categories
Food Recipes

How To Make Gluten-Free Bread For Celiac Disease Patients

How To Make Gluten-Free Bread

People suffering from celiac disease or gluten-induced enteropathy will find gluten-free bread suitable. What we do in the production of gluten-free bread is basically to eliminate flours with gluten-rich protein from the ingredients list.

Next, we will be defining the key terms in this article — Celiac Disease and Gluten. We all should know what bread is. If you don’t know what a bread is, tell me where you come from, perhaps I could make some effort to understand.

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. It is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine (celiac.org). Click here to read more on Celiac Disease (symptoms, tests and treatment).

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in many types of foods including but not limited to rye, barley and wheat (used in making bread and some other pastries). Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together.

How To Make Gluten-Free Bread

How To Make Bread Free from Gluten (Ingredients and Instructions)

Below are the materials and ingredients neeeded with prepapration instructions.

Material Needed For Production

  • Loaf tin
  • On-stick paper
  • A piece of bowl
  • Teaspoon
  • Measuring jar
  • Kitchen measuring scale
  • 130 ml of warm water
  • 150g of corn flour
  • 15g fresh yeast

Ingredients for making Gluten-free Bread

  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
  • 50g dried Skim Milk Powder
  • 10g melted fat (Butter or Margarine)

Instructions for Preparing Gluten-free Bread at Home

  1. Sprinkle the yeast into some warm water, add sugar and keep the mixture in a warm environment for about 20-30 minutes.
  2. Mix the corn flour, salt, milk powder, the yeast plus sugar mixture and melted fat in the bowl. Mix thoroughly to get a smooth, creamy thick batter.
  3. Pour it into an already lined baking tin with non-stick paper.
  4. Allow to proof in a warm place.
  5. Preheat the oven to 175-180°C
  6. Bake until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 99°C (the center should feel firm and fringy at this point).
  7. Remove bread from oven and allow to cool

Important Warning on Yeast:

The Baker’s yeast, “Saccharomyces cerevisiae” is a fungus and is naturally gluten-free. I can inform you that some packaged yeasts are NOT gluten-free. Therefore, it is important to always check the label.

Categories
Food Recipes

Simple Way To Make Tomato Ketchup At Home

tomato ketchup with fries chicken

We have all eaten tomato ketchup at some points in our lives to eat foods like fries and chicken. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could make your own fresh tomato ketchup at home? You can make it the way you like it. If you like your ketchup spicy, you can add as much chilli as you want. If you like it more or less sour, you can control the quantity of vinegar in it. The possibilities are endless.

Some of the popular ones include Heinz and Maggi. Tomato ketchup is a sauce prepared using clean tomato in addition to ingredients such as sugar syrup, salt, vinegar, colour (optional), onions, garlic and other spices. Tomato ketchup usually contains about 12% tomato solids. Surprising right?

Make Tomato Ketchup At Home

How To Make Tomato Ketchup At Home [The Recipe]

Below are the materials (kitchen utensils and appliances) and ingredients that you need to prepare tomato ketchup at home.

Material Needed

  • Blender
  • Gas/Electric Cooker
  • Weighing Balance
  • Cooking  Pots
  • Muslin Cloth
  • Sieve
  • Stirrers

Ingredients For Making Tomato Ketchup (Recipe)

  • Tomato Juice (3.5 litres)
  • Salt (97.5 g)
  • Sugar (170 g)
  • Vinegar (27.22 g)
  • Chopped Onions (56.7 g)
  • Ground Cinnamon (3.36 g)
  • Chopped Garlic (2.20 g)
  • Penang Mace (tone) (0.50 g)
  • Ground Cloves (2.13 g)
  • Powdered paprika (0.50 g)
  • Chilli (25.06 g)
  • Ground White Pepper (25.06g)
  • Colour (4-5 drops)

Procedure for preparing the Tomato Ketchup

  • Sort your tomatoes such that you only have the good ones
  • Immerse tomatoes (whole) in hot water standing at 90ºC for 3-6 seconds. Spray with cold water.
  • Peel off tomato skin by pulling the skin back from the blossom end
  • Remove the seed cavity neatly with a knife
  • Pulp the tomatoes in a blender and strain (you only need 3.5 litres of it)
  • Heat the tomato pulp in an open pan for 1 hour at 90ºC
  • While boiling, add all spices and salt into the boiling puree. Add the sugar syrup.
  • Boil until you have the consistency you desire.

Allow the ketchup to cool. You can serve with the food of your choice and store the rest in your refrigerator.

Categories
Food Recipes

How To Make Sausage Muffins [Recipe]

sausage muffins

This is a recipe for making sausage muffins submitted by Chef Esther and she has the following to say;

Its Chef Esther, hope your week is going great because mine is. This bite sized goodies are so so delicious that you will keep asking for more. Super easy and fast to make. Happy baking!!!!!

Sausage Muffins Recipe

The following are the instructions and ingredients for making delicious sausage muffins.

Sausage Muffin Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp Baking powder

2-4 tbsp. Sugar (to taste)

½ cup Melted salted butter

¼ cup Milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs (for the batter)

Non-stick spray or melted butter for brushing muffin pan

Filling

3 large sausages cut into three each

Instructions for Preparing Sausage Muffins

Add the 2 eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves which is about 2 minutes

Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, melted salted butter, milk and vanilla essence into the bowl. Mix until you have a batter with no lumps.

Prepare the muffin pan by brushing lightly with melted butter or spray with non-stick spray.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoon batter evenly into each muffin pan. Place the sausage in the middle of the batter or however you like it and place in the oven.

Bake in preheated oven at 180c for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Here you have your Sausage Muffins;

sausage muffins sausage muffins

Serve warm and enjoy.

Categories
Food Recipes

Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce Recipe

Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce Recipe

This is a chicken and Moringa tomato sauce recipe submitted by Chef Esther (Esther Ibizugbe). She uses a combination of chicken and moringa in tomato sauce. Below is her recipe with ingredients, instructions and other tips.

If you have ever read the article we published in the past about the importance of Moringa, you will know how important that plant is. Don’t get it confused, the post talked about seeds. This one right here is talkin about Moringa seeds.

Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce Recipe

Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce Recipe – Chef Esther

Chef Esther says;

Hey all, you know how most people say Moringa leaves can cure everything (don’t know how true that is oo), well my Mum (Chairlady) decided to plant the tree within the house. It is easy to plant and they grow really fast.

Anyways I ran out vegetables today and decided to try out the fresh Moringa leaves for a change and it came out amazing and tastes great. I hope you try this out and remember you can always substitute ingredients. 

Ingredients For Making Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce

Below are the ingredients you need to make your own Chicken-moringa tomato sauce;

  • Moringa leaves (washed)
  • Tomatoes
  • Pepper
  • Onions
  • Ginger (peeled)
  • Garlic (peeled)
  • Knorr cubes
  • Curry
  • Thyme
  • Tomato paste
  • Grinded crayfish
  • Canola oil (can use whichever you have)
  • Chicken (boiled or fried)
  • Chicken stock/Water

Instructions For Preparing The Chicken And Moringa Tomato Sauce

  • Place your tomato, pepper, onions, ginger, garlic and a little water in the blender and grind to a paste, depending on your preferred consistency.
  • Heat up oil in the pot for about a minute and add the chopped onions. Stir for another one minute so it does not burn before adding the blended paste.
  • Allow to boil for 5 minutes before adding chicken and grinded crayfish (people start the method by frying tomato paste first before adding the blended tomato. You can do whichever)
  • Boil for another 3-4 minutes then add tomato paste, chicken stock/water and salt to taste. If you are using chicken stock, be careful when adding the spices because they were already added when boiling the chicken, so it doesn’t become too salty.
  • After about 4 minutes, add the Moringa leaves and boil for about 2 minutes to retain the freshness and serve!

IMPORTANT NOTE:

To have a different taste and flavour, you can use seafood, beef, stock fish, etc to garnish the sauce.

ALSO SEE: Moringa Seed: Benefits & How It Helps In Weight Loss

Categories
Food Recipes

How To Make Kuli Kuli (Recipe)

How To Make Kuli Kuli - Recipe

This post will show you the ingredients and instructions needed to make Kuli-Kuli (called Kulinkuli by some). Sometimes called German stones, the rock or peanut balls; kuli kuli which has many names based on the location is one major snack of which I am certain that all children within Nigeria, born earlier than or in the 80s must have had a bite one time or the other. It is usually made into different shapes and sold in transparent nylons.

In the early 90s during my primary school days, hardly would you find a young boy or girl returning home from school without some quantities of the snack as it can be enjoyed with Garri soaked in chilled water particularly during the hot afternoon.

How To Make Kuli Kuli - Recipe

Step by Step Guide On How To Make Kuli Kuli (Recipe)

Rarely seen to be consume by emerging young children for a reason best known to them or their parents, kuli kuli remains a snack to eat any day, any time. In this short post, I will be sharing with you step by step method on the making Kuli kuli, a popular Nigerian snacks.

Ingredients For Making Kuli Kuli

Below are the essential kulikuli ingredients. With this recipe, you can make your Kulikuli at home.

  • 2 cups of peeled, salted and roasted groundnuts
  • Groundnut oil and a tea spoon of ground pepper
  • One and half teas spoon of ginger powder or to taste
  • Kahun (Optional)

Kitchen Utensils and Appliances Needed 

  • A food processor
  • A non sticky frying pot
  • Muslin cloth
  • Spider and a Plastic bowl

How To Make Kuli Kuli (Procedure)

  • Pour the groundnuts and ginger into the powerful food processor, and set to rotate until the nuts are almost turning to a pasty cream.
  • Scoop the pasty nut into a clean and dry muslin cloth and squeeze out the oil as much as you can. Do not expect to see a lot of oil. This step is very key as it determines the crunchiness of the kulikuli.
  • Pour the mashy peanut into a plastic bowl, add the powdered ground pepper.
  • Mix the constituents using your fingers and shape using your palms to your preferred size.
  • Place the non-sticky cooking pot on cooker and add some groundnut oil enough to fry the balls. You could also sprinkle some kahun (potash) into the oil but this is optional. You could also add some rings of onion to provide some flavours.
  • Just before the temperature of the oil gets to frying point, add the shaped balls (or rods or pellets) into it and keep stirring until all sides of the balls turns brown.
  • Scoop out using a spider into a plate and allow to cool.

Kuli-Kuli is ready and can be served with any kind of flakes. Usually it is enjoyed with cassava flakes (Garri) soaked in cold water.

If you have a special recipe for Kuli kuli that you’d like to share with us, please send to us using our contact from. We will publish it here and give you full credit for your work.

Categories
Uncategorized

Nigeria Indigenous Dairy (Milk) Products

Wara

Nigeria has about only couple of indigenous dairy products and they are only popular in the northern part of the country. This may be largely due to the fact that most cattle rearing in Nigeria are also done in the Northern part of the country.

First of all, let me explain what dairy products are, for those who don’t know. Dairy products, also called milk products or lacticinia are a type of food produced from or containing the milk of mammals, primarily cattle. They are water buffaloes, goats, sheep, camels, and humans.

Popular indigenous dairy products in Nigeria include Fura Da Nono and Wara. They are

Wara (Cheese Curd)

The Fulanis of Northern Nigeria are traditionally cattle rearers and they have access to fresh milk from Zebu Bos indicus cattle. Wara cheese making is thought to have started in this region and as a result of the nomadic lifestyle of the Fulanis has spread to other parts of Northern Nigeria, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo states; and the Benin republic.

Wara

Fura da Nunu

Fura da Nunu translates to Millet and Milk in English. Fura is the millet and Nono is locally fermented milk with a thick consistency.

Nono also called nunu by some tribes in Nigeria contains good quantities of amino acids, calcium, phosphorous and vitamins A, C, E and the B complex according to research.

The consumption of this milk product has been limited to Fulani/Hausa indigenous over the years since most non indigenous see their preparation as apparently unhygienic. Now with the establishment of modern processors/retailers of fura da nunu (e.g. Habib Yoghurt), it is now gaining wider acceptance.

This article is only meant to introduce you to the dairy products and not to show you how to prepare them. There are several websites detailing the recipe online.

A quick search on Google will show you some of them. Soon, I will talk about the health and nutritional benefits of these indigenous Nigerian dairy products.

These are the two indigenous dairy products that I know. If you know any other one that is not very common, please share with me in the comment section and I will add it to the list.

Categories
News

Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite Made In Nigeria Declared Unsafe In UK

Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite Made In Nigeria Declared Unsafe In UK

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere has ordered the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to order the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc to put a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles stating that both soft drinks are poisonous when consumed along with Vitamin C.

The court also held that NAFDAC failed Nigerians by declaring, as fit for human consumption, products discovered by tests in the United Kingdom as turning poisonous when mixed with ascorbic acid (popularly known as Vitamin C).

Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite Made In Nigeria Declared Unsafe In UKIn the judgment given by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, the court awarded a cost of N2 million against NAFDAC. The judgment was the outcome of a suit filed by a Lagos-based businessman, Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo, and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, against NBC Plc and NAFDAC.

Mr. Adebo, in the suit, urged the court to declare that NBC was negligent to its consumers by bottling Fanta and Sprite with excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives.

The businessman also urged the court to order NAFDAC to carry out routine laboratory tests on all the soft drinks and related products NBC bottles to ensure their safety for consumption.

In the amended statement of claims filed before the court by Mr. Abiodun Onidare on behalf of Mr. Adebo and his company,  it was alleged that in March 2007, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Company bought large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and soda water from NBC for export to and subsequent retail in the United Kingdom.

But when the consignment arrived in the United Kingdom, health authorities in that country, precisely the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council’s Trading Standard, Department of Environment and Economy Directorate, raised fundamental health issues on the contents and composition of Fanta and Sprite.

Findings by the United Kingdom health authorities were also corroborated by other agencies in European Union countries, which found the products to contain excessive levels of sunset yellow and benzoic acid, which are known to be carcinogenic.

On account of the irregularities and carcinogenic substances present in the drinks, Mr. Adebo and his company could not sell the Fanta and Sprite. This caused huge losses for the company, as the products were seized and destroyed by the United Kingdom health authorities.

The claimants equally alleged that NAFDAC did not carry out requisite tests to determine the safety of the drinks for human consumption. They averred that being registered as exporters with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, they could legally export NBC products to any part of the world and that the bottling company was aware that the products purchased were meant for export.

In addition to other reliefs, Mr. Adebo and his company sought the sum of N15,119,619.37 as special damages and N1,622,000 being the money NBC admitted receiving from the claimants.

In its amended statement of defense, filed before the court by Mr. T. O. Busari, NBC admitted supplying the products, but contended that they are meant for local distribution and consumption, as it does not produce for export. It argued that Coca-Cola is manufactured and bottled by various Coca-Cola franchise holders in most countries of the world, including the United Kingdom.

The company denied that it was negligent, as it has stringent quality control procedures to ensure that its products are safe for end-user consumption.

NBC also rejected the allegation that the damages claimed by the businessman and his firm were caused by negligence or any fault on its part.  It argued that the levels of the chemical components in its soft drinks are safe for consumption in Nigeria and that the claimants are not entitled to the recovery of damages arising from their illegal exportation of products meant for local distribution.

NBC further contended that the  claims made by Mr. Adebo and his company were speculative, frivolous and vexatious and should be dismissed with substantial cost. NAFDAC did not file any defense.

To prove his case, Mr. Adebo personally testified. While being led in evidence by Mr. Onidare, he tendered 12 exhibits. NBC’s Sales Operation Manager, Mr. Micheal Nwosu China, and its Head of Central Laboratory, Mr. Abiodun Adeola Falana, both testified on the bottling company’s behalf and also tendered 12 exhibits.

In her judgment, Justice Oyebanji said: “It is imperative to state that the knowledge of the Nigeria Bottling Company that the products were to be exported is immaterial to its being fit for human consumption. The court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria bottling company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of color or creed.

“It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company. In my respective view, NAFDAC has failed the citizens of this great nation by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption products, which in the United Kingdom failed sample test for human consumption, and which become poisonous in the presence of Ascorbic Acid ordinarily known as Vitamin C, which can be freely taken by the unsuspecting public with the company’s Fanta or Sprite.

“As earlier stated, the court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that consumable products ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of race, colour or creed.”

Justice Oyebanji also held that by its certification as satisfactory, Fanta and Sprite, without any written warning on the products that it cannot be taken with Vitamin C, NAFDAC would have caused great harm to the health of unsuspecting Nigerians.

“The court, in the light of the damning evidence before it showing that NAFDAC has failed to live up to expectation, cannot close its eyes to the grievous implication of allowing the status quo to continue as it is.

“For the reasons herein adumbrated in this judgment, the court hereby orders as follows :

“That NAFDAC shall forthwith mandate Nigeria bottling company to, within 90 days hereof, include on all the bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company, a written warning that the content of the said bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous if taken with Vitamin C.

“In consideration of the fact that this case was filed in 2008 and that it has been in court for nine years, costs of N2 million is awarded against NAFDAC. Interest shall be paid on the costs awarded at the rate of 10% per annum until liquidation of the said sum,” ruled Justice Oyebanji. Via: Sahara Reporters

Categories
Food & Health

Foods That Help Get Rid of Mouth Odour

Get Rid of Mouth Odour

Can foods help get rid of mouth odour? I am sure this is a question that will be going through the mind of some people as they see this topic. Well, I can tell you that some certain foods can help reduce or get rid of halitosis or bad breath as mouth odour is also called.

This will article will cover what Halitosis is, what the common causes are and how it can be managed, especially making use of some of the foods we eat. Nobody wants to be around or talk to someone with mouth odour. The person with mouth odour also tries to avoid having to talk to people.

Medical News Daily (MNT) reports that bad breath, also known as halitosis or fetor oris, affects an estimated 25% of people, globally.

Get Rid of Mouth Odour

What is Halitosis, Bad Breath or Halitosis? What Causes it?

WebMD simply put it that Bad breath, medically called halitosis, can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems.

Not brushing and flossing your teeth after meals can keep food remnants in your mouth and between teeth. Bacteria will grow on these remnant, they decay and lead to to bad odour coming out of your mouth.

Smoking Causes Bad Odour

Food particles from foods with strong smells like garlic and onions do not go away completely even after brushing your mouth and teeth. The odor will not go away completely until the foods have passed through your body.

Smoking and other health problems can also lead to mouth odour. All these are the common causes of bad breath or mouth odour. However, there is one source of bad odour that is usually not being addressed – the population of bad bacteria in the gut (unhealthy digestive system).

A Little-Known But Major Cause of Bad Breath

The little-known but a major cause of bad breath and other diseases is the ratio of good and bad bacteria in your gut. Our guts should have a balance of around 85 percent good bacteria and 15 percent bad.

An imbalance between good and bad bacteria can predispose you to a wide number of health problems, more serious than bad breath and body odor. These bad bacteria can cause conditions that lead to bad odours.

intestines microflora

Having less-than-optimal gut flora can make you vulnerable to health conditions linked to bad breath. A fishy smell in the breath suggests kidney problems, while a fruity-smelling breath may mean uncontrolled diabetes according to Mercola.com.

For these reasons, supplying your gut with good bacteria and eliminating the bad ones is very important. So, how do you do supply more good bacteria to get rid of mouth odour?

Foods/Supplements That Help You Get Rid of Mouth Odour?

First of all, you must ascertain that your mouth odour is not caused by poor dental hygiene or smoking first. The solution to those is simply brushing your teeth and using mouthwashes. If all these have not yielded results, your mouth odour may be due to high population of bad bacteria to good ones.

antibiotics

1. Eliminate Some Foods: To get started, you may want to get rid of bad bacteria in your gut first. The first step towards this is to first eliminate foods that may make mouth odour worse by causing poor balance of bacteria in your gut.

2. Use Antibiotics: They not only kill bad bacteria, but also destroy the beneficial organisms in your gut. This means that you have to replace the good/beneficial microorganisms after the antibiotic treatment. So, you only need to do this when absolutely necessary.

More Foods That Help Get Rid of Mouth Odour!

3. Fermented Foods: Eat fermented foods such as such as kefir and yoghurt, fermented vegetables (including cabbage, turnips, eggplants, carrots), and fermented soy. These cultured foods have the ability of supplying your gut with billions of beneficial bacteria.

yoghurt for mouth odour

It is ideal to consume cultured foods that are high in Lactobacillus strains and bacteria that possess high concentrations of lactic acid. Yoghurt is a very good example that falls into this category.

4. Probiotics: Taking supplements should only be done to support or compensate for a nutritionally deficient diet, as you can mainly get the nutrients your body needs from the food you eat. Probiotic supplements are a great option if you don’t consume raw organic vegetables on a daily basis.

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Food & Nutrition Knowledgebase

The Differences Between Broilers and Layers Chicken Meats

FRIED CHICKEN THIGH

Broilers and Layers are both chicken types which can be consumed. In this era when there is serious campaign against consumption of imported chickens, the sales of farm reared live or freshly slaughtered chickens have sky-rocketed but it has not gotten anywhere near its peak.

The market is still large enough for tens of thousands of farmers to maximise. In my little spell as a poultry farmer in the past two years, I have come to the realization that very few consumers know the differences between these birds and their meats. This had made many people to make wrong choices only to later find out their errors.

LAYERS CHICKENS WITH EGGS

Differences Between Broilers and Layers Chicken Meats

When these chickens (layers and broilers) are yet to be slaughtered and de-feathered, it is quite easy to identify them. Broiler birds are usually white in colour while layers are commonly brown or black. However, this is not the rule as there are layers that are white in colour too, the brown and black are just more common.

In many situations when consumers are about to purchase the meat of birds for consumption in the open market, they cannot tell the differences between the chickens that meet their preference in terms of taste, texture and flavour.

Let me start by explaining the background differences between the two types of birds:

Broilers are birds raised only for meat production while Layers are those raised mainly for egg production. In most cases, after layers are low in egg production, they are sent into the market as meat birds. Now lets see the differences between the meats from both birds.

FRIED CHICKEN THIGH

(1.) Broilers meat are usually juicier and softer compared to that of layers. This is because broilers are market ready when they are between 8-12 weeks old since they are only grown for their meat value. They contain higher values of fat and protein due to their diet composition.

On the other hand, layers meat are tough and are usually sold into the market when they are about 2years old. They start laying in 24 weeks and many of them lay for more than a year before their eggs production begins to reduce until they no longer lay eggs. That is when the birds are sold out.

(2.) Layers are usually enjoyed by those who love tough meat. It is important to state that the nutrient value in these birds are lower compared to that in broilers. During cooking the meats from both birds, mild and low heat is required for broilers while high heat can be deployed for layers.

SEE: How To Slaughter Animals To Make Meat Tender!

For a good number of eateries and restaurants, broiler meat are fried directly without cooking them unlike the layers meat that compulsorily needs cooking before frying. They are also grilled and roasted easily.

ALSO SEE: Beef is for Cow, Pork is for Pig Meat, See All Meat Names

I do hope this short article will help you a bit.

Categories
Food Safety

Plastic Rice In Nigerian Markets: How To Identify Them

Plastic Rice In Nigeria

There have been reports of people buying Plastic Rice in Nigerian markets. Is this true? Why would anyone want to sell plastic rice? What is the Nigerian government doing about it? These are some questions begging for answers and we want to attempt to answer some of them with the little information available.

What Is A Plastic Rice? Does It Even Exist?

Plastic rice has been described as rice made from plastic. It has sometimes been reported in the media to be manufactured in China and sold in the West and countries in Africa.

Plastic Rice In Nigeria

Please don’t confuse this with what is known as Artificial Rice. This in contrast artificial rice is a grain product made to resemble rice. It is usually made from broken rice, sometimes with the addition of other cereals.

Why Plastic Rice In Nigeria?

I first stumbled on this when I saw a photo shared on Instagram showing something that looked like tapioca in a spoon. The posted claimed this was the plastic rice bought in a market. Before I go on, let me share what a plastic rice is, with you.

I have not seen the plastic rice myself, I have only seen reports of it and many of them. The reason I am asking “why plastic rice” is because I think that plastic rice grains would easily be detected after cooking. Moreover, they would be likely more expensive to produce than real rice.

What Are Authorities Doing About It?

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have launched a search for alleged fake/plastic rice from China which is said to have found its way into some African countries, including Nigeria.

How Do You Identify Fake or Plastic Rice?

There are a number of ways by which you can know if you are being sold plastic rice;

1. Number one is a no-brainier but we still have to mention it again – buy popular and know brands of rice in their sacs. This way, you be sure to a high level that you are buying real rice grains. However, if you are buying smaller measures of rice from already opened bags, it becomes trickier.

2. Try setting a little bit of your rice on fire with a match or lighter. If it starts burning right away and smells like burning plastic, then you likely have plastic rice with you.

plastic rice will melt when cooked

3. When you crush a few grains of rice with a mortar and pestle (the small kitchen size) they should be reduced to a fine, white, starchy powder. However, when you do the same with fake rice, you will see a light yellow discoloration.

4. Plastic rice will not get spoiled after days of cooking it. This should be a last test because it takes time to complete and some people may have eaten part of it.

Depending on the plastics used to “make” this rice, the rice may even melt when cooked. So you can easily know when that happens. Whether the claims of sales of plastic rice in Nigeria are true or not, you can use the tests above to identify plastic rice. If you also have any proof of the plastic rice (pictures or videos), please share with us.

Categories
Food & Health

Foods People With Blood Group B Should Totally Avoid

Foods People With Blood Group B Should Totally Avoid

Many people do not know that their Blood Type is the key that opens the door to the secrets behind their health, diseases, physical vitality, emotional strength and long life. In fact, it determines a lot of things in our life than many would believe.

I have not always known this myself too. A doctor friend of mine introduced me to a book by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo with Catherine Whitney, titled “Eat Right 4 Your Type”. The book talks about 4 Blood Types, 4 Diets, revealing the individualized diet solution to staying healthy, living longer and achieving your ideal weight for blood types O, A, B and AB.

Foods People With Blood Group B Should Totally Avoid
I cannot discuss all what the book contains because there are about 388 pages of it, in fact I think that would be illegal to do. So, I am just going to discuss some of the thing I learnt inside, and take excerpts from the books where necessary.

Food That Persons With Blood Type B Should Avoid

You blood type determines how susceptible you are to illness, foods that you should eat or stay away from and how you should exercise. Here, I will talk about those foods you should stay away from because do do more harm than good to you.

1. Corn

For people with Type B blood group, the biggest food concern when it comes to weight gain are corn, buckwheat, lentils, peanuts and sesame seeds. Each of them has it’s own type of lectin.

Corn Blood Group B Should Avoid
Each of these lectins affect the efficiency of Type Bs metabolic process, which results in fatigue, fluid retention and hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is characterized by severe drop in blood sugar level after eating a meal. This leads to tiredness/fatigue.

2. Wheat

Just like Type Os, Type Bs react to the gluten in wheat germ and products made from whole wheat. The gluten lectin adds to the problems caused by the other metabolism-slowing foods.

Wheat Blood Group B Should Avoid
“When food is not efficiently digested and burned as fuel for the body, it gets stored as fat.”

3. Chicken

You need to give up chicken. Why? Chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue. Yes, this may not be easy to give up because chicken is already a part and parcel of many diets in this part of the world.

The agglutinating lectin attacks the bloodstream and potentially lead to strokes and immune disorders. Now, here is a good reason to let it go.

Chicken Blood Group B Should Avoid
If you are already too used to eating chicken, then you should explore other poultry options like turkey and pheasants. People have been told chicken is healthier than beef but this is not the case for Blood Type Bs.

4. Shellfish — Crab, Lobster, Shrimp, etc.

They contain lectins too. These lectins are disruptive to the type B system. This is not to say that you should run from sea foods. In fact, Type Bs thrive well on sea foods, especially fish such as cod and salmon, which are rich in nutritious oils.

Shellfish Blood Group B Should Avoid

Other common ones to avoid include, Anchovy, Beluga, Butterfish, Clam, Crab, Crayfish, Eel, Frog, Herring, Octopus, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Salmon roe, Shrimp, Snail (escargot / Helix pomatia).

5. Nuts and Seeds

People with Blood Type B should avoid consumption of most nuts and seeds. Peanuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds contain lectin, which interfere with Type B insulin production.

Type Bs can eat some beans and legumes without any issue. However, beans such as lentils, pintos and black-eyed peas, contain lectins which interfere with Type B insulin production.

Nuts and Seeds Blood Group B Should Avoid

Some other seeds and nuts (and their products) to avoid include, Cashew, Hazelnut, Pistachio, Peanut butter, Pumpkin seed, Sesame seed, Sesame butter, Sunflower seed, Sunflower butter.

6. Tomatoes. Yes, Tomatoes!

According to Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, author of the book, “Eat Right 4 Your Type”, Type Bs should eliminate tomatoes completely from their diet. “The tomato is are vegetable called a panhemaglutinan. This means that it contains lectins that can agglutinate every blood type.

While the tomato lectin has little effect on Type O and Type AB, both Type B and Type A suffer strong reactions, usually in form of irritations of the stomach lining.

Tomatoes Blood Group B Should Avoid

I am not out here to spill everything in the book to you. I just noticed we in this part of the world consume these groups of food a lot. These are just some of the foods you should avoid.

Beyond the dark side, there is also a wide range of foods you can choose from to remain healthy. You may also be surprised that there are groups of food which Type Bs thrive on, but are no-go areas for other Blood groups.

If you would like to learn more about this. You should get yourself a copy of the book.

Categories
Food & Body

10 Common Signs You Have A Binge Eating Disorder

Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

Sometimes, people have binge eating disorder and they don’t even know it. There are those who know something is wrong after eating, but they just don’t know what it is. This article will share with you, what a binge eating disorder is and the common signs to look out for.

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

One could have an idea of what this is from the name alone. Binge eating disorder involves frequent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating. Feeling extremely distressed or upset during or after such episodes (bingeing).

We all have a way of coping with negative emotions when they set in. Unfortunately, it is food for some people — when the emotions come, they just think about food. They think about food all the time and feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed after eating.

10 Signs/Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

We have all at one point in our lives had too much to eat at parties and festivities. This is not what we are talking about here. Below are some 10 signs that may show you have binge eating problem.

1. Frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food

2. Frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten
binge-eating-disorder

3. Eating much more rapidly than usual

4. Eating until uncomfortably full

5. Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry

6. Eating alone out of embarrassment at the quantity of food being eaten

Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

7. Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after overeating

8. Fluctuations in weight

9. Feelings of low self-esteem

10. Frequent dieting

Of course, some of these symptoms can manifest singly without it necessarily it being that of binge eating problem. However, most people with serious binge eating disorder would normally have some of the following symptoms occurring at least once a week for at least three months.

Categories
Food & Body

Foods to Avoid If You Have Fibroids Or Prevent Its Growth

Coffee drink

Fibroids or Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that can invade and start growing in the female reproductive system. Often times, fibroids occur during the middle to late childbearing years while there have also been cases in those in their early childbearing years. I have read that five out of six Nigerian women have fibroids growth; many don’t just know.

Fibroids usually don’t show any symptoms but they could cause pains in some women as the tumors grow bigger and bigger. The major reason why uterine fibroids— although asymptomatic— is of great concern is that they can (and do) hinder fertility in many women.

In those women that see symptoms, it could be any of the following;

  • Heavy menstrual bleeding
  • Prolonged menstrual periods — seven
  • days or more of menstrual bleeding
  • Pelvic pressure or pain
  • Frequent urination
  • Difficulty emptying your bladder
  • Constipation
  • Backache or leg pains

The cure for fibroids know by many women is surgery and many go through that procedure to get the tumors removed. However, I can inform you that you can treat this condition using natural methods by managing your diet/nutrition properly.

Foods To Avoid With Uterine Fibroids

In the opening statement, fibroids were referred to as “tumor”. Let me make it clear at this point that fibroids are noncancerous tumors that develop within the uterus. They are not the same as cancerous tumor growths.

Below are foods you should avoid when you have fibroid growth;

Red Meat:

We have talked about red meat a lot in the past. If you don’t know much about red meat, you can read this piece about ‘differences between red meat and white meat with examples’.

meats
Photo Credit: gab.giggle.com

Women with fibroids growth should stay away from red meat from mammals and ducks. These sources of meat protein are likely to be high in added hormones, including estrogen. Eat lean white meat for a protein source.

Caffeine 

When we talk about caffeine, what usually comes to people’s mind is coffee. It is not only coffee that contains caffeine. Therefore, if you have uterine fibroids and need to stay away from caffeine, there are more foods to watch out for, including caffeinated sodas, tea, and chocolate.

Coffee drink

William E. Richardson of the Atlanta Clinic of Preventative Medicine warns against drinking these beverages due to their high level of methylxanthines which, in turn, cause a high level of biochemicals in the body that can form tumors.

Saturated Fats

A lot of foods can fall under this category depending on how they are processed but common ones could include egg yolk, sausage, avocado, fast foods, etc.

egg yolk

Saturated fats can raise the estrogen level, which allows fibroids to grow larger. These foods are also hard on the liver, making it difficult for the body to break down and rid itself of the excess hormones

Whole milk, Cream, and Butter

These are high-fat dairy foods. Whole milk, in contrast to skimmed milk, is milk that has not had its fat removed. If you can’t really distinguish between skim and whole milk, you can click here to read more.

MILK-HIGH-FAT-DAIRY

The other foods mentioned (cream and butter) are foods derived from milk.

Instead of refined grains, women should generally eat whole grains such as brown rice, millet, and oats, all of which are high in B vitamins that help process estrogen.

Categories
Food & Body

Powerful Ways You Should Be Using Coconut Oil

powerful uses of coconut oil
Photo: thetruthaboutcancer.com

One thing clearly stands out in life, irrespective of the category it belongs to. Most oils with saturated fats, such as butter, palm oil, coconut oil and among others are categorized as bad oil compared to oils with unsaturated fat, such as olive oil, safflower oil, canola oil, etc. Among these oils containing saturated fat, one stands out, competes with unsaturated fats and remains among the best if not the very best. This is because of its amazing power.

This oil is endowed with numerous benefits. It’s uniqueness lies in its ability to be easily metabolized by everybody, irrespective of our ages. This particular oil that receives a standing ovation even in the crowd of many competitors is COCONUT OIL.

powerful uses of coconut oil
Photo: thetruthaboutcancer.com

The Many Powerful Ways of Using Coconut Oil For Men, Women & Children

It took me so many years to understand the secret of the beauty and long shiny hair possessed by the majority of the people living/residing in countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, India, Brazil and among others. After concerted effort in information gathering and worthwhile research, it obviously appeared to me that the power behind their beauty lies in the daily usage of coconut oil as part of their diets and also for body care.

The power of feminine gender lies in their beauty. This is the main reason females go extra length to dedicate their precious time and money to the enhancement and maintenance of their beauty. The use of questionable and substandard synthetic cosmetic products has become a trend globally. Most females use these products ignorantly. They are oblivious of the dangers involved with the use of these dangerous artificial cosmetic products. Conversely, coconut oil is the best natural beautifying agent without any negative effects on health.

Coconut oil has a wonderful effect on the human hair and skin. It could be rubbed into the scalp daily to stimulate healthy growth of hair and gives hair a shiny quality. It also ensures that scalp is free from dandruff, lice, and lice eggs. In addition, it serves as antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agent. It is also helpful for the treatment of various skin problems including dermatitis, eczema, and other skin infections.

Among so many numerous benefits of coconut oil to the body systems, just to mention few, these are: it helps to aid digestion and boost metabolism, it is an immediate source of energy which could serve as energy booster for athletes, it’s a good source of vitamin A, D, and K.

It is my pleasure also to let you know that coconut oil could be used in weight management. It helps to burn excessive fat and turn fatty acids into ketones, which can reduce seizures among Children with Special Needs e.g. Children with cerebral palsy.

Coconut oil also improves antioxidant levels and can also delay aging. Its anti-inflammatory properties can help to loosen arthritis. It is also highly effective on bruises because it speeds up the healing process of damaged tissues. In addition, it can also reduce the itch of mosquito bite and is also a natural diaper cream.

Coconut oil is a natural shave cream and after shave lotion. It is also an excellent makeup cleanser.

At this end, it will be disastrous to provide the information on numerous benefits of coconut oil without letting you know that; not all the coconut oils in the market are edible and usable. Some coconut oil are made from deteriorated coconuts because they possess more oils than adequately mature coconuts while some products have been diluted and adulterated. Also, some are not produced in a hygienic environment. All these reduce its potential benefits. Therefore, my advice to you is to search for pure coconut oil from a reliable source.

Go Natural! Go Healthy! Live Long !! God bless you.

If you are in need of unadulterated virgin coconut oil,

Please, get in touch with the contacts below,

  • Cell phone: 08059059653
  • WhatsApp: 07035431332
  • e-mail: distinctkae@gmail.com