Author: Oladipupo Abioye

Oladipupo is a Pediatric Nutritionist with Lagos State Ministry of Health. He is an adventurous foodie and loves to teach and render presentations on foods and nutritional topics at different symposia.
He loves Messi but Chelsea FC is his baby.

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Food Recipes

Simple Method For Making Peanut Butter At Home

I am really glad to share this article with you because I have made peanut butter countless times as it is used regularly at my place of work for therapeutic purposes. It will interest you to know how simple this product can be made at home using readily available kitchen equipment. Without doubt, most lovers of peanut and peanut butter are certainly not aware of the savings they can make by making their own peanut butter.

In this short post, I will be sharing with you step by step method to follow in order to arrive at your own homemade creamy peanut butter. I am certain you will enjoy it with fresh slices of bread…Hmmmm yummy. Now let’s proceed.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter

  • One bottle of peanut or groundnut
  • Salt (Optional)
  • Vegetable oil
  • Cocoa powder (Optional)
peanut butter
Photo Credit: peanutbutterlovers.com

Equipment Needed

  • A powerful blender or Food processor

Method

  • Pour the entire well peeled roasted groundnut or peanut into the blender. If your blender cannot contain it, process the peanut in 2 batches.
  • Start the blender at high speed and blend for about 1 minute. Stop and start the blender again until the groundnut had completely turned into crumbs while producing little oil. Do not use you blender continuously for more than a minute it could damage the motor.
  • Add two table spoons of vegetable oil. This is because some groundnuts do not contain enough oil to make the peanut butter creamy. So you can adjust the quantity of added vegetable oil from one table spoon to four table spoons depending on the oil production level of the groundnut.
  • Stop the blender and add a pinch of salt. This is clearly optional since most groundnuts had been well salted.
  • Continue blending at high speed while occasionally changing to low speed. Do this for about a minute or two. Watch the peanut if it had completely turned creamy or puree like.
  • Stop the blender and scoop out the peanut butter into a jar or plastic container.
  • Depending on your taste, you can decide to add a tea spoon of cocoa powder or a table spoon. This will change the colour of the peanut butter from light brown to dark brown.
  • Keep in the refrigerator to solidify slightly.
  • Your peanut butter is ready.

One thing I love about this homemade peanut butter is that you can determine the ingredients to add and their quantities which make it quite unique and healthy unlike the processed ones sold in the grocery stores that one cannot ascertain the quantities of ingredients added.

Note that you cannot get your homemade peanut butter to be as creamier as the factory made ones but they would not be bad on slices of bread. It is cost effective and you could also use the opportunity to teach your children.

ALSO SEE: Peanut allergies with associated dangers and nutritional benefits.

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Food Recipes

OnionEgg Recipe: See How To Make This Nutritious Food

Hello friends, I have been postponing to share this article for about three weeks now because I felt it was too simple a recipe until I shared the idea with another food enthusiast who actually loved it completely. She went ahead to try it and she called to say it tastes great. In fact she had introduced it to her mum who is diabetic. In her words: “Guy, how you take think am, although very simple but it is great and healthy. I love it bro”. It was then I realized that the food recipe I stumbled upon as a result of my curiosity in trying new things is worth sharing with the public.

Many of you are used to frying eggs and adding few slices of onions but in this meal, onions would the food to fry while adding egg and any other ingredient that you love to have in a meal like this.

onion eggs recipe

What Is Onion Egg or Onionegg?

Onionegg is a type of food that majorly consists of onions and egg. I guess you are saying; “what exactly is special about it? Whenever I fry my eggs, I add slices of onion”. Yes, you are absolutely correct but the method of preparation is slightly different. Before I share with you the method, I will like to briefly share the health benefits associated with this meal.

What Onions Do To Your Body

  • Onion helps to control glucose level which is quite important for diabetes patients
  • It is loaded with numerous anti-oxidants that fight off cancer causing agents.
  • It also contains significant amount of vitamin C that helps to improve the immune system
  • The bulbous plant also helps in proper digestion and prevents against stomach ulcer.

What Eggs Do To Your Body

  • It contains high amount of protein which is important for repair of tissues in our body.
  • It also contain a substantial amount of Omega 3 fatty acid which helps in proper brain function and weight management. It was included in this post that listed foods that help you get sharper memory.

In this article, I am not writing on the health benefit of onions and eggs else, I would have highlighted many benefits. You can check related posts on this blog. Let’s move on to the making of Onionegg.

How To Make Onionegg (Recipe)

Ingredients

  • A large size onion bulb or two smaller sizes.
  • One egg
  • Salt(put to taste)
  • Pepper( optional)
  • Cray fish( optional)

Method

  • Peel your onions and wash them
  • Cut them into five or six pieces and grate them or blend them till you get a pasty form. A blender is better.
  • Add your egg to the blended or grated onions and whisk properly. The blended onions have to be at least twice the quantity of added egg.
  • Add other ingredients like salt, crayfish and pepper; then whisk properly until smooth.
  • Place frying pan on cooker and add small amount of any healthy oil that you have. I used coconut oil.
  • At frying point, add your mixture and fry the way you would prefer. Onionegg is ready.

You would realize that the simple difference is the large size of onion used. The main food here is onions. This recipe is for one serving. You can give it a try particularly if you are a lover of onions like me, you will be glad you did.

ALSO SEE: 3 Tricks That I Use To Cut/Dice Onion Without Crying

Remember this is healthy and do not forget to share.

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Food & Nutrition

How Eating Crab Helps Heart, Improves Memory & More

crab meat

Someone at my office reminded me of the good old days when I had to buy two to three crabs daily with my transport fare during my primary school days. I loved to eat them with Garri soaked in chilled water. No other combination of foods interests me when the season of crabs is around. Years after I finished primary school, I suddenly realized that the public sales of this highly proteinous aquatic creature had reduced. I could hardly see road side sellers and hawkers even when it was in season. Until recently when I had a bite, I found it difficult to believe people still eat crabs especially in Lagos. Thanks to Omolara Sholaja, for sending a plate of crabs to my desk for lunch.

Do Crab Have Health Benefits? Why Should I Eat Them?

Crab meat is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It contains a low amount of calories with lots of protein, a multitude of minerals and several B vitamins. Crabs are not to be eaten in excess especially for those who are hypertensive. Some species have been found to contain more sodium. It is also important to note that some species have more cholesterol than others thereby sending a signal to those at the risk of developing heart diseases not to indulge in them.

crab meat

Crabs have been found to contain many benefits compared to other sea foods as it is loaded with B vitamins, and other water soluble vitamins. In fact, the mercury poisoning associated with many sea foods is not found in crab making it a super healthy alternative to those who love sea foods. Due to its low calorie, consuming some quantity of crabs can help reduce your blood sugar levels.

Although, there is a widespread notion, that these decapods (10 legged creature) are not good for consumption. Nutritionists and other food enthusiast however insisted that crab meat is nutritionally good as it contains plenty vitamins and high quality proteins and amino acids. It is also rich in minerals such as calcium, copper, zinc, phosphorus and iron, while having lower levels of fat and carbohydrates.

It will also interest you to know that crabs contain selenium; an effective anti oxidant that helps in combating cancer causing agents. It also has the ability to improve your immune by fighting free radicals.

Regular meats such as poultry, beef and pork which are available in our market contain a high level of saturated fat which is not heart-healthy as it could clog your arteries but crab meat remains a healthy option with low fat. It contains the good omega 3 fatty acid which helps in managing the levels of good cholesterol and bad cholesterol in our body. Some researchers have even described this fatty acid as key in improving brain function in certain individuals. Remember moderation is key.

Some Words of Caution About Crabs

If you are new to consuming crabs, try to get fresh one, preferably life ones and prepare them yourself. You should avoid contaminated crabs that could be poisonous for you. Ensure you properly wash and clean them.

Be certain you are not allergic to crabs as some individuals have shown allergy in form of skin irritation. Once you notice any allergic reaction. Please quit consuming it. Aside this, Crabs are good to include in your meals.

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Food & Nutrition

How Not Eating Iru Is Costing Your Body Nutritionally

iru

Things have really changed. Mothers have preferred other ingredients which are chemical based compared to our native condiments that have stood the test of time and provided adequate nutrition to us all. I remembered those days I and my siblings visited our grandmother at Surulere in the early 90s, her soups and stews were really delicious even though she would not add ingredients like seasonings with Monosodium glutamate and other processed condiments. One of such native ingredients that have helped her stew became a delight for everyone is Locust Bean which is commonly called Iru by the Yorubas. In the South East, their form of Iru is called Ogiri and in the North, the natives call it Dawadawa. Globally, it is referred to as African locust bean with botanical name as Parkia biglobosa.

In Nigeria, especially among the Yorubas, the beans is fermented and then converted to two different forms; Mashed (Iru Pete) and whole (Iru Woro) used in different types of soup to achieve different results.

iru

Why You Should Consider Eating Locust Beans

The African locust bean as it is commonly called by the whites has also been found to possess numerous benefits that have helped in improving the health of people for centuries. It only surprises me that this fermented condiment has been eradicated from the cooking cupboard of elites and educated for other less or no nutritious ingredients. Also, a few ill informed people are of the opinion that locust bean is added to stews for the purpose of improving taste only, little did they know that it can help in curbing many debilitating diseases as science have proven its nutritional and health properties. Let’s see how it helps you.

1. High protein:

Considering the fact that most people cannot afford to consume adequate amount of meat and fish protein, which are the primary sources of protein, it becomes essential to include other sources of cheap protein to avoid its deficiency. According to WHO, more and more children and women are becoming protein deficient in Africa, leading to stunted growth, poor development and other associated complications. It is important to note that locust beans contain high protein and can account for a reasonable percentage of your daily protein requirement if frequently used in your meals.

2. Improved Vision:

According to proximate analysis, Locust beans are estimated to contain protein (30 per cent), fat (15 per cent) crude fibre (four per cent) ash (two per cent and carbohydrates (49 per cent). The attractive yellow colour shows a reasonable presence of phytochemicals and carotenoid; an important precursor for retinol (Vitamin A) which indicates that this ingredient could help to improve vision.

3. Helps in controlling cholesterol levels:

Research has also shown that the fermented beans contain high levels of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) – the good cholesterol. The research was carried out in animals and has been found to stabilize cholesterol level within healthy limits in the human body.

Apart from the edible portion of the plant, it has also being reported that the crushed bark of the locust bean tree can help in wound healing and serves as one of the ingredients used in treating leprosy. The bark is also useful in fever treatment and to relieve toothache.

Finally, do not forget to add Locust beans to all your soups and stews not only because it tastes good and can serve as a tastier alternative to other condiments but because it is loaded with numerous health benefits. You would not regret you did.

Advice: When you add locust beans (Iru) into your meals, try to monitor the quantity of table salt you will be adding to the meals, because some amount of salt had already been added to some Iru type to preserve it.

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Food & Nutrition

Here Is What Okra Does To Pregnant Women [Must Read]

fresh okra

I have come to realize that people pay paltry attention to foods that are common or rather cheap. They prefer to buy ones that are expensive while believing they are more nutritious. So is the case of this finger like, readily available vegetable called okra. Sometimes this is a complete misconception.  This versatile vegetable can be added and prepared with other vegetables to suit your appetite. In this short post, I will be sharing with you why pregnant women should include servings of okra into their diets at recommended allowance before and during pregnancy.

The economy of our country has affected everything. Gone are those days when couples plan to get pregnant. Now, they only wake up to visit the clinic to find out from the Medical Doctor that the wife is pregnant without having a serious intention for the unborn baby.

fresh okra

It is essential that prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy, the woman ought to change her eating habits and consume certain foods that help the health of a pregnant woman. One of such foods is Okra vegetable. I have been privilege to work with children with developmental challenges. Asides from other complications which could lead to some of these developmental conditions, lack of folate or folic acid in a woman’s diet can cause Neutral Tube Defects such as Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida. These are not common birth defects but children with these conditions exist. Okra contains a reasonable amount of folate which helps in reducing the chances of a pregnant woman producing a baby with these conditions.

RECOMMENDED READING: Know more about Folic acid & Its Benefits

Besides being high in folate, Okra is low in calories and loaded with plenty vitamins such as A, thiamine, B6, C, riboflavin and minerals such as calcium, zinc and dietary fiber.  The fibre helps in preventing constipation, while the low calorie of the vegetable helps in proper weight management during pregnancy. While no one should lose weight during pregnancy, it is essential to avoid being obese. It is clearly unhealthy.

Ensure you properly wash your okra vegetable to avoid contaminants and you cook them under low heat to avoid loss of nutrients that are essential in the proper development of the foetus.

Okra Nutritional value per 100 g

Energy                             30 kcal 150 kJ

Carbohydrates               7.6 g

Dietary fiber                    3.2 g

Fat                                    0.1g

Protein                             2.0 g

Folate                              (Vit. B9) 87.8g 22%

Vitamin C                        21 mg 35%

Calcium                          75 mg 8%

Magnesium                   57 mg 15%

Vitamin A                      (660 IU)

Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.

Source: Wikipedia
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Food & Body

Here Is How Drinking Much Water Could Be Bad For You

glasses of water

Hey friends, do you feel you are brave enough to go against the most popular health belief? If yes, your body just might thank you for that decision. It is no longer news that nutrition and health professionals regularly encourage people to drink plenty water to prevent dehydration and other conditions associated with reduced water intake. Before I continue with my article on the dangers associated with drinking plenty water, please, take your time to read the disaster that struck this woman.

On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled “Hold Your Wee For A Wii”, the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating. It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 2 gallons of water during the contest. When she and other contestants complained of discomfort and showed visible signs of distress, they were laughed at by the promoters and even heckled. Eventually she died. This was reported by Wikipedia.

glasses of water

The big question is: Could too much of a good thing be bad?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS:  YES, Just like any other food items we consume, water and other fluids taken at excessive amount can lead to water intoxication which could lead to death.

I have got few questions to ask you

  • Is your urine usually clear all through the day?
  • Do you always wake up about two to three times at night when you sleep to urinate?
  • Do you urinate up to 6-8 times during the day?

If you answer yes to two or more of the questions above then you are likely drinking more water than you need.  Another condition you might be fight with is diabetes because your body might be responding to the high glucose in your blood and trying to flush them out with more water. So, you tend to drink more. You could go for a check-up.

What is water intoxication?: This is otherwise referred to hyponatremia, a condition which results when too much water is taken within a short period of time. The effect can be fatal.

What happens when you drink too much water?

The kidney is the organ that handles liquid control within our body. When a person drinks too much water the kidneys cannot flush it out as a result of the pressure placed on it within that same time frame. So, it causes the excess water to remain in the blood. Once this happens, the water dilutes the concentration of electrolytes in the blood compared to those in the cells and later a balance is triggered which leads to water entering the body cells and cause them to swell. When the brain cells begin to swell the situation can turn lethal speedily. Remember, the major parts of your kidney can be subjected to wear and tear as times go on if you continue in this habit of over stressing your kidney to perform filtration processes which is not advisable.

What quantity of water should I drink?

Personally, I feel the drink 8 glasses of water a day is not a bad rule but at present, there is no scientific backing to this claims except the perceptions of health expert. While it is not completely out of place to subscribe to this, a number of factors should determine the quantity of water you drink daily to keep you healthy.

The quantity of water you drink depends on your peculiar condition. Geographical location, diets, and exercises are very key. Take for instance, an individual who resides in a sunny area most likely will drink more water than people who live in cold places. If you consume more water loaded foods like fruits and vegetable, there is no need for you drinking much water again. In the same vein, if you do not use salt enough in your meals, the level of water you drink should reduce because you do not want to alter the sodium level of your system by dilution and vice versa. If you are the type that exercises and sweat a lot, you might need to drink more than 8 glasses daily but not consuming a high volume within a short period.

ALSO SEE: The Dangers of Cooking Food With Too Much Salt

It is important to allow your sense of thirst to work more often rather than killing it. When you eat, take a reasonable amount of water to help in digestion, not the volume that will make you wee minutes later.

Do you wonder why alcohol drinkers have been found to have kidney dysfunction? It is because of the volume of the fluid intake usually funnelled in their bodies within a short period. Most of them urinate about three times within this period – subjecting the kidney to unnecessary pressure. Same effect happens when you adopt drinking plenty litres of water without caution.

YES, A GOOD THING CAN BE BAD FOR YOU. TAKE CAUTION. WATER IS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY FOR YOUR BODY BUT BE CAREFUL HOW MUCH YOU TAKE.

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Food & Body

Top Three Foods That Damage Your Teeth

tooth erosion

More and more people are becoming aware of the need to pay attention on the health status of their teeth. While many only few think brushing their teeth twice daily is the only care they need to do, others like me feel there is need to observe what you eat with your mouth in order to avoid gum damages and discolouration of teeth as it is commonly seen. Foods are essential for the proper development of our body and otherwise. If you indulge in certain unhealthy meals, your dental status could be negatively affected. Find below three Foods to avoid as they cause damage to your teeth.

3 Groups of Foods That Cause Damage To Your Teeth

tooth erosion

Chewing Gums, Drinking Soft Drinks And Energy Drinks

Chewing gums are quite dangerous for your teeth. As you chew, they stick in between your teeth and cause damage. You should remember than some of these hard chewing candies are not easily dissolved by water. Also, soft drinks and energy drinks cause similar damage as they are loaded with sugars that corrode the teeth. Many parents also indulge their children in these foods as they are unaware of the damage it will do to the dental status of their children in future.

ALSO SEE: Energy Drinks Damage Your Teeth! Should You Stop Drinking Them?

Acidic Foods

If you love to take lemonade as a home-made therapy to whiten your teeth, then you must have a rethink. It could eventually discolour them. It is quite acidic and corrodes the enamel. This also applies to fruit like apple that is high in acid. You have to be careful with how you consume these acidic fruits. You could wash or rinse your mouth with clean water after getting a bite of these fruits

Bread, Pasta And Potato

Carbohydrates are necessary in our daily diet and so, it is completely impossible to avoid them. But these listed carbs have been found to cause damage to the teeth. These carbs are sticky in nature and sometimes loaded with sugar especially if they are processed which make them lead to tooth decay and other dental issues. It is advisable to check the food labels to know the quantity of added sugars in them and if you must consume them try to rinse your mouth with water after.

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Food & Body

3 Super Foods That Detoxify Your Body

It is clear to me that everyone needs to renew their investments, property and other belongings. The computer engineer cleans up his system from virus, the property owner ensures his facility is neatly package to raise the face value and such renewals are carried out by other professional in order to make their businesses grow and flourish. While I ponder about all these, I wonder why all these people have decided to neglect the main engine room- “body” that keeps all these activities going. Friends and Families, Detoxifying your body should be paramount to you more than anything else. You need to make it flourish and healthy.

In this generation of processed foods flying all over the grocery store, busy mums have resulted to make fast foods the main meal for their families or subscribe to cooking highly processed foods that require lesser time of cooking. In most cases, processed and fast foods have been loaded with large loads of sugar to make it sweet, salt for extension of shelf life and other additives to make the products or meals attractive to the customers. In the long run of consuming all these products your liver could become over stressed if not well maintained.

detox your body

While you have decided to follow this path of feeding, it is certain that you and your family needs to regularly detoxify your body to avoid future health calamities. One organ in our body that performs the major role in the detoxification process is the Liver. It detoxifies and cleanses your body by filtering the blood of poisons that enter it through the digestive tract, the skin, and the respiratory system. Often times in cases of certain individual who indulge in serious unhealthy feeding habits, their  liver could become over stressed due to excessive exposure to toxins, your entire system can be thrown off proper functioning.

So, What Are Some Of The Foods That Detoxifies Our Body?

NEXT [2]: Foods that help rid of toxin…

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Food Recipes

How To Make Afang Soup The Akwa Ibom Way (Recipe)

On the 8th of March 2011, clarion call took me to Akwa Ibom shortly after I graduated from the University. As soon as I received my posting letter and I saw Akwa ibom, I knew I was in for food adventure. Indeed, my expectation was met during my one year compulsory sojourn. This is how my romance with the soup started; now I can talk and even give people Afang Soup recipe as I picked it from Akwa Ibom.

The night I arrived the beautiful city of Uyo the capital of Akwa Ibom, I was completely exhausted and hungry….So, I had to visit the restaurant. My first meal was Afang soup plus Garri (Eba). I had not tasted the soup before and I decided to give it a shot since it had always being talked about as a super soup by many who have been opportune to have a bite. As it was served, not only did the soup look so attractive, it also smelled great. With enthusiasm, I took the first bolus of Eba with the soup. It took me by surprise. Delicious was an understatement.

Photo Credit: avartsycooking.comAs a young man who had lived his entire life majorly in Yorubaland, none of their soups taste this great. As stay with the indigenes during my service year, I did learn the nitty-gritty of how the soup is prepared to taste the Akwa Ibom way. Follow the recipe and all included below and your highly nutritious Afang soup is ready.

Ingredients For Cooking Afang Soup

  • About 1kg of goat meat, 0.5kg of Stock Fish and 2 big African snails (Optional)
  • Half tin cup of Cray fish, Seasoning cubes, preferably Knorr (To make it tasty)
  • Pepper, Yellow pepper and Salt
  • Small amount of beef (optional), dry fish, 250g of kpomo (Cow skin), Onions (1-2 bulbs depending on size) and periwinkle.
  • Water as needed.
  • Finally, Water leaves and Afang leaves as appropriate.

Pre-cooking Steps Involved In Cooking Afang Soup

Step 1: Wash properly the goat meat, beef, kpomo, snail (with lime or potash), stock fish ( in salty hot water for few minutes). Keep the goat meat, beef, kpomo and snail meat in a cooking pot after they had been washed properly.

Step 2: Wash, drain and slice the Water leaves and Afang leaves. The sliced Afang leafs has to be grinded.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, wash and dice onions and some pepper.

Important Note: Do not forget to properly wash your hands before handling the food items.

How To Prepare The Popular Afang Soup

The following steps will guide you in preparing the Afang soup the way people of Akwa Ibom state prepare it.

  • Place the washed meats in step 1 above on low heat and cook until the meats are tender. Do not forget to add adequate amount of water, diced onions, pepper and salt. After the meats are tender, add the washed stock fish and cook for about a minutes or two. Ensure you have enough stock water.
  • Add palm oil and allow to boil for two minutes.
  • Add the diced water leaves and allow to cook for about 3 minutes
  • Add other ingredients like Maggi (seasoning), crayfish and periwinkle and allow to boil before adding the Afang leaves. Taste the soup to know if there is need to add more salts. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Ensure the leaves still possess the greenness.

Your Afang soup is ready to be served.

Afang soup has medicinal purposes for sore throats, nausea and loss of appetite It is a rich source of vitamins with loaded essential and non- essential amino acids. It also has anti- inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Go ahead and go give it a try.

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Food & Nutrition Food Processing

How To Maximise The Nutrients In Your Vegetables

It is no longer news that including two to three servings of vegetable into your daily meals is the way to follow as regards good nutrition. The need for this kick started when the pattern of people’s diet is being monitored and had been found to be void of vegetables which is a super detoxicant. In fact there had been some unhealthy trend recently noticed among others who include vegetables into their diets.

Most of them do not prepare these veggies appropriately such that the nutritive values inherent are not lost. While a few vegetables can be eaten in their raw state, others had to go through some certain food processing before they are ideally edible. It will interest you to note that a meal loaded with vegetables has been found to reduce the risk of debilitating diseases such as heart attacks, high blood pressure and some degenerative cancers due to its abundance in vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals. The benefits of a vegetable in diets cannot be over emphasized.

vegetables all

Learn How To Minimize Loss Of Nutrients In Vegetables

There are some vegetables that should be cooked in order to maximize their nutritional benefits while others are quite susceptible to heat especially those containing loads of Vitamin C and some other B Vitamins (Water Soluble Vitamins). If you can identify these vegetables, it will help you identify which you can eat raw and those to subject to low heat treatment.

The argument has been on for a while among nutritionist and food scientists about the best method to adopt. For example, the lycopene in tomatoes is more bioavailable when it is cooked than in its raw state. Also, the beta carotene in carrots becomes more released if it is cooked. While all the water soluble vitamins may have been diminished, other phytochemicals will be released. The best way to ensure retainment of nutrient is to slightly cook them to avoid complete loss of water soluble vitamin while bringing about the release of antioxidants and phytochemicals.

When you cook your vegetables ensure the water is used. For instance, it is better to cook your potatoes in porridge form while utilizing the water since some micro nutrients could have been leached into it. In fact a few others prefer cooking it with the peels after it must have been properly washed. The water is discarded but the peels keep most nutrients within.

For fruity vegetables, juicing them up could be a good idea but one must ensure minimal loss of fiber which is helpful in proper digestion. On the other hand, leafy vegetables should be blanched (placed into hot water 60°C for 45 seconds and scooped out) to enhance release of phytochemical. Mistake should not be made to overcook them as you will completely lose the nutritive values. You should also avoid chopping them before washing. More nutrients will be lost in the dirty water.

Quick Hints On Proper Vegetable Preparation

  • Avoid overcooking them; ensure they still possess their qualities like colour and a bit of crunchiness depending on the vegetable.
  • For most vegetables avoid peeling them if possible. Some micro nutrients are loaded in the peels.
  • When making a pot of vegetable, be certain to cut them all about the same size so they cook up in the same amount of time under low heat.
  • Learn to wash your vegetables immediately after return from market or grocery stores before they are chopped.
  • Blanching is a good method to heat-treat your vegetables in order to make them retain more nutritive values.
  • Cook only vegetables that will be enough for one time servings. If excess remains, keep in a refrigerator not for more than 36hours.

ALSO SEE: Why Don’t You Just Stop Eating Vegetables (Efo)?

Categories
Food & Body

No Fats, Only Fruits & 1 Meal Daily Diet Bad For Weight Loss

I cannot but laugh anytime I hear those hoping to lose large chunk of body fats discussing on the methods they have decided to adopt. Some say they have made up their minds to skip breakfast while others just conclude on crashing their diets. In view of the fact that most of all these people are ill informed about the ideal way of achieving a permanent result; the internet and social network are not helping matters as loads of different misleading articles and adverts continue to dilute the space. These articles written by some unqualified individuals are titled as “No Carbohydrate diet, No fat diets, only fruits diets, one meal diet” and all sorts in order to attract their readers and clients towards their own improper ways of losing fat.

In this article I will be sharing with you why some of the aforementioned methods will not work well, the truths about losing weights and other information you need to know.

fruits and vegetables
Photo Credit: med-health.net

Why Your “No Fats, No Carbohydrates, Only Fruits Diets and One Meal Daily Diet” Is Inappropriate For Weight Loss

In your quest to quickly turn yourself into a figure 8 or Mr Macho overnight, you are most likely going to believe all information on “Lose 20 pounds in one week” article that you find online. Let’s take it one after the other so you would comprehend well.

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

Categories
Food Recipes

How to Prepare Ewedu Soup (Recipe)

Ewedu Amala and Gbegiri

This recipe for Ewedu soup is more like a sequel to my post on the health benefits of Ewedu. It was going to be a part of the post until I spoke with a friend who suggested I could treat the Ewedu recipe as a separate subject on its own. He was right, this is a topic that should be talked about on its own because of this believe an appreciable number of people have about Ewedu.

Preparing Ewedu And What Some People Believe

Just like my 36 year old client perceived Ewedu as a difficult vegetable to prepare, a handful of people seem to believe same. Far from it, it is clearly simple to prepare. Follow the simple steps below and you are good to go.

Ewedu Amala and Gbegiri
Photo Credit: 9jaFoodie

Ingredients For Cooking Ewedu Soup

The following are what you need to cook Ewedu soup. Some of these are optional as you do not need to add them to get the perfect Ewedu that draws and produce the attractive green colour we love.

  • Ewedu leaves
  • A dash of potash (Optional)
  • Locust beans (Optional )
  • Cray fish (Optional )
  • Salt
  • Water (Depending on the quantity of Ewedu you want to cook)

Step by Step Method of Preparing Ewedu

The following are the steps involved in cooking one of the most famous draw soups in Nigeria – Ewedu.

  • Ensure you pick your Ewedu leaves properly, wash the picked leaves with clean water and drain the water.
  • Add water to your cooking pot and place on cooker (Low heat)
  • Add a dash of potash to the water to help soften the leaves.
  • As the water boils up under low heat, add your Ewedu leaves
  • Cook for about 10 minutes to 15 minutes. Avoid colour discolouration.
  • Take it off the fire and use a blender or broom to whisk it.
  • After it had been properly whisked, place back on cooker, add a pinch of salt, locust bean and crayfish as you would prefer.
  • Cook for a minute or two….YOUR EWEDU IS DONE AND READY TO BE SERVED.

ALSO SEE: Numerous Health Benefits of Ewedu You Don’t Know

That is how to prepare Ewedu soup and of course, you can be adventurous with your method of cooking Ewedu and I am certain you and your family will love it. Do not forget to share this article.

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Food & Nutrition

Ewedu: The Numerous Health Benefits You Don’t Know

ewedu vegetable

Ewedu – The Super Vegetable: How could I have ever thought that I will enjoy Ewedu vegetable now? I had constantly condemned it as I never encouraged its consumption in my family. By the second day of my Mother’s in law visitation I knew I had no option than to cook it for her since she is a complete Oyo woman who cannot do without Amala and Ewedu. Shortly after I took the bold step to learn the process of making the soup from a Yoruba friend, I found it was completely simple to prepare. Joining my mother in law in taking a bite on the meal, I was completely surprised by how delicious it was when combined with Amala. These were the words of a 36 years old Delta woman married to an Egba man.

ewedu vegetable

The jute leaf which is commonly called Ewedu among the Yoruba people have been part of the south westerner’s diet for so many decades. A few people who do not enjoy it describe it as a weed, while others cannot completely describe how delicious and medicinal this natural green is when regularly consumed. Ewedu is clearly rich in plenty micro nutrients that have been found to help many in reducing one’s chances of developing certain illnesses. The vegetable can be enjoyed in different forms. It can be eating with Gbegiri (a local soup made from beans) or with Melon soup. I bet whichever you choose; you will definitely enjoy the delicacy if combined with Amala (Yam Flour dough).

The Numerous Health Benefits of Ewedu

Cochorus olitorius as the leafy vegetable is botanically called have been scientifically proven to be efficient in the improvements of certain conditions in people for more than a century. Research has shown that the different varieties of Ewedu possess very important and valuable vitamins and antioxidant that will be of immeasurable nutritional and therapeutic value to our body system. The main vitamins in this vegetable are A, C and E, which are key to protecting the body from degenerative diseases such as Cancer.

The leave provide low calorie and an adequate source of fibre which has made it key in weight management. Also, some certain traditional healthcare providers have used the leaf in the prevention of constipation, dysentery and infestation of worms. In fact some old Asian health specialists have reported to have used it for pain and pile reduction.

If you can recollect correctly, as the world battles with finding a permanent cure for the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, it was reported that one Professor Adebukola Adefule Oshitelu, Professor of ophthalmology at the Lagos State Teaching hospital, LUTH, claimed that jute leaf commonly called Ewedu has the ability of curing Ebola.

He claimed the leave has the capability of preventing the proliferation of the Virus. While this information could just be a mere speculation and has not been confirmed yet, it is a clear indication that the vegetable contains various medicinal qualities that made the professor utter such statement; only if further researches could be conducted on it. I am certain that if these claims had been reported or speculated by even a British or an American incompetent professor, more considerations would have been given to it.

However, the point remains that Ewudu boosts immunity and nourishes our body system. This in itself is one of the greatest health benefit you can get from any food. If you don’t like Ewedu, you may want to start adding it to your diet because of its health benefits.

RECOMMENDED: How to Prepare Ewedu Soup (Recipe)