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.

Food & Body

Foods That Help To Clear Acne, Pimples, Blackheads

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 15 July, 2016
No Comments on Foods That Help To Clear Acne, Pimples, Blackheads

In one of our previous articles, we talked about food that could contribute to development of acne and pimples. We mentioned that different foods could lead to pimples for different people. With that said, did you know that there are foods that can help you fight and get rid of pimples too? If you didn’t know, let me tell you there are foods that do help.

Acne is a very common skin disease characterized by pimples on the face, check and back. We cannot overstate the importance of healthy diet. It may interest you that good and healthy diet is also the key to acne-free skin.

Some Foods That Will Help Clear Acne, Pimples, Blackheads

Okay, here are some foods (and supplements) that can help you to get rid of pimples on your face;

Stay Hydrated — Drink a lot Water

This might appear like, who doesn’t know that? Yes, but did you know it could help in getting rid of your acne? Water is regarded as the foundation of healthy and clear skin, so aim for 8 glasses of water every day.

Water will keep your skin hydrated and will help in flushing out acne-causing chemicals.

Drink Green Tea To Clear Acne

Catechins is a type of natural phenol and antioxidant. These substances help get rid of free radicals and also act as anti-inflammatory. Green tea is a great source of these anti-oxidants.

Drinking a cup of green tea every day will go a long way in clearing your face of acne. It will help with the redness, puffiness, and soreness of acne.

Foods Rich In Selenium

In one of our previously published article, we mentioned how selenium really helps in improving sex drive. We also mentioned foods that contain them. Well, that’s not the only thing it does — Selenium can also help clear out acne.

Whole grains like rice, corn and foods with whole grains, like cereals, breads, and pastas, are good sources of selenium. As well as helping to clear acne, Selenium also helps prevent it.

Fish, Walnut, Flaxseed Help With Acne

In short, we are talking about foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Eating more omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and the like, can help suppress the development inflammation and improve acne breakouts.

Food Supplements

Sticking to a diet plan is usually difficult for many people. That is why food supplements come in for people who cannot stick to the plan and desire faster results compared to when using diet.

There are supplements made from fruits, foods and herbs that can help get rid of acne. If you however, already have pimples on your face and will like to get rid of those fast, using some external skin care products is very important. A lot of people, all over the world have made use of these supplements with great success.

If you are interested in getting these supplements, you can easily send an email to foodsng2015@gmail.com and you will be pointed to the right direction. You can also call this number 08183430780 but you will get a better and detailed response via email.

It is important to note that you cannot use supplements and eat whatever you like. It doesn’t work that way. You need to observe and identify the foods that cause acne on your face and eliminate them.

ALSO SEE: Does Chocolate Cause Acne (Pimples Breakout)?

Tags Fish, Food Supplements, Green Tea, Omega-3, Selenium, Water

Supplements

5 Common Foods and Fruits To Supercharge Your Sex Drive

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 13 July, 2016
No Comments on 5 Common Foods and Fruits To Supercharge Your Sex Drive

Like it or not, you need to something about your sex drive if you are not feeling the urge at least once in every two days. Someone has even said that you need to have more drive to have sex than to go to sleep everyday. I don’t know about that, everyone with his own different body.

Often, when you need to improve libido (sex drive), we do know but sometimes, some don’t even know that their sex drive is not enough. If you recognize this issue with yourself, you are very lucky as this kind of thing breaks relationships. This is especially true if you have a partner whose libido is much more higher than yours.

When people discover that they have libido problem, they are usually shy to talk about it. Some are afraid they can become object of ridicule. Some people don’t even know that there is a solution. In fact, doing a little adjustment in the foods you eat can help improve your sex drive.

5 Foods That Boost Your Libido By Simply Consuming Them

Here are 5 foods you can get around to rev up your sex life. Some supplements will also be mentioned at end so that you can have more choices.

Watermelon hasViagra-like effects

I am wondering how many times I’ve mentioned watermelon in articles myself too. Yes, this wonderful fruit is majorly water (about 92 percent), but if you really want a sweet libido-booster, get a slice of watermelon every day.

Researchers at the Texas A&M Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center reported finding in 2008 that watermelon has ingredients that delivered Viagra-like effects to the human body’s blood vessels and could even aid in increasing libido.

Ginseng significantly increased libido in a month

Ginseng is now being sold in grocery stores around. Even if you can’t find it in its original form, they are available in form of supplements and now even added to tea and some other drinks.

A group of researchers at the University of Hawaii found that women who took a ginseng supplement significantly upped their libido in a month, and 68 percent also said their overall sex life improved dramatically.

Lettuce Contains Opiate that helps to activate sex hormones

Apart from the abundance of minerals in this vegetable called Lettuce, it also contains an opiate that helps to activate sex hormones. So, why not make it a habit to add this vegetables to your salad and sometimes slice it fresh on foods such as rice, pasta and beans.

Pepper helps stimulate endorphins

In my last article I talked about how pepper could help us have a long life. Now, let me tell you that hot peppers increase metabolism and stimulate endorphins, makes you sweat, plumping your lips, and speeding up your heart rate. That gets the blood flowing to all the essential areas that end up in better sex.

Bananas are top sources of potassium

In the past, we have mentioned the side effects of consuming too much sodium. We also list some foods that have high hidden amount of sodium. Aside from the side effects we listed there, foods high in Sodium (generally salty foods) diminish blood flood to the genitals, which can make it more difficult to reach orgasm.

Bananas are one of the top sources of potassium, which helps to counteract the effects of foods high in sodium. Eat more of Banana. They are not even expensive.

Food Supplements

If you are someone that finds it difficult to add all these to your diet for a number of reasons, you have the option of supplements. For example, it may not be easy to keep fruits for a long time and you cannot go to the market or grocery stores every day to get fruits.

People with low libido have seen great improvements and results from just using these supplements as recommended daily. These are not drugs but food supplements. They are made from foods, fruits and herbs and they even produce faster results that foods.

ALSO SEE: List Of Foods That Help Remedy Low Sperm Count

Tags Banana, Food Supplements, Ginseng, Lettuce, Libido, Pepper, Watermelon

Food & Health

Spicy Food May Help You Live Longer — Research

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 12 July, 2016
No Comments on Spicy Food May Help You Live Longer — Research

I saw the meme below about the popularity of pepper and consequently spicy food amongst the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. Someone even tweeted about it and got a lot of retweets. This is a tribe of people that will put pepper in any food to make it spicy. They even have a saying about people that eat really spicy food and here it goes.

They say, “emi yepere ni emi ti ko je ata.” This loosely translates as, “the life which does not eat pepper is a fragile one”. Well, they appear to be right, if anything about this research I read about is anything to go by. It now looks that a life that eats pepper if a strong and durable one.

Research Shows People Who Eat Spicy Foods Have Long Life

If you eat spicy foods, you will be happy to see this.

Lu Qi, an associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health had previously said that “there is accumulating evidence from mostly experimental research to show the benefit of spices or their active components on human health”.

After this, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences conducted a study in order to collect data from 2004 to 2008 as part of the China Kadoorie Biobank. The researchers used self-reported questionnaires and what they found out is amazing.

The researchers analyzed the spicy food consumption of nearly half a million people age 30 to 70 across 10 regions in China, excluding those with cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Finally, the reviewed the records of 20,224 people who died over a seven-year followup period and found that those who ate spicy foods six or seven times a week had a 14% lower risk of premature death for all causes than people who ate spicy foods less than once a week.

It was also found among the study subjects that people who frequently consumed spicy food showed a lower risk of death from cancer or ischemic heart and respiratory system diseases.

Thinking of grabbing the next available spicy food? Wait, there is a word of caution. Certain foods, of which spicy foods are part, are triggers for people with incontinence or overactive bladders. Doctors have identified as common irritants for women. We also have to think about the whole food and not just the spicy component of it.

Bio-psychologist John E. Hayes said on CNN, “You have to consider that when we talk about spicy food, we can mean vastly different things, with different health implications,” Hayes said. “That spicy food could be low-energy-density vegetables, like kimchee. Or it could be a high-energy-density food like barbecue spare ribs.”

In conclusion, even though this research has shown that spicy foods may help people live longer, an association between death and spicy foods has not been established. This is just an indication that there just, just might be a connection between the two.

Tags Chili Pepper, Pepper, Spicy Foods

General

Some Interesting & Creative Cake Ideas You’d Like To Share

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 12 June, 2016
No Comments on Some Interesting & Creative Cake Ideas You’d Like To Share

Below are some very nice and creative cakes that I believe only creative minds can come up with. Forget about the idea conceptualization and let’s talk about the execution of these ideas; these are wonderfully made cakes. I have shown it to some people that make cakes, and even though they said they could make those cakes too, they still said “Wow”.

It’s not like I did extensive research before I came up with these photos, so I know there would be some more awesome cakes out there. I only stumbled upon these cake photos and I was like, “wow, nice and creative”. So, I decided to share it with you guys to know what you think.

Cake 1: Ajase Cooking Pot

Anyone that has been involved in one party or the other would know what this “Abase Pot” is. They are commonly used to cook food meant to be served in parties. This cake could be for someone who does that kind of catering on their birthday or to celebrate the anniversary of a catering business.

What do you think?

Cake 2: Video Game With Pepsi Can

This is one creative cake idea that I really like. Yes, maybe because I was once a game addict and could relate with the arrangement of the items there. You play your game, have your phone beside you and take chilled drinks. Sometimes you move abruptly and knock the can drink over, spilling some of it.

This is a very good cake present for someone who loves to play video games.

Cake 3: Sleeping Baby Covered With Cloth

I have thought about this a lot and couldn’t come up with anything. Whom do you think makes this kind of cake? And for what occasion? I thought about it and I feel it might be a cake made to welcome a new baby into a family.

In fact that is the only thing I thought made sense. You think there is another one? Share it.

Cake 4: Very Creative Cake Depicting A Sewing Machine

This would be a perfect cake for a fashion designer on their birthday. One could also make this creative cake to celebrate the completion of a fashion design training.

A Sewing Machine Cake — Photo: art-spire.com

More interesting stuffs on the machine cake are the threads and needles depicted on it. I also like this one a lot. What about you?

Cake 5: Nikon Camera Creative Cake

I think that is a red velvet cake made in the form of a Nikon Camera. This is a fine cake for a photographer on their birthday.

If you have any other creative cake Idea to share with us, you can use our contact form to send to us. We will definitely add them to this list.

Which of the cakes listed here do you like most? Share in the comment section!

Tags Cakes

Food & Body

Foods That Help You Build Body Muscles

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 12 June, 2016
No Comments on Foods That Help You Build Body Muscles

If you have placed yourself on weight training and various form of exercises in order to build muscle, be informed that there are a number of foods that can propel you towards your goal. These foods have been known to help muscle builders achieve their target. These muscle-building foods can help you add mass as you desire.

This article will be listing some foods (generally protein-rich) that help you build muscle. The general rule is to get about 200g of protein a day. A lot of people have claimed that you need whey protein supplements in order to just sell products but I can tell you that you don’t need whey protein supplements. All you need to do is just eat a whole source of protein with each meal every day up to a mass of 200g and you are doing it right.

The List of Muscle-Building Foods You Can Add To Meals

In order to build and maintain muscle, the body requires nine essential amino acids. They are the building blocks of proteins and they help the recovery and repair of muscle fibers after workouts sessions. Also, they allow the creation of more muscle cells.

Egg Help Build Muscles:

In the past, egg has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases because of the Cholesterol content. As of today more and more research has revealed that dietary cholesterol and heart diseases are not connected for many people.

The cholesterol found in eggs yolks serves at the scaffolding for steroid hormones. It has also been shown that ½ a gram of leucine found in each egg is like can act as a fuel for your muscle-building fire.

Build Muscle Mass With Nuts

It has been found that eating nuts (and other protein sources) immediately after your workout or exercises enables muscle growth. When you consume them with exercises that task your muscles, e.g. weightlifting or pushups, you muscle-building goals can be achieved faster.

However, it should be noted that consuming extra protein will not lead to increased gains. You should only consume that which is required daily. Also, you should note that nuts are not complete proteins because they lack some essential amino acids. Research have shown that consuming them with legumes at the same time or on the same day makes them complete.

Care should be taken when eating nuts because they are majorly fat. Consuming them in excess to help build muscle can lead to weight gain.

Lean Beef, Yes Beef Helps In Muscle Building

I believe everyone should know that lean beef is high up there on the list of foods that help build body muscles. Lean beef contains a combination of protein with essential amino acids, B-vitamins, and creatine that work together to help muscle-building.

Rick Hall, a registered dietitian and nutrition lecturer at Arizona State University (Tempe) said, ”Protein is the most obvious nutrient in beef that can benefit anyone who is training.”

He further explained that beef doesn’t contain just any run-of-the-mill protein. It boasts an impressive collection of the nine essential amino acids and has a high biological value, which means it’s very digestible and usable by the body. In fact, studies show that foods with a high biological value are what you should hunt for to repair those muscles post-workout.

Brown Rice For Building Muscles

This is especially a very good option for vegetarians trying to build muscle. Since they would normally want to avoid foods from animal sources, cooked brown rice can serve as part of their protein source for mass building.

Since cooked brown rice contains about five grams of protein per cup and a relatively high amount of branched-chain amino acids, it automatically becomes a good vegetarian muscle-building food option.

Cooked brown rice has five grams of protein per cup. It also has a relatively high amount of branched-chain amino acids, making it a good vegetarian muscle-building food.

Beans and Peas Provide Some Protein

Plant proteins generally don’t contain complete essential amino acids. They are therefore best eaten with whole-wheat grains for the right amino acids profile for the body.

Even though they are not a complete protein, beans have a good amount of amino acids and have the benefit of being low in fat, full of fibre and relatively cheap.

There are numerous other food types like Salmon, Kefir, Scallops, Bison, Lentils and more like that. I only talked about these few because they are the muscle-building foods that you can get easily in this part of the world.

Now that you that foods can help help you build muscle as you exercise. You should find ways to include them in your diet to achieve your muscle-building goals faster.

Tags Beans, Body Building, Brown Rice, Eggs, Muscles, Nuts, Peas

Food Preservation

Keeping Bread In Refrigerator Makes It Stale Faster

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 8 June, 2016
No Comments on Keeping Bread In Refrigerator Makes It Stale Faster

Why do you keep bread in the refrigerator? To preserve it? Well, this may come as a shock to a lot of people because I have seen many keep their breads in the refrigerator.

I know people that will keep anything that is left over in the refrigerator, including bread. They just microwave the bread whenever they want to eat it again. Some would even microwave the bread with the nylon wrap, not knowing this may pose some danger to their health. Of course, this can help the bread get back to near its initial form but microwaving food in that nylon may not be too safe; well, unless clearly marked “safe for microwaving”.

What Causes Bread Staling?

Bread actually starts becoming stale almost immediately it comes out of the baking oven. To fully understand how bread become stale, one has to describe what happens during bread baking.

During baking of bread, the starch molecules in the raw bread dough begin to for a gel-like structure (gelatinization), they absorb moisture, swell, and then become semi-firm. Immediately the bread is removed from the oven, the process starts to reverse itself, a process know as retrogradation. The starch molecules begin to “dry out” or crystallize and harden again.

So How Is Refrigeration Implicated In Staling of Bread?

You may be wondering, why do fruits, vegetables and many other foods keep longer and breads become stale easily in the fridge. Well, the answer is not far fetched, that would be the last statement in this article.

There are so many research and finding about staling of bread. Although some don’t quite understand or clearly explain the real process, one thing is sure. The one thing that is sure is that the cause of the staleness is the same — water molecules detach themselves from the starch molecules and the starch molecules begin to take their original shape before oven baking and harden again.

Findings have shown that refrigeration accelerates staling of bread. Interestingly, the rate at which bread becomes stale could be made six (6) times faster by keeping it in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a microwave oven, don’t keep your bread in the fridge and for those that want to use microwave, note that bread can get to a point microwave won’t be able to help.

Finally, to the answer posed about why fruits, vegetables and many other foods keep longer in the fridge. The answer to this is that, unlike bread, fruits and vegetables need their moisture removed to keep longer while this makes bread stale.

ALSO SEE: 4 Foods You Should Not Keep In The Freezer

General

The Cause of Risen Cost of Tomato In Nigeria (Tomato Ebola)

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 26 May, 2016
No Comments on The Cause of Risen Cost of Tomato In Nigeria (Tomato Ebola)

If I say the cost of tomato has risen in Nigeria, I would be lying because that is not even close to what happened. The price of tomatoes all over markets in every part of Nigeria has skyrocketed and keeps increasing at what looks like an exponential rate. Even if you don’t cook, you would have felt the effect of the rising cost of tomatoes when you buy any food they use tomato to cook.

A small basket of tomatoes that used to cost around N500 about three months ago now goes for like N12,000 in the market. A lot of people have lamented this problem but trust Nigerians, the happy people that we are, a lot of Nigerians are already making humour out of this.

What Is The Cost Of Increased Tomato Price In Nigeria?

For a lot of Nigerians, the Government is really making life hard in Nigeria. A lot of people I spoke to believed that the high cost of tomatoes was a resultant effect of the increase in pump price of petrol (PMS). Only a “handful” cared to investigate what the real problem was. The cost of tomatoes in Nigeria today has nothing to do with the removal of subsidy, deregulation of the downstream sector, fuel price increase or whatever you call it.

What Is the Cause of The Problem?

A moth called the Tomato Leaf Miner, or Tuta Absoluta, has ravaged 80% of tomato farms, Commissioner of Agriculture, Kaduna State, Daniel Manzo Maigar said. He said 200 farmers together lost at least 1billion Naira (about $5.1m; £3.5m) over the past month.

The seriousness of this condition has made Nigerians to liken it to the Ebola Virus outbreak. They now call it Tomato Ebola. The causative agent of this condition is Tuta absoluta.

Tuta absoluta is a devastating pest of Tomato which originated from South America. Recently Tuta absoluta considered to be a serious threat to tomato production in Mediterranean region. The pest is now finding the shores of the Mediterranean a perfect new home where it can breed between 10-12 generations a year. Each female can lay 250-300 eggs in her life time.

The Damage Caused by Tuta absoluta on Tomatoes

The larvae of Tuta absoluta mine the leaves producing large galleries and burrow into the fruit, causing a substantial loss of tomato production in protected and open filed cultivations.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has said that his office had commissioned experts to look at the issue as “ordinary pesticides cannot tackle the disease because the tomato moth multiplies so fast.”

With this development and increase in the cost of tomatoes, a lot of Nigerians are now switching to the use of imported packaged tomato paste and purees in sachets and tins. Nigerians should however be cautious when choosing the tomato paste they want to buy. NAFDAC, recently told us in this report that “Imported Tomato Paste brands in retail packs (tins or sachets) from a particular country and sold everywhere in Nigeria falls far below National Food Safety Standards.

Tags Tomato

Food Safety

Tomato Paste Sold In Nigeria Far Below Food Safety Standards – NAFDAC

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 25 May, 2016
No Comments on Tomato Paste Sold In Nigeria Far Below Food Safety Standards – NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disclosed that tomato paste imported and sold everywhere in Nigeria falls far below National Food Safety Standards. This was contained in a news article published by Sahara Reporters.

The news outlet reported that this information was contained in a 2015 internal memo given to them by Nigeria’s Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Imported Tomato Paste Sold In Nigeria Far Below Food Safety Standards

This is not even about an article we wrote on the unhealthy side of Tomato paste and purees as they are produced and sold. This is even worse at it has standards as the bone of contention. When it comes to this topic, everyone has to be very careful.

If you recall, this is not the first time we have seen safety and standard issues when it comes to foods widely consumed in Nigeria. In 2015, we got a warning from NAFDAC about the dangers associated with consumption of imported frozen chicken and turkey. Also, a 2012 study found that certain chocolates and candies imported in Nigeria contained dangerously high levels of metals.

In this new development, FSAN conducted a study in which 314 packets of tomato paste purchased in Lagos. The tomato paste samples were subjected to analysis in a laboratory to determine whether they had a tomato content of at least 28 percent. This 28% is the minimum requirement specified by the Codex Alimentarius Standards and Nigerian Industrial Standards.

The results of the study revealed that 91.1 percent of the samples examined, had tomato contents that are below the standard 28 percent recommended as minimum.

The findings of the study, indicate that tomato paste product companies are conspiring with Chinese tomato paste manufacturers to distribute substandard products to unsuspecting Nigerian consumers. It also recommends that retailers refrain from selling tomato paste imported from China until further notice.

The agency also recommends issuing a nationwide recall of all tomato paste brands imported from China, saying “Imported Tomato Paste brands in retail packs (tins or sachets) from China (High Risk Countries) should be suspended until further notice.”

In the light of these findings, we at FoodsNG are also advising consumers of tomato paste (be it in sachet or can) to check the pack of any tomato paste they want to buy. You may want to check if it was manufactured in China. If that is the case, you may want to refrain from purchasing it.

Tags Tomato, Tomato Puree

Food & Health

Food And Snoring: Foods You Eat, That Make You Snore!

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 19 May, 2016
No Comments on Food And Snoring: Foods You Eat, That Make You Snore!

Can food contribute to snoring? Yes, there are some categories of food that contribute to snoring while you sleep. This is not to say only foods contribute to snoring; there are many factors which make people snore when they sleep. Some people even start snoring less than a minute into their sleep and you cannot but wonder why this is so.

It is very important to note that snoring could also be an indicator of how healthy your lifestyle is. For example, obesity and smoking have been shown to directly contribute to the problem of snoring. It is an established fact that smoking is not healthy, so is obesity.

Foods That Make One Fat Can Lead To Obesity & Snoring

We all know what contribute to obesity. Usually accumulation of excessive fat in your body tissues — at least if they are stored under the skin (more information here). In the past, we have talked about some foods that could contribute to getting fat.

This is one very obvious factor because as you might have noticed before, people that are overweight or obese usually tend to snore when they sleep.

ALSO SEE: How To Check If You Have Normal Weigh, Underweight or Obese

Like I have said before, don’t just read this and start saying it’s food that causes snoring. Sometimes, people that are neither overweight nor obese snore too. I’ve been accused of snoring too, especially on days I retired into bed very tired.

As we have always said in many of our articles, each individual is UNIQUE. What works for me, might not work for you and what causes my own snoring might not be what causes it for you. Articles like this are to point you in the directions to look.

Milk, Other Dairy Products Can Make You Snore!

I have always heard that drinking a warm glass of Milk before sleeping helps you get a sound sleep. However, the glass of milk may not make you sleep soundlessly.

In this article published some months ago, we discussed some foods that generate mucous and contribute to blocked nose. Milk has a lot of way in which it benefits the body but it comes with it’s own problems.

Milk makes your mucous thicker in the throat and by extension nose. The thicker mucus often results from consuming dairy restricts air passages, thereby intensifying your snoring problem.

Fatty Foods Eaten Late At Night

Consumption of fatty meals late into the night can make you snore when you sleep. Apart from the fact that these kind of foods will make you fat in the long term. For this reason including to stop snoring, it is important to avoid eating large meals close to bedtime.

We know some people’s way of life (especially work), dictates how, what and when they eat. If you come home late and have to eat before you go to bed, avoid these fatty foods. You can see this list of healthy food option you can eat at night before bed.

Certain fatty foods cause inflammation of the digestive linings and air passages that will contribute to snoring. This is very true for food that contain high fat content.

Conclusion of Foods That Contribute To Snoring

In animal studies published on UMM.edu , high-fat foods increase inflammation in the stomach lining. So, if you want to see if any of these factors (dairy products, fatty foods, etc.) are causing your snoring, here is what you can do to determine the cause.

You can remove each suspected contributing factor one after the other and see what happens when you remove each one from your meals.

Healthy lifestyle like avoiding smoking and exercising regularly can also help you overcome this condition. Exercise will help you lose a lot of weight too.

Soon, we will be publishing an article on food that can help you overcome snoring.

Tags Dairy Products, Fats, Milk, Sleep, Snoring

Food & Health

Are There Any Health Benefits To Eating Bone Marrow?

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 15 May, 2016
No Comments on Are There Any Health Benefits To Eating Bone Marrow?

Bone marrow is the soft mushy stuff we find inside bones when we break them open. It is something some people in many parts of the world would not leave untouched after eating the meat attached to the bone.

In this part of the world, many would use their pre-molars and molars to crack open bones to get access to the bone marrow. Many people suck out bone marrow not because they think it has health benefits but just to get the taste of it.

While it is easier to crack the bones of poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.), it could be quite herculean to do the same for bones of animals like cow, sheep and goats. As hard as the bones of such animals can be, some people would stop at nothing to the marrow. However, the question poses itself, is it really worth the trouble?

ALSO SEE: Every Animal Meat Is Not Beef! See All Their Names

So, Are There Any Health Benefits To Eating Bone Marrow?

We asked in the last paragraph — is the trouble of cracking bones to eat the bone marrow really worth the trouble? Well, I think I would say yes. But cracking with your teeth? I wouldn’t be so sure. Below are the benefits you derive from eating bone marrow;

Bone Marrow Helps Build Immunity Against Diseases

For me, one of the most important benefits of eating bone marrow. Immunity to diseases is really a great blessing and something we strive to achieve every day. Bone marrow contains myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. The foundations for red and white blood cells, these cells build immunity and help provide oxygen to cells.

Blood Clotting & Healing of Wounds

Bone marrow assists in blood clotting. It contains Collagen, the protein-rich substance which when subjected to heat, cooks down to gelatin. This can also help repair the body.

ALSO SEE: Foods that help heal wounds fast!

Cindy Micleu, instructor at the Jade Institute complementary healing center says, Collagen deficiency can lead to poor wound healing, easy bruising and bleeding gums. Collagen in bone marrow can help the body rebuild itself.

Using Bone Marrow For Fighting Cancer

Dr. Astrid Brohult, a Swedish oncologist conducted extensive research on the administration of calves’ marrow to children with leukemia. In the initial stage of her test, she was hoping it would replenish white blood cells destroyed by radiation therapy.

Some of the children administered the bone marrow improved immediately with many experiencing increased energy and white blood cell normalization. After her extensive research, Dr. Astrid Brohult eventually isolated a group of compounds that are known as alkylglycerols (AKGs) in the calves’ marrow. She discovered they were the reason for the important process of normalizing white blood cell production.

Bone marrow contains conjugated linoleic acid which is known as a potent cancer inhibitor.

A Good Source of Essential Fatty Acid

Bone marrow is a good source of essential fatty acids. Thinking that bone marrow contains a high percentage of fat — about 96 percent. One would normally ask about the composition of the fat. What kind of fats are contained in the marrow? Ones with healthy fatty acids?

Bone marrow contains less amount of polyunsaturated fat. Bone marrow is a great source of omega-3 fatty acid which is essential for the proper functioning of the brain. Bone marrow is also a good source of glycine. Glycine is an amino used to make and repair other proteins in the body.

With all these said, one could conclude that cracking bones open and eating the bone marrow isn’t a bad idea after all.

Tags Bone Marrow, Cancer, Chicken, Fatty Acids, Meat, Omega-3, Turkey

General

Top 3 Weirdest Foods/Things I Have Ever Eaten

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 30 April, 2016
No Comments on Top 3 Weirdest Foods/Things I Have Ever Eaten

bread and toothpaste as butter — Photo: ieatfoodblog.wordpress.com

As a young boy, I was always careless about what kinds of foods I funnel into my tummy. I really could not determine why this was so because my brothers were completely different from me. They were more like proper and calm children. I was a bit weird. However, I do not regret some of my actions as they bring laughable memories to mind.

One of such memories of my escapades is how I ate foods that were tagged weird by many observers……for me…I was just enjoying myself. Lets checkout the top three of the food combination that made my weirdest list.

Yam Flour:

Garri has always been one of my favourite foods even till this very moment. In the early 90s, my mum had a padlock to the cupboard where Garri was kept but no padlock to the cupboard of yam flour (popularly called Elubo Isu among Yorubas). In the evening when I had nothing to eat, I took some portion of the flour, added some water and drank it all. I later fell ill not too long from that time and my mum discovered what I took. Thanks to some portions of palm oil that was given to me. I almost vomited my heart out.

Garri and Palm oil:

I bet, very few Lagos born children can eat this now. They will probably describe it as “Abasha”. However, a mixture of some portion of Palm oil and Garri which was usually called “Epo Obo” was quite nice to eat. Although, many other young children like me wonder why I love to eat this weird food combo.

Bread and Tooth paste:

I remember the first time I had the rare opportunity to brush my teeth by myself, I was quick to take more than usual portion of Maclean tooth paste because I love licking it. On days we have Agege bread on our food menu, I stylishly and secretly find my way to the bath room to pick the paste and use as spread over my bread. Yummy isnt it? Always laughing when I remember these actions of mine

Anyways, these are my top three weirdest food combination, if you think you have got other food combination as weird or more weird than mine, I put you to a challenge to share them. Waiting to get your responses. LoL

Food & Health

New Food Labels Showing How Much You Need To Exercise To Burn Calories

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 13 April, 2016
No Comments on New Food Labels Showing How Much You Need To Exercise To Burn Calories

What do you think about a label on food which tell you how much you have to work out to burn the calories you consume from that food? The content of calories in foods have been something printed on labels but it appears many don’t understand it or simply ignore it.

What if — instead of showing the calories — food labels show you how many hours you have to work out to burn the calories. If you saw that you need to work for one and half hour to burn the calories you are about to consume, I bet you wouldn’t.

Since calorie counts on food packaging haven’t stopped us from getting fatter, scientists are proposing exercise labels on food packages like chocolate, soda and chips.

What Do Food Labels Do Now?

At the moment food labels aim to help us decide what to eat by showing us the composition but some people believe they could do a lot more. One of those people is Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health.

Labels Showing How Much You Need To Exercise To Burn Calories

He said, “People find symbols much easier to understand than numerical information, and activity equivalent calorie labels are easy to understand, particularly for lower socioeconomic groups who often lack nutritional knowledge and health literacy,” Cramer wrote in a commentary in the British Medical Journal published Wednesday.

“For example, the calories in a can of fizzy drink take a person of average age and weight about 26 minutes to walk off.”

The idea is to have a picture that shows this. “So for example if it was a can of soda, you would have a pictorial of a stick man running and it would say 26 minutes, or you would have walking 40 minutes or you would have swimming,” Cramer told NBC News.

Even though this seems promising, some people don’t buy the idea because they believe people will ignore it anyway.

What do you think about this?

Tags Calories, Exercise, Labelling, Soda Drinks

Food & Body

Foods That Cause Underarm (Armpit) Sweating

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 29 February, 2016
No Comments on Foods That Cause Underarm (Armpit) Sweating

There are foods that cause or aggravate underarm or armpit sweating. I grew up not having any issues like this and I was even so used to warm environments. While my siblings and every other person would complain of heat and sweat profusely, I would be comfortable with any sweats. This, however, changed about a year ago and it was very strange.

This was strange — not because I started sweating — but because I started producing only underarm sweats. Even while drive or work in the office with the air conditioners on, I still sweat in the armpit and sometimes, the whole underarm part.

This was not only troubling for me but also embarrassing. Sometimes, I already had the sweat marks on my shirt even before getting to the office. It made me very uncomfortable and to avoid some situations like giving presentations where it required raising my arms.

Finding Solutions To Underarm Sweating

Immediately this I noticed this issue, I went to the supermarket to buy an antiperspirant. I would not like to start mentioning brand names but I moved from one antiperspirant to the other with no results. At a point, I stopped and started using dusting powder — there was still no result.

I thought for it long and I thought food might contribute to underarm sweating. I needed facts, so I went online to do some searching. I saw a lot of information on foods that cause sweating in the armpit and listed them. I experimented with these foods by systematically substituting them from my diet and I finally came up with a list.

The list contains the foods that cause underarm sweating for me when I eat them consistently.

Caffeine In Coffee and Tea:

This is the number one food for me. I figured that I started taking coffee a lot around that time because I needed to work extra to meet some targets I set for myself.

I would drink coffee in the morning, afternoon and night, preparing it with cold, warm and hot water at will. At times I even chewed the 3-in-1 sachet coffees raw from the sachets.

After reducing coffee in my diet, the underarm sweating reduced. It only came when I worked myself a little extra. This was unlike before that it came even while inside the air-conditioned area.

I did research on this and found that Coffee has been reported to cause sweating in general. The caffeine in coffee, tea, some sodas, and chocolate powerfully activates the sympathetic nervous system to cause sweating.

Chili Pepper:

A large population of Nigeria likes to eat pepper like this. Many even find foods that do not contain pepper like this as nauseating and tend to avoid them. Some even have a saying that only weak minds don’t eat pepper like this.

I read that Chili Pepper contributes to underarm sweating and I reduced it a lot in foods I cooked myself. I saw some change in the sweating too while I increased coffee and reduced Chili. At that point, it became a habit to read the labels of foods and sometimes ask attendants in eateries and restaurants of they use chill pepper.

Chili peppers may overstimulate your sweat glands, so, reduce how much of it you take.

How Alcohol Causes Sweating In The Underarm

Alcoholic drinks cause sweating all over the body, but for some, it is more in the armpit. The liver does the breakdown of any alcohol in the drinks we take. However, the liver can only break down a limited amount of alcohol in an hour – approximately one 12-ounce serving of beer or about 5 ounces of wine.

Many people don’t know this and drink any volume they feel like. When one consumes alcohol at a faster rate than that stated above, accumulation of the substance takes place in the blood. This leads to side effects, one of which is sweating.

Other foods that have been reported to cause sweating include hot soups, bell peppers, garlic, and onion. You need to observe what you eat and see what foods cause it for you.

ALSO SEE: Why Women Are Attracted To Men Who Eat Garlic?

Tags Caffeine, Chili Pepper, Coffee, Garlic, Onion, Tea

Knowledgebase

Meaning of The “Secret” Colour Codes On Toothpaste Tubes

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 29 February, 2016
No Comments on Meaning of The “Secret” Colour Codes On Toothpaste Tubes

The square color codes at the end of toothpaste tubes and their meaning are something that has circulated on the internet for some time now. People make these into pictures (see below) and share on the internet with the aim of enlightening people. I have seen this on Facebook, Instagram and people’s display pictures on BBM and WhatsApp.

Below are the color codes they claim to be available on toothpaste and what they say they mean. They talk about the composition of the toothpaste. The color marks come in square and rectangular shapes.

What The Colour Marks At The End of Toothpaste Means According to Them

They try to tell people that the colours at the bottom of the toothpaste tube shows the composition of the toothpaste itself. Below is one message I got as broadcast on WhatsApp. The person also used the following as the display picture to press home her point.

Pay attention when buying toothpaste, at the bottom of the toothpaste tube there is a color bar. And do you only know the original meaning of the color bar! Try to choose green and blue, there are four kinds:
Green: natural;
Blue : Natural + Medicine;
Red : Natural + Chemical;
Black : pure chemical.

In fact, there are different versions of this and they sometimes contradict one another.

The intentions of those spreading this news are good because they aim to educate the “ignorant” customers about these things so that they make the right choice while buying. The problem with this, however, is that the they have got the facts really wrong.

Colour Codes On Toothpaste Tubes; What They Truly Mean

The colour marks on the toothpaste tubes are in no way indicating the composition of toothpaste. In fact, when you are saying that something is natural and something is medicine, cant you have something that is both natural and medicine?

You might be very surprised to find out what these marks are. If one thing is sure, it is the fact that these marks do not tell us anything about the composition of toothpaste.

So, what do they stand for then?

There are different colors as you might have seen. There are red, blue, red and black colors and they are nothing but eye marks. As someone who has worked in a multinational production factory — packaging development to be precise — I know that these are eye marks.

So what are Eye Marks on Toothpaste packaging tubes?

According to bestpkg, eye mark is a machine-recognizable mark, printed on web-fed packaging materials. The eye – mark is the reference point from which the machine will register other operations such as further decorations, heat sealing, or package cut-off.

In clearer terms, when products already filled in tubes or sachets are to be sealed, the eye marks are there to tell the machine the point at which the particular tube or sachet ends. The machine, depending on what it needs to do would then either seal the package and/or cut it off that point.

If you look at other products like creams, milk sachets and beverages packed in sachets, you might just see them there too.

Okay, while writing this article, I quickly looked around my room and my kitchen and I saw some items with eye marks on their packages. So, I am going to use them as examples and correlate the color of the square or box-shaped marks on them with what is being circulated.

They say that black color means that the product is a pure chemical. How wrong could this be? I have black marks on all the products I am going to show you here.

Here is a Lubriderm Cream Tube that I found in my room;

It has a colored black mark at the end.

Here is an Indomie (Noodles) sachet with a black mark like that too.

Is this Noodle purely from Chemicals?

Okay, look at my natural Ginger Drink sachet.

According to those that made those images, this ginger drink is a pure chemical.

Okay, one could argue that a cream could be made from chemicals as well as natural ingredients. The same argument could hold for the ginger drink too but what about the Noodles?

What about the products I am listing below here too?

This is a thyme sachet. Is there a way thyme could be made from chemicals?

Below is a Spaghetti sachet with the eye mark too.

I am still looking for that research that confirms this Spaghetti could be made from pure chemical compounds.

Before we believe some claims, let us do some research about it. Even if the person making the claims has backed it up with facts and evidence, let us still confirm them.

This is not purely a food article but it’s something that enters our mouth and since these marks are available on foods too, it’s only a matter of time before they start labeling foods as natural, medicine and pure chemical because of the marks.

You should also see our posts on signs and symbols on Food Packages and what they mean.

Please share it with a friend!

Tags Eye Marks, Food Packaging, Tootpaste

Weight Loss

Best Two Exercises To Lose Your Belly Fat [Video]

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 10 January, 2016
No Comments on Best Two Exercises To Lose Your Belly Fat [Video]

In the past we have talked about losing belly fats and how some foods can help fight belly fat. Also, we talked about habits and foods that make us fat in general. These types of foods also tend to add fats to our tummy. We have to avoid or minimize those types of foods.

Also, what some people have is bloated stomach. They usually get protruded belly only after eating. There are many factors that can cause that kind of protruded belly. We also included how to treat a bloated stomach in that post. You have to watch them.

Now if one already has belly fat and decides to get rid of it, it is not as simple as some would want you to believe. It gets harder if you exercise and do only the wrong exercises. You have to choose the right ones.

Best 2 Exercises For Losing Belly Fat – Video

The video below shows the best two exercises you can do to lose belly your fat.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW:

ALSO SEE: HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET FIT IN 4 WEEKS NATURALLY

I stumbled upon the video, watched it and found it would be helpful for a lot of FoodsNG readers.

Food & Health

Could Foods During Xmas Be A Cause Of High Sugar Level?

Post author By Ahmed Ogundimu
Post date 29 December, 2015
No Comments on Could Foods During Xmas Be A Cause Of High Sugar Level?

For some people who are super health conscious, foods had always been the way to follow in terms of improving their health. However, it is these same foods that had led many people to serious ill health and sometimes untimely death. In view of this, it remains very critical for all and sundry to pay utmost attention to their food consumption as it can make or mar them.

Festive seasons are usually full of events and these numerous events comes handy with different food varieties which are to be funneled into the tummies of the invitees. In fact, it is during these kind of occasions that invited guests try out some very uncommon meals that are rarely prepared at the home fronts. In many cases, women are quick to consume bottles of non alcoholic drinks while most men prefer alcoholic beverages. One of such festive seasons is CHRISTMAS which is the most celebrated particularly here in Nigeria. During this period, assorted drinks, different shades of rice and cooked chickens fly around like they come at no cost. Trust my Nigerian friends, for some of them the quantity of foods that will be consumed within the few days of XMAS period should be enough to last them for a week or two.

High blood sugar is fast becoming a serious health issue within our darling country. Young people always discard advice and recommendations provided to them even when it is absolutely given for free. Many people are on the brink of high blood sugar…yet they have no clue as they believe some of the information been propagated by Nutritionists and Dietitians do not hold waters.

According to a write up I read some years back, I was completely shocked to know that the sales made in the month of December by companies that manufacture and sell either alcoholic or non alcoholic beverage is a multiple of those sold in any of the previous months of the year, with the two to three days Christmas period raking in a substantial percentage. There is also some element of proof as I tried confirming from fruit seller who lament that there is reduce sales of fruits in the month of December as everyone seem to prefer the processed juices and drinks as against going fresh.

Food outlets, joints and other relaxations centres make the most sales during this period even as many of the foods consumed are either unhealthy or safe but when consumed in excess could trigger some blood sugar spike.

Friends, I think it is worth looking into; “How Feeding Habit During XMAS Period Could Raise One’s Blood Sugar Level”. A deep reasoning of this can form a good undergraduate or postgraduate project topic.

Please, lets us all consider how we eat and drink this Xmas period. This could just be your saving grace from developing High Blood Sugar or Diabetes.