Customs officials at an American airport got more than they bargained for when they found 67 live giant Snails (African Giant Snail). The snails were confiscated July 1 and a sample was sent the next day to a federal mollusk specialist in Washington, D.C., who identified them as a prohibited species. The U.S. Department of Agriculture incinerated the snails after they were inspected.
Those were the words used to describe the event that happened on 1st July, 2014. Customs officers in the United States of America found 67 live giant snails in a passenger’s luggage. They later confiscated and burned those snails because they have been banned in the United States.
Why The United States Govt. Banned African Giant Snails
The African giant land snails (Archachatina marginata, Achatina achatina and their family members) are delicacies in many African nations, especially the West African countries. So, it would come as a surprise that some countries could see them as a threat to their own survival. If you are interested in knowing the reasons why the the US Government banned the African snails, then you should read on.
1. They are carriers of a Parasitic Nematode
The African snails carry a parasitic nematode that can be a vector for meningitis in humans. The snail acts as an intermediate host between the parasite and its natural final host in rodents. Unless we eat snails raw or undercooked, one should not be in danger of these nematodes and ultimately, meningitis.
In places where the snails are eaten, they are usually well cooked and even fried. Hence, the danger of the nematodes causing diseases in eaters of these snails is not even there.
I am certain that a few people would probably be reading about moringa seeds for the very first time. It is clear that the plant has just recently become a major inclusion in some people’s diet in Nigeria. Moringa, no doubt is a wonderful plant that has a lot of health benefits which are numerous.
Excessive weight gain is becoming a wide spread health concern among different age groups and sex. This has led to the sales of different supplements on the shelves of drug stores. Many supplements meant to help in weight loss are actually not effective and the result is that those that are obese or overweight remain in their unhealthy weight status.
Moringa without the addition of any other nutrient is a very healthy supplement not only for weight management but for other various health conditions ravaging our world. From its seed to leaves and pods, one can benefit immensely from an array of micro nutrient that trigger and boost metabolism which directly helps in the breakdown of fat.
While moringa seeds can be quite healthy, it is advisable not to indulge in them like you do to nuts. 2 to 3 seeds of moringa seeds should be okay per time while not consuming more than 10seeds on daily basis but for a starter, 4 seeds in a day will help you ascertain your body’s tolerance. Basically, the seed supports the weight loss by reducing the food cravings and providing your body with essential nutrients (vitamins, mineral, carbohydrates and proteins) that offer your body the energy it needs for the day-to-day activities.
Many moringa extracts are available as nutraceutical. if you do not love to eat the seed directly, consuming the supplements at Recommended Daily Intake will definitely aid your weight loss aim with less hassle. Moringa seeds are high in fibre and protein with an appropriate amount of healthy fats such as mono unsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats which are heart health friendly and reduce the concentration of unhealthy fats in your body. Its super detoxifying ability helps to cleanse your body system which eventually aid your metabolism and cause weight loss.
The seeds may be cooked or roasted as you would prefer. As senior citizens you should include these seeds as part of your diets because they are effective in high blood pressure conditions due to many antioxidants loaded in them.
To effectively manage your weight, it is advisable you speak to a Dietitian or Nutritionist, who will take you on a step by step method of weight loss therapy. No one food item solves your problem of overweight. A healthy lifestyle and calculated menu are key to helping everyone facing such challenge.
Whether you are on a weight loss mission or you are fasting and want to resist the urge to eat by suppressing your appetite for food, you should know that there are some foods that you can add to your diet in order to achieve this. Some of these foods are foods that we see and eat often for their taste but they have other functions we may have not noticed; others, many people don’t like to eat because of their taste.
The objective of fasting (not for religious reasons) and weight-loss plan is to make you eat less and burn more calories than you consume, therefore, you cannot afford to eat large quantities of foods.
So what now happens when you get hungry?
When your body needs food, it produces a hormone called ghrelin that causes hunger — it signal hunger to the brain when it gets secreted. You start having some elevated level of appetite — this you can suppress by eating some of the foods listed in this article.
Foods That Help To Curb Hunger & Appetite for Foods
When you add these foods to what you eat in the right manner, you won’t get hungry like you usually would.
1. One piece of Apple can do the magic
Of course you know the saying that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. This is very true and one of the ways it is true is that eating an apple before or after a meal helps keep you full faster and for a longer period.
Photo: saidaonline.com
It has been reported that the pectin in a piece of apple can keep you full for 1-2 hours. So, why don’t you just eat apple before and after your food. It tastes great and even contributes to whitening of teeth amongst other benefits.
2. High-Water, High-Fiber Foods help curb hunger
These type of foods that are high in water and fibers give us the feeling of being full and prevent us from eating too much. Example of such foods is the vegetable family — they fill the stomach, and helps digestion. These foods, even when you eat large volumes of them, are usually low in caloric density. Therefore, they help you shed weight without feeling like you’re on a restrictive diet.
Often when we want to lose weight, what we do is to eat less foods. But what if you could cut calories, yet still eat plenty of food, and not be feel hungry? This is the dream of any dieter and these type of foods should be incorporated into your diet.
These vegetables, for example Lentils, Lima beans, Spinach, etc., will help you through your diet plan and not make you give up when it matters most. You are often full, less hungry and cutting on your calorie intake. These high fibre foods also help prevent constipation and relieve it in case we have it.
Barbara Rolls, PhD, and some of her colleagues at Pennsylvania State University have done extensive research on the “volumetric” theory of eating more low-calorie, high-volume foods.
They have this to report; ”We have found in numerous studies that when you allow people to eat as much as they want of foods that are high in volume yet low in density (calories), they eat less at the meal or during the day.”
3. Lean Protein Helps To Reduce Hunger Too
If you are wondering about what lean protein is, here is a quick description; many proteins are high in saturated fats that contribute to cardiovascular disease, so it is better to consume lean proteins. These lean proteins are described as a 1-ounce serving that has 2 to 3 grams of fat.
There is evidence of the ability of lean protein from foods such as lean meat, fish, poultry (chicken, turkey, for example), soybeans, and eggs, to help with fullness and weight loss. The white meat from chicken and turkey are especially good sources of lean protein. Fish provides lean protein together with omega-3 fatty acids that lower cholesterol and inhibit inflammation.
Wayne Campbell, PhD, a professor of Nutrition at Purdue University said “You are most likely to feel fuller after eating protein than other nutrients, including fiber, and one of the theories behind why higher-protein diets work well with weight loss is because it helps you not feel hungry.”
It may also interest you to know that even though you can add lean protein at any meal you want to take, research has shown that adding it to your breakfast may be better than other meals in the day. A research that was conducted on this theory revealed that when people eat foods like eggs that rich in protein for breakfast, they tend to eat less during the day compared o when they eat foods that are rich in carbohydrates.
With this knowledge in your head, you can actually start your weight loss diet by including these foods in your meal. If you are going to fast for religious or health reasons (fasting has a lot of health benefits), you can also ad these foods to those that you eat in the morning as they make you full without adding calories to your body. It is not surprising that breakfast is regarded as the most important meal of the day.
I recently got a series of emails from some readers on this blog who seem to be interested in losing weight. When I read a few of their situation, I figured out that a few of them apart from their habit of consuming fatty and high calorie foods, might also be indulging excessively in foods that contains sugar and they do not know. One thing that dieticians and nutritionist in America have agreed upon is that Americans consume a lot of sugars.
While America seems to have been labeled with this due to the fact that they have proper documentation, other countries are not left out. In fact, some other countries are top consumers of sugar without them knowing due to lack of information and documentation. Obesity is taking the rise in our nation and asides planning healthy diet, we must expose foods that appear not to contain sugars but are indeed loaded with a lot of them in order to ensure that people choose to consume them sparingly.
The list below contains some of the foods:
1. TOMATO KETCHUP: It is quite common for people to indulge in consuming tomato ketchup while believing they had exclude sugar from their diets. Most of the common tomato ketchups during processing had been added some form sugars that can be said to be high enough when regularly consumed for those under a low sugar diet. Tomato paste is best when it is made completely at home.
There you can determine whatever ingredients you need to include that soothe your health.
2. YOGURT: Yogurt has generally been seen as a healthy dairy option as it contains healthy bacteria that help digestion. Yes it is. However, most commonly sold yogurt especially the fruity types are loaded with sugars to sweeten it. It will be advisable to opt for plain yoghurt which contains naturally occurring sugars.
Yoghurt contains all the benefits you will derive from milk, most of lactose has been converted to lactic acid by enzyme. This will enable people who are not tolerant to it benefit from the nutrients in ‘milk’.
3. ALCOHOL: If only those who consume many bottles of alcohol know the excessive amounts of sugars in it they will definitely reduce or quit consumption. This group of people are quick to condemn those consuming soft drinks without knowing that they might be caught up with the same problem of high blood sugar level. Many people have the impression that only things that are sweet contain sugar. If you are one of such people, think again.
The high amount of sugar present in alcoholic drinks is often overlooked. Asides triggering diabetes, damage to the liver and poor dental health has also been noticed amount consumers. Alcohol also damages the brain by by killing dendrites — making communication between brain cells slow and difficult.
The common alcoholic drinks we take include lager, beer, ale, stout, wine, etc. (see their differences here).
4. DRIED AND CANNED FRUITS: When people indulge in canned fruits they are battling with more than just the high amount of sugar found naturally in the fruit. You’re dealing with the production processes zapping the fruits of their essential nutrients that made the healthy. When this production steps are carried out, the natural sugars are reduced while eliminating most of the vital nutrients.
What such food manufacturing company does is to add sugar syrups of different kinds to make them sweet to taste but less friendly to your body in reality.
5. SALAD DRESSING: I sometimes include salad in the diets of my patients because it is healthy. However, I take caution in the salad dressing they have to use except I have seen the product to read the label. Many of these dressings are high in sugars with most consumers unaware. If you must consume them check their labels.
6. NO-FAT FOODS: This is one trick manufacturers use to attract buyer who are hoping to lose weight. Fat has been labelled as the bad guy in many nutrition articles. While I sometimes agree with this claim, there is no reason to remove the fat completely from foods. When this is done sugar is used to augment fat loss. Please, learn to check the labels.
Sugar in food either contributes to blood sugar level or adds more calories to your body, making you gain more weight. Whichever it is, it is still bad for our body when they start getting too much – nobody wants Diabetes or Obesity. You just need to watch it.
Some few years back, when I was much younger, my dad was used to adding a few spoons of honey to most of his cereals. He does this very religiously that he never used any form of granulated sugar. His mother was the one who does the supplies but not too long, she stopped because she cannot move around as she does in the past due to aging. Dad decided to go buy a bottle of honey by himself.
As he added the honey into his pap (Akamu or Ogi), in less than 1hour after finishing his meal, he began to show some allergic reactions. It later became severe that he had to visit a pharmacist.
Those who do this business of adulteration are smart that they try to imitate the properties of original/pure honey from appearance to consistency as much as possible but if you dig deep enough you would be able to identify those that are pure. They have several ways of making honey “not pure” – they can add sugar syrup to increase the quantity or corn starch to manipulate the viscosity (increase thickness).
Sometimes you want to use for one of its numerous medicinal purpose, this means that you have to get pure honey in order to actually benefit whatever you intend to benefit from it. You cannot afford to use the adulterated one or those ones made from brown sugar syrup, you won’t get the result you expect.
Methods for Identifying Pure or Adulterated Honey
Why spend your hard earned money on something that could be poisonous to your body system. Now let us check out the best methods to Identify pure honey. These simple tests listed in this article will help you to distinguish between fake/adulterated and pure/original honey.
1. Water test for Honey:
Water can be used to distinguish between pure honey and adulterated ones and it is so simple. Get a glass jar of water or a small pot half full of water. Add the honey into it at one point of the water using a table spoon.
If the honey spreads out and dissolves in the water, the honey is not pure. However, if it remains in its pasty form beneath the water while retaining the original colour, the honey is pure.
2. Fire test for honey:
Once you have gotten your honey, use a small piece of cloth and rub a portion of the honey at the edge of the cloth or you deep the wick of a candle into the honey, lit a fire over any of the cloth or wick for few seconds.
Photo: menaribo.com
If it does not burn, the honey is not pure as it likely contains water but if the cloth or candlewick burns/catches fire, the honey is definitely pure. You can also use a matchstick as shown below. Put the honey in the middle of the matchstick and light the stick.
3. The Thumb Test:
Any of your right or left thumb can be used. Place a drop of honey on your thumb, if the honey slips or spread easily over your thumb, the honey is not pure but it it stays and still forms the drop on your thumb then the honey is pure.
While it might be a bit difficult to carry out the fire and water test method at the place of purchase, the thumb test can help you.
4. Paper Towel for telling honey quality:
Place a paper towel or serviette paper on a table and add few drops of the honey on it. If it absolves the honey, the honey is not pure but if it does not, and the honey stays longer on the paper then it is pure.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Many people are quick to believe the claim that ants do not go near pure honey. The veracity of this statement does not exist. Ants go after anything that is sweet and taste good. From bread to rice ants go after them talk less of honey. Other methods that can be used to identify pure honey are requesting to taste and check the consistency (thickness) of the honey. Usually pure honey is not thin in its consistency. Although, these methods cannot guarantee that you are buying 100% pure honey, they help – manufacturers of adulterated honey have developed ways of making their honey appear pure.
It is advisable to use a combination of the above-mentioned methods to ascertain if truly your honey is pure.
To reduce your chances of obtaining adulterated honey, you might want to purchase them at a honey farm, in towns that are known for honey production or supermarkets that have a very huge reputation in selling quality products. These factors will really help you.
I hope you find this article helpful. Let us know if you have any method you have been using too.
First, what is heartburn? We are going to explain that because some people experience the symptoms but don’t even know what they are experiencing are symptomatic of heartburn. It is a burning sensation that comes in your chest, just behind your breastbone. The pain is often aggravated when lying down or bending over. Does this sound familiar?
Often, people get heartburn occasionally and can get rid of it with some drugs as prescribed by the doctor but there are severe cases of heartburn which are symptoms of another more serious condition. When this is what you have you need to seek medical care.
What are the causes and symptoms of heartburn?
The simple cause of heartburn is a lower esophageal sphincter, also referred to as LES. When it does not tighten as it should, there is a problem. It only opens when food wants to enter the stomach or when we want to belch. When it is not tightly closed, food can come back into the mouth. Too much food in the stomach (overeating) or too much pressure on the stomach, often as a result of obesity, pregnancy, or constipation. See how to get rid of Constipation easily!
Photo: sharecare.com
Heartburn is simply acid reflux — It happens when stomach acid comes back up into your esophagus. If left untreated, this reflux can damage the esophagus over time. Pregnancy, some types of foods, alcohol, and some medications can also bring on heartburn. You just need to know what triggers your own heartburn — observation could be key.
However, if you are having heartburn for two or more than two times in a week, you need to see your doctor as soon as you can.
What are the remedies I can use at home?
Home remedies to get rid of heartburn very fast!
Depending on the cause and how frequent your occurrence of heartburn is, there are solutions you can make yourself at home to get rid of it fast.
Chewing gum can help you get rid of your heartburn: A small study from the Journal of Dental Research showed that people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms experienced heartburn relief when they chewed a piece of sugar-free gum for 30 minutes after a meal. You can also give that a shot.
Baking Soda: Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, the author of A Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Stomach, recommends mixing between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water. Baking soda is high in salt content so you should not make this your home remedy anytime you have heartburn. If you have heartburn often, the best thing is to see a doctor. So, now you know that baking soda does more than baking and whitening of teeth.
Other home remedies for heartburn include Aloe vera juice reduces any inflammation that is in the esophagus as well as the stomach; avoiding eating too much food too could help prevent this acid reflux.
If you have too much occurrence of these symptoms, you should consult a medical practitioner because some symptoms of a heart attack may mimic that of heartburn.
COMING SOON: Foods That Contribute Largely To Heartburn.
The National Agency for Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) has issued a strong warning to people who consume imported or smuggled frozen meat such as chicken and turkey in Nigeria. NAFDAC Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, who gave the warning at a media briefing in Lagos, said that these foods have been implicated in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and antibiotics resistance.
These diseases include cancer, kidney disease, and hypertension amongst others. He, therefore, warned Nigerians to stay away from imported frozen chicken and turkey because they have been discovered to be causative factors in these non-communicable diseases.
Dr. Paul Orhii said that these frozen products have been found to contain substances that can predispose one to kidney, liver and lung diseases as well as certain types of cancers and drug-resistant bacterial infections.
At the briefing, a study, titled “Prevalence, Quality and Acceptability of Frozen Poultry Meat in Major Cities in Nigeria” carried out by experts from the University of Ibadan titled “, was presented. It was made clear that importation of these products have been banned by the Federal Government, but some people still indulge in smuggling them into the country.
Dr. Orhii said that NAFDAC is discouraging people who patronize frozen meat such as Chicken and Turkey because they have been found to contain contaminants that are hazardous to human health. The contaminants can be formaldehyde, at times it can be a high level of antibiotics residue and other contaminants like heavy metals. “And that is why we are discouraging members of the public from consuming them.
The study, which Orhii referred to, was carried out by Prof. Olumide Tewe (lead researcher), Prof. S.S. Abiola (meat technologist), Dr. O.A Abu (nutritional enzymologist), Dr. C.I. Alarima (agriculture extensionist), Dr. O.A. Olabisi (public health specialist), Mr. S, Adelani (chief technologist) and Mr. R.A. Aromoye (administrative assistant).
Heavy metals (which have been found to be present in imported or smuggled meat) may cause toxicity-related mutagenesis (mutation), carcinogenesis (cancer) and other severe health hazards. Others (the result of heavy metals) are cardiovascular diseases, skin disorders, and neurotoxicity lung and nasal cancer in humans”. Excerpts: GuardianNGR
We have recently discussed the symptoms and causes of food poisoning in one article. In that same article, we promised to share with you, tips and pieces of advice on prevention of food poisoning at home and eateries. This article will also tell you some foods to watch out for when it comes to their likelihood of causing food poisoning. This article will only talk about how to prevent it at home, another will be published soon on eatery foods.
We will not be mentioning what food poisoning is and the symptoms associated with it again. If you missed the article where we explained that, you can still find it here.
Preventing Food Poisoning At Home
There are so many ways by which we can expose ourself to food poisoning in homes. This article may not address all of them but will touch many that will give us idea of what other things can cause food poisoning.
1. Buying food stuffs from the market
When you go to the market to purchase raw food materials, go for the best. Don’t buy rotten tomatoes, bruised vegetables, smelly meat, de-frozen fish, etc. Rotten tomatoes would normally have microorganisms in them, while bruises on many vegetables could expose them to spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.
Smelly meat is definitely a sign of spoilage and activities of putrefying microorganisms — you should not eat this type of meat. Sometimes, spoilage starts before we are even able to perceive any kind of smell because we cannot perceive that threshold of smell. Other thing we may want to look for is the colour of the meat; it should be bright red in colour. Even from the color of the liquid that drips from meat, one can tell.
Another food that is very dangerous in this respect is egg. Only buy fresh eggs and only eggs that you are sure are fresh. You can read this article to guide you on how to determine if egg is fresh. It will help you prevent that food poisoning.
What we are saying in essence is that we should only by wholesome food of the best quality; avoid damaged and spoilt food materials.
Next on Page 2 — How to store food material to prevent food poisoning…
It is always satisfying to know even to well wishers that the drinks served on your birthday or cocktail party was actually made by you. Apart from being cost effective, it gives you the opportunity to be adventurous and come up with something special that your invitees will find refreshing. Such is the case of making and serving chapman on your ceremony.
Chapman can be simply described as an easy cocktail drink which can be alcoholic or non alcoholic with a lot of fruits flavour. In fact, presently in Nigeria, it is gradually taking over other drinks as many people can not stop ordering for the fruity drink especially if made the Nigerian way.One other good thing about this drink is that majority of the ingredients or constituents can be gotten in any nearby supermart store. Follow this article carefully and you are on your way to entertain your guest with chapman
How To Make Chapman (Drink) By Yourself
Ingredients and Utensils
A bottle of Fanta and abottle of Sprite.
Angostura Bitters and Grenadine syrup.
Orange (2 or 3)and Lime (lime is optional).
1 big sized Cucumber or 2 small ones.
A big jug and 4 glass cups.
Some ice cubes
Note: This is a recipe for four (4) and in order for you to have a smooth ride in its preparation, some certain processes must have been carried out prior to kick starting.
1) Usually, there are ice cube trays in your refrigerator. Fill them up with water as much as you can and keep in the freezer to make your ice cubes.
2) Keep both the Fanta and Sprite in the refrigerator. Remember, chapman must be served chilled.
3) Dice your cucumber into pieces, keeping them in circular form, semi circular or triangular forms as you would love it. Do same to one of the oranges and keep the other ones to be squeezed into the drink. You do not need to peel the oranges.
Now Let Us Make The Chapman
1) Pour a cup of grenadine syrup into the jug ( About 20-25cl)
2) Add both bottles of Sprite and Fanta soft drink.
3) Add some dashes of Angostura bitters equivalent to about 3 table spoons and stir. I have also heard of people using Alomo bitters instead of Angostura bitters. Although, I have never tried using it. Remember, do not indulge children in Angostura bitters added chapman. Black currant can be used instead to make the non alcoholic type of chapman but it would not produce the real chapman taste
4) Cut the other oranges into halves and squeeze into the mixture.
5) Portion out the mixture into the four glass cups to about 2/3 full in order to give room for the next added ingredients.
6) Add the diced oranges and cucumber into the different cups.
7) On the last note, add some cubes of ice to each of the cups to further make it go chilled. Your chapman is ready to be served.
Seven straight steps to making your chapman. So simple. Please remember, the consumption of chapman should not be excessive because it is usually loaded with high amount of sugar considering the ingredients of making it.
Do not forget to share your comments once you have tried out this recipe or your own method of making chapman.
As the Muslim world starts fasting yesterday, this article idea came to my mind. Many people go on special forms of diet in order to reduce weight; these diet plans sometimes include some form of fasting. Let me give you the simple definition of fasting before we go on with the topic of discussion today.
Fasting is primarily an act of willing abstinence or reduction from certain or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. Many people fastas a religious observance.
So, staying without food for some well-planned period of time (fasting) helps reduce weight. This should not come to you as a surprise because we all have, at one time noticed loss of weight in people who have just completed fasting. We even joked with people that did not show significant weight loss by questioning them if they truly took part in the fasting.
Surprising Revelations On How Fasting Improves Our Health
If you want to lose abdominal fat, get smarter and live longer, then you might want to embrace intermittent fasting . New research led by USC’s Valter Longo shows that periodically adopting a diet that mimics the effects of fasting may yield a wide range of health benefits.
Now, here are some surprising health benefits of fasting. You may not know a lot of them;
1. Fasting makes you live longer
Sounds funny right? One would wonder — how could deprivation of foods and drinks help someone live longer? Well, it is hard to believe but the lesser you eat, the longer you live. Some studies have been able to prove that diet of some people in some cultures helped them live longer. Their diet plan simply involved eating less, embracing some intermittent fasting and this we can do too.
You would recall that we talked about the factors that cause early aging and foods that help slow it down. When we age, the rate of metabolism in our body reduces and digestive system slows down in its activities too. The lesser we eat, the lesser load we put on the weak digestive system. Embracing some fasting will help give some rest to the digestive system.
The aged ought to be well taken care of. No wonder, in well developed countries, special attention and care is given to people above 60 years of age. In this part of the world, it becomes very expedient to promote healthy living among senior citizens as we are used to leaving everything to the last minute even our health. Foods are not only quite effective in improving the immune system of both children and adults, they are also essential in ensuring that older people have better nutrition and health.
Some Foods Old People Must Avoid Eating
There are numerous benefits of healthy eating which include resistance to illness and disease, improved skin and sight quality, faster recuperation times, and better management of chronic health problems. To help the aged achieve most of these aforementioned numerous health benefits, there are certain food groups or types that should be completely excluded from their diet. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
1. Processed Carbohydrates:
Processed foods especially carbohydrates are only loaded with calories with little or no nutrients and low amount of fibre which could cause excessive weight gain for the aged. An average male aged person should not consume more than 2000kcal/day while an average elderly woman over age 50 should not consume over 1800kcal/days especially if such persons are not involved in activities. Indulging in processed foods will make them consume more than the Recommended Daily Intake for their age. Examples include frosted flaskes, white bread and some noodles. You might need to speak to a nutritionist to calculate your daily food requirement.
2. Deep Fat Fried Foods:
Fried foods are generally high in calorie, a multiple of 2 or 3 of the calorie of the foods if they were not deep fried. The digestive system of the elderly is usually no longer functioning at its best, due to ageing. The need to exclude deep fat fried foods in the diet of senior citizens is important in order to avoid the occurrence of diabetes and any form of cardiovascular disease.
Senior citizens are usually having concern with high blood pressure and one thing that contributes to this is diet high in sodium. Many canned foods are loaded with salt as the preservative. If the aged consume high amount of canned foods, their chances of high blood pressure condition will increase. This should be avoided. You can check this guide we put together which inform you about how much salt is enough for the day.
Even children are cautioned about consuming sugary foods talk less of the aged. Many aged have issues with their dental status because of excessive consumption of sugary food earlier in life. Soft drinks and other sugar coated food substances should be avoided. Many cause a spike in blood sugar. Many elderly are also battling with type II diabetes which are usually worsened by sugary foods. Examples include soft drinks, chocolates and beverages.
A couple of FoodsNG’s readers have asked this question, but of course in different ways – “how do I properly store a cut yam?”, “how can I store yam after I cut it without spoiling?”. We are going to talk about this topic today in order to address their questions. Often we buy large tubers of Yam and need to only cook a small portion of it when we need to eat. So, what are you going to do with the remaining tuber? If you leave it that way, it grows mould and gets spoiled or turns brown and hard that you have to peel it off.
When the questions came, I though this should not be a problem for anyone because there is a way I saw mum do it while growing up and it worked every time. So, I took some time out and spoke to different people, asking them how they preserve their cut yam tuber. I got a lot of interesting answers and I will address the most shocking one first.
Someone told me she just leaves the yam that way and cut off the spoiled part when next she needs to cook the yam. Well, I would say that is not proper and safe for the following reasons;
Why waste that part of yam that you cut away? You could save that yam by preserving it properly.
When your yam grows mould and you cut the contaminated part away, do you think the remaining part of the tuber is safe?
You know why this is wasteful and unsafe? Mould is a fungi and when they grow on foods, fungi break the food down and make us of it. They grow their HYPHAE (the part that looks like microscopic roots) into the dissolved food. So, when you cut off the mould growth on the surface, you could still have the hyphae left in the remaining yam. The root is as unsafe as dangerous as the growth, sometimes more dangerous. Don’t cause Food Poisoning for yourself.
NEXT [2] :: Tip For Preserving Cut Yam To Prevent Mould Growth…
Children definitely will grow into adults and it happens very quickly. This is the prayer of all parents.
Children learn to pick up habits and behaviors of their parents most times hook, line, and sinker. This is not only common in how they respond to issues of life but also how they make food choices for themselves as an adult and their own very children.
The need to teach children about food and nutrition at an early age is quite important if truly we are serious about making the world a healthier place in years to come.
So, who is best to help make this world safer health-wise? Parents are sure at the forefront of the battle.
It has now become a norm among parents and guidance to brag and publicly say how their children love chocolates, sweets, chewing gums, and many other sugar-coated food items as such.
This trend must be quickly tackled as many health conditions not common among children are now resurfacing at an alarming rate. Examples are Type I and Type II Diabetes and Childhood Obesity.
In this post, I will be sharing with you three main steps to follow to ensure your children pick up the right habit to make healthier food choices now and in the future without necessarily excluding all of the processed snacks usually consumed by children while keeping them healthy.
1. Let the children take part in home cooking:
Cooking can be really fun to children and that’s if you make it look fun.
From age three and above, children can be engaged in simple errands like asking them to pick up something from the fridge, etc.
Engage them when cooking a favorite meal like fried rice garnished with plenty of vegetables while introducing them to the reasons they should eat veggies.
As your children sight you performing activities like slicing and cutting of ingredients used in a healthy meal, they are learning and will inculcate such skills and food habits.
2. Lead by example:
Many adults have not outgrown their childhood days. They still love lollipops, chocolates, and other sugary food items usually consumed by children.
In doing this in the presence of their own children, they transfer the same habit of perpetual unhealthy eating to them.
Imagine each day you come back from work and you go straight to the refrigerator to pick a serving of fruits like watermelon or apple for a bite, your children might just say “Mummy I want one too”.
There should be a conscious effort to lead by example in order to help your child make healthier choices.
3. Include fruits in their snacks:
Snacks have now been seen as processed foods in the forms of confectioneries and baked foods only. In truth, they are not. Children can be taught to snack on fruits even at school once in a while.
Children love it sweet, creamy and sometimes crunchy. You can include fruits like banana, apple and golden melon as snacks for them.
You will be surprised they will love it and inculcate the habit of consuming such meals in the future.
Parents, you will be doing a lot of good for your children if you teach them about the need to consume healthier food options rather than indulging them in soft drinks and the likes all the time.
I am not saying children should not some baked snacks and the rest, however, there is a need to introduce to them healthier food options.
The 13th of June every year is the day set aside as the World Albinism Day in order to help fight the myth and wrong perceptions generally projected by those who do not have it against Albinos. Albinism is a congenital disorder (Birth disorder) which come to be due to lack of melanin in the skin, eyes and hair. Those with no melanin are called Albinos while those with little melanin are called albinoids. This is usually due to genetic interpretation in the body of parents of an albino. While this is the main cause of the condition, a lot of people give different assumptions. Some of them include; The parents of Albinos had intercourse in the hot afternoon, the child belongs to another father or the child is a representation of a certain god on earth. I cannot laugh enough.
Many Nigerians, even the older generation have regularly said to mothers of Albinos to avoid giving their Albino children salt or foods containing salt because it causes the proliferation of dark spots all over the skin of Albinos. Is this the reality or one of those myths that is used to stigmatize people living with albinism?
As I pondered about this, I began to search, and I realised that there seem not to exist any fact on this claim. It was then I went further to consult with a few Albinos and their parents. All of them have this to say; Salt has nothing to do with the dark spot on the faces of Albino, I have included salt in the diet of my child since she was born without caution on the acceptable level as she ate same food with her siblings yet she is evenly coloured without dark spots. The reason for the dark spot is exposure to sunlight which causes sun burn. They emphasised that they did well to protect their children and self from excessive exposure to sunlight in order to have a non dark spotted skin.
While the afforementioned remains the opinion of Albinos and parents, I have also taken a stand to agree with their claims. If you avoid to add salt to the food of your Albino child, do notforget a significant level of sodium is found in all our foods. The last reason that made me completely concur with this opinion was when I heard an Albino speak of his dark spotted skin on a radio show. He insisted that right from childhood her mum had avoided adding table salt yet he is dark spotted. He also said he had been exposed to sunlight when he was younger as he was always playing with other kids in the hot afternoon.
Let your Albino children maximise food options like other kids. Chocolates, biscuits, crackers, sharwama and other snacks contain a reasonable amount of salt and children regardless of their skin type, race and age would always love to have a bite. As your child grows up, you do not want them to develop a condition of hypotension due to low level of sodium which can be very dangerous. I am not saying you should include salt without caution into their diets. Moderation does it.
Although, no scientific fact has explained if salt contributes to this or not but clearly from consultations it shows that it might just be a myth.
If you are an Albino or you know anyone who is an Albino or you are a parent of an Albino, please we would like you to share your opinions to help educate others.
This post will take about Food Poisoning, the causes and symptoms — Food poisoning is a common illness caused by eating contaminated food; it could be a mild and sometimes life-threatening problem for millions of people throughout the world. Food poisoning occurs when microorganisms infect your food and they remain in the food when you eat it. They start to multiply and cause illnesses and discomfort.
Some of the most common food poisonings are infections caused by bacteria like Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Clostridium botulinum, and norovirus. They cause symptoms that range from mild to severe and may require consulting a doctor for treatment. Often, people get well and recover fully at home some days after having food poisoning.
What are the symptoms of Food Poisoning?
The symptoms may vary a little bit depending on the causative organisms. The symptoms you will observe during a Campylobacter poisoning may vary from that from Listeria. There are however some common/similar symptoms to look out for.
The common symptoms you will find in someone that has food poisoning are;
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea, which may contain blood or mucus
Stomach cramps and abdominal (tummy) pain
Lack of energy and weakness
Loss of appetite
High temperature (fever)
Aching muscles
Chills
You may start to observe symptoms hours after consuming the food. Sometimes, it may take days before the symptoms start to manifest.
Now that we have touched the basic on what food poisoning is, the causative organisms and symptoms, we are going to be discussing preventive measures and treatment if one has food poisoning because it is very difficult to prevent for some people.
The busy schedule of some people means that they cannot make their own foods — they have to go to eateries and fast food joints to make their own foods. Some of these foods could get contaminated from poor hygiene, poor storage conditions and more.
For example, keeping some foods in glass showcase with a bulb on, provides a very good environment for some microorganisms to thrive and multiply. Another important one is coles law and salads — if they are not stored in refrigerator with STEADY SUPPLY of electricity, there could be problems for whoever eats them.
In the coming days, we are going to share article that will guide you on How To Prevent Food Poisoning At Home & Eateries and another one on How To Manage Food Poisoning if you ever have one. We hope you would come back to see them.
No doubts, I have soft feeling for pregnant women. I sighted one recently and felt pregnant women should be given utmost care in order to help them bring forth healthy babies. The need to do this is because during the developmental stage of pregnancy, the foetus are quite fragile and any unhealthy action by their mothers can lead to serious medical conditions for both mother and child. Certainly, one of the major things that can promote the health of mother and child during pregnancy is good food.
As an expectant mother, you should understand that it is no longer the usual that must go into your stomach as the growth of your unborn child is determine by whatever you put into your system. In recent times, many pregnant women have faced birth related issues due to poor choice of diet.during pregnancy. To avoid this, you must decide to quit certain unhealthy foods for pregnant women. Find below a list of the top four foods to avoid.
Top Foods Pregnant Women Must Avoid
Navigate through this article by clicking on page 2 below and so on. There you will see foods to avoid during pregnancy and why they should be avoided.
