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Knowledgebase

Shocking & Fun Facts You Should Know About Milo (Drink)

milo actigen-e

Milo, produced by Nestlé, is a chocolate and malt powder which can be mixed with hot or cold water to produce a beverage drink that is consumed in many parts of the world. Milo is commonly as a powder in a green tin and sachets made of Polyethylene terephthalate, Aluminum foil, and Polyethylene laminated together. The packs often depict various sporting activities. Milo is available as a premixed beverage in some countries, and has been subsequently developed into a snack bar, chocolate cubes (choco milo) and breakfast cereals. Its composition and taste differ in some countries.

Some Shocking And Fun Facts About Beverage Drink, Milo

A lot of people consume this drink and don’t even know some facts they should know about what they are consuming. In this post, I am going to share with you some facts that may be shocking and other facts that are fun to know about Nestlé’s Milo.

1. Milo Was Developed In Australia, Not Switzerland

I thought there should be nothing surprising about this, but I found myself totally wrong when I asked so many people. A lot of people though Milo was developed in Switzerland, where the headquarters of Nestlé is located. No, Milo was originally developed by Thomas Mayne in Sydney, Australia in 1934.

Nestle Milo Nigerian 900g

This is just by way of introducing Milo to you and letting you know its history. Other fun and shocking facts can be found on pages 2 – 10. Some will definitely make your jaw drop! I promise you. Just click on 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on below…

2. Not Everybody Can Drink Milo (Allergen Declaration)

The major ingredients Milo is made from are Cocoa, Milk, Malt and Sugar; it is there on the ingredients list on Milo sachets or cans. Malt is mostly made from Barley or Sorghum and these grains are known to contain Gluten, which some people are hypersensitive to. But is seems Nestlé may have found a way around their product such that it does not contain gluten. I am saying this because it is not declared on their package.

I have talked about allergies in one post, under which I mentioned gluten, eggs, milk, soy milk, etc., as allergens to some people. In another post, I mentioned that gluten-rich foods could contribute to abdominal bloating, causing stomach protrusion. Lactose-rich foods such as milk could contribute too, therefore, people that have lactose intolerance may be hypersensitive to Milo because it contains Milk.

milo ingredients and allergen declaration

Nestlé has done a good job by clearly stating the allergens that could be present in Milo as follows;

Contains milk and soya.

It is now left to you to develop the habit of reading food labels to find out all these things.

ALSO SEE: Allergens That Are Common In Foods We Eat (Opens in new Tab)

3. Milo contains more Malt than Cocoa by Weight

SURPRISED? I guess so! Many people have the impression that Milo is always referred to as a Cocoa beverage, therefore it should have more cocoa than any other ingredients in it. But from the labeling on cocoa cans and sachet, there is more malt by weight than cocoa inside.

You could say, “but their quantities/mass are not stated there…how did you know that?” Here it is, there are international standards for labeling food, which I am sure a company like Nestlé would comply with religiously. Below are the standards as stated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC);

4.2 LIST OF INGREDIENTS

4.2.1 Except for single ingredient foods, a list of ingredients shall be declared on the label.

4.2.1.1 The list of ingredients shall be headed or preceded by an appropriate title which consists of or includes the term ‘ingredient’.

4.2.1.2 All ingredients shall be listed in descending order of ingoing weight (m/m) at the time of the manufacture of the food.

What this means is that, under the ingredients list, the ingredients must be listed with the most massive one first, followed by the next one and so on to the least used ingredient. 

milo ingredients and allergen declaration

Did you read FACT Number 2 at all? It is just as surprising! It is implied on packs of Milo that not everybody can consume it for safety reasons? Want to know why? Then check number two!

4. The Name Is Pronounced As Spelt

Many people in this part of the world do not pronounce Milo the way it should be. The “i” should be pronounced as “ai” and not “i”. This will give us the sound /ˈmaɪloʊ/ instead of /ˈmɪloʊ/ that many people have been calling it. I hope people would be able to change that.

Many do not know they are not using the correct pronunciation while some others know but feel it is not worth it as it makes you look like a fool sometimes. Imagine walking into a grocery store where everyone calls it /ˈmɪloʊ/ and start asking for /ˈmaɪloʊ/, you would not only look wrong but also look like a fool when they try to ignorantly correct your “mistake” and laugh about it.

You can always make your point though, and let them know the right pronunciation but often, it usually falls on deaf ears, especially when everyone there are sure it is called /ˈmɪloʊ/. Although it is pronounced the right way in most parts of the world, the company looked like they have given up on this in countries like Nigeria as all their adverts call it /ˈmɪloʊ/.

Did you know you can get addicted to Milo?

5. You Can Get Addicted To Milo

Yes, it not only coffee one can get addicted to; you can get addicted to chocolate drinks such as Milo. This is not just about Milo but about foods containing cocoa, so don’t think I’m going to switch to Bournvita or something. In coffee, there is caffeine which causes the addiction to coffee, therefore if you buy any brand of coffee that has not being decaffeinated, you would still get that bad boy called caffeine in there.

Cocoa contains theobromine, a xanthine alkaloid similar to caffeine which is present in the cocoa used in the product; thus, like chocolate, it can become mildly addictive if consumed in quantities of more than 15 heaped teaspoons per day. This I guess is way too much for anyone to take in a day anyway.

milo drink

A research carried out in Nigeria to determine the caffeine and theobromine contents (mg/g) in samples of selected Nigerian beverage products found Milo and Bournvita to contain around the same theobromine. The beverages were cocoa (Milo, Bournvita, Rosevita and Enervita), coffee (Nescafe, Bongo, and Maxwell House decaffeinated) and tea (Lipton).

6. Milo Contains More Sugar Than Malt, Cocoa and Milk

Just as I explained before that the proportion by weight of ingredients in any food products are labelled in descending order – highest to lowest. This is the standards and that is what any reputable food manufacturer follows. If you take a quick look at any Milo can or sachet, you would see that sugar is listed first before milk solids (emulsifier: soya lecithin), malt extract (sorghum) then cocoa powder.

What is however not clear to many people that are aware of this fact is what they mean by sugar – is it just sucrose (the common sugar we use to sweeten food) or the total sugar that is present as a result of other ingredients. For example, milk contains a sugar that is called lactose and it is not sweet. There is also maltose from the Sorghum used to produce malt and this might have contributed to the total sugar.

Here is what Milo’s has to say about that;

Over half the TOTAL sugars in a glass of MILO® and trim milk, are natural sugars from lactose in milk.

There is less than 1 teaspoon of ADDED table sugar.

The remaining sugar naturally come from the milk powder and malted barley ingredients in MILO® powder.

milo sugar content pie chart

Findings have revealed that Milo made in Australia and New Zealand have Glycemic Indices (GI) similar to that of Coke. Surprised?

7. Milo’s Glycemic Index Is Same As Coke’s

Findings in Australia and Switzerland have revealed that Milo dissolved in water has a glycemic index that is the same as Coke. Milo dissolved in water has a Glycemic Index (GI) of 55, the same as Coca-Cola but this can be brought down by using Milk instead of only water. What is Glycemic Index?

Milk has a much lower GI of 30 – 33, so mixing a very small amount of Milo into a mug of milk yields an overall GI closer to 33, and mixing a large amount of Milo into a mug of milk will give a GI closer to 55.

The International Table of Glycemic Index(GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) also listed them to have very close GIs. The following is what was listed for each of those samples;

Coca Cola ® , soft drink (Coca Cola Amatil, Sydney, NSW, Australia) has a glycemic index of 53±7 (250 g/serving) while Milo TM (Nestlé, Australia) dissolved in water has 55±3. Milo TM (Nestlé, Australia) dissolved in full-fat cow’s milk has a GI of 35±2.

glycemic index coke
glycemic index Milo

8. Malaysians Are The World’s Largest Consumers of Milo

Milo is very popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It is most popular in Malaysia where the brand name is synonymous with chocolate flavoured drinks, just like many people would refer to any noodle as Indomie here. Milo has a 90% market share in Malaysia and this is not the same as the often quoted 90% worldwide share of Milo consumption.

Milo is this popular in Malaysia because Milo was once used as a nutrient supplement when it was first introduced in the country, and has thus gained a reputation as a ‘must have’ drink for the old and the younger generations.

This post was compiled just to enlighten people on one of the foods that we consume, it is not an advertisement and it is not to critisize any product and make them look bad. In fact, many things shared here are pluses for Milo.

milo actigen-e

Finally, it is worth noting that the drink is high in calcium, iron and the vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12. Milo is advertised as containing “Actigen-E” – this is just Nestlé’s trademarked name for the vitamins in the Milo recipe.

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Food & Nutrition

Food Causes, Symptoms & Tips For Treating A Bloated Stomach

bloating and distention

I mentioned in a recent post that your protruded stomach or abdomen may not be as a result of too much fat — it could be due to bloating. I talked about how you can find out if what you have is a bloated stomach in that post too. You can still check it out by clicking the link above if you missed it then. What we will be discussing here are the food and other causes of bloating as well as the tips you can make use of to getting rid of a bloating.

bloating and distention

What are the causes of Bloating?

Like I mentioned in the article that I linked to above, bloating could be caused by several factors and you may want to check with your doctor to find out what the cause really is. If it is not caused by a chronic heart or liver condition, it is probably due to the following factors;

  • Eating too fast
  • Using a straw to suck drinks which sucks in gas with it
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Weight gain
  • Overgrowth of bacteria in the small bowel
  • Menstruation
  • fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites) as a result of cancer, liver disease, kidney failure, congestive heart failure, and other disorders

What are the foods that trigger bloating?

The Food Causes of Bloating Explained

Apart from the habits and medical conditions listed above, foods can also cause bloating – which ultimately can still be released to medical conditions.

For example, the consumption of carbonated drinks and food that is high in lactose by people who are lactose intolerant (e.g. Milk) can cause a bloated stomach to develop. Also, consumption of wheat gluten by people who cannot tolerate it causes it too. Foods that are rich in gluten include;

  • Foods made from Barley e.g. malt, malt drinks, malt flavoring and malt vinegar
  • Avoid foods made from wheat flour e.g. bread, cake, pasta, etc., unless they are made from corn, rice, soy or labeled Gluten-free.
  • Rye

What are the Symptoms?

The most prominent symptom is the feeling of fullness especially just after eating. It usually also come with distention where the stomach is visibly larger than normal. Other symptoms that may accompany it include;

  • abdominal pain
  • blood in the stools or dark tarry looking stools
  • diarrhea
  • worsening heartburn
  • vomiting
  • unexplained weight loss

Tips For Getting Rid Of A Bloated Stomach

If your bloating comes with any of the symptoms listed in bullets above, then you just have to see a medical doctor. Otherwise, adjusting your diet and eating habits can make your bloating go away over time. What you should do include;

  • Chewing gum can cause you to swallow extra air. Avoid it.
  • Reduce your intake of carbonated drinks.
  • Avoid “gassy” foods, such vegetables in the cabbage family, dried beans, and lentils.
  • Eat slowly.
  • Avoid sucking drinks with a straw.
  • Lose weight if you are overweight. You should check your BMI to know!
  • Use lactose-free dairy products, e.g. Yoghurt.

Now that you know what to do. It is time to get rid of that bloating.

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Food & Body Food & Nutrition

The 3 Best Foods To Snack With At Night

banana

Many people have been on the fat side because they eat late at night and not too long from that time they go to bed. This is quite unhealthy. However, many other people cannot afford not to snack at night because they are nocturnal and active in the late hours of the day and so, finds a need to refuel their systems.

While as a nutritionist I do not recommend late night eating except the individual is on a mission of weight gain, it is important to educate people on the best food options to consume if at all they need to eat late at night. When you have decided to eat late night, you must take caution on your calorie intake during the day so that your daily food intake would not supercede your recommended requirement. Now, lets go ahead to see the foods you can snack with late night.

banana

1. Banana: This is one fruit that is excellent. It contains numerous vitamins and minerals that will nourish your body. So, when you are tempted to snack on popcorn and other artificially sweetened products, you could just get 1 or 2 finger of banana. The banana contains natural sugars which will cater for your craving for sweet snack while supplying much lower calorie to your body compared to processed snacks like cookies and pop corn. Remember, it is also contains good amount of fiber which enhances proper digestion.

However, it is advisable to limit your consumption to maximum of three fingers if you must consume at night.

NEXT FOOD :: Click Page [2] below…

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Food & Body

List Of Foods That Help Prevent And Relieve Constipation

vegetables all

Earlier, I talked about the types of food that can cause constipation when coupled with some other unhealthy behaviors. If you have not read that post, it is still available via the link provided above. While writing that post, I anticipated that many would want to know how to quickly get through the episode of constipation in case they ever find themselves in one, so I added a text at the end of the article telling you I would write about it soon. Here it comes.

When we have constipation, there are foods that we can eat to help relieve the indigestion and there are foods we should totally avoid during that period. We are talking about the food to include in your diet to help you through constipation. Also, if you add these foods to your diet, you won’t even be worrying about reading this ever again because constipation would stay away from you.

Common Foods That Will Help You Relieve Constipation

If you are going through and episode of constipation, you would want to just leave it as an episode; you wouldn’t want it to become a series — episode after episode. When you have constipation, the best thing you can do is to drink water, exercise well and eat the listed foods as much as recommended. What you would basically be doing when you add these foods to your diet is increasing your fiber intake. The average adult needs between 25 and 38 grams of fiber a day to avoid constipation – this value is far less than most of us typically eat everyday.

1. Vegetables helps you with constipation

This is definitely top on my list. Vegetables are known to be very rich in fiber and that is why we have continued to talk about it more and more in articles here. We know the importance of vegetables (both cooked and eaten raw); this is why we have written an article to guide you on how to maximize the nutrients in them and another to guide you on how to cook vegetables such as spinach such that they do not lose all their nutritional values.

vegetables all

If you have constipation and are going to add fiber to your diet, you may want to do it gradually so that you don’t develop abdominal bloating and cramping. You don’t want to suddenly go from eating 10 grams of fiber to 25 in a day, increase the intake little by little.

Examples include Brussels sprouts, carrots, spinach and asparagus.

Click on 2, 3, 4 below to go to page 2, 3 and 4 of this article respectively…

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News

Noodles Found To Be “Dangerous & Hazardous” Withdrawn From Market

noodles cooking
Photo: davidlebovitz.com

Nestle’s Maggi Noodles has now been withdrawn by East Africa’s biggest supermarket chain from five different countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Sudan) after news of a partial ban on the product emerged from India. Regulators in India described the product as “unsafe and hazardous”.

Food regulators in India said that tests carried out on the Nestle’s Maggi noodles revealed high lead levels in the product, describing it as “unsafe and hazardous”. This led to a ban on the product in several states of the country.

Following public pressure, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has grudgingly acted on the lead-poisoned Nestle “Maggi” noodles and issues a verbal recall after which Nestle was asked to recall the product.

Although Nestle maintains that there is nothing wrong with the noodles, claiming to have tested a batch of 1,000 Maggi noodles in the country and found “lead levels… well within the limits specified by food regulations”, more supermarkets continue to withdraw the noodles.

The Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) has also asked Kenya’s port authority to prevent further imports of the product.

noodles cooking
Photo: davidlebovitz.com

Lessons to learn from this crisis;

Many company want to make profit at all cost but that is why we have regulatory and standards body to keep them in check. In Nigeria, NAFDAC is saddled with these responsibilities but I believe they are not doing enough in terms of inspection and frequent tests on food products available in the market. I’ve heard cases of companies sending samples that NAFDAC would analyze by themselves. This is not right, NAFDAC should go the factories and take part of the finished products that are going to the market for their analyses.

Being pro-active could have could have saved India of having products with lead in the market but they too have a lot of flaws in the system.

For example, Uttar Pradesh, where the crisis began, has a population the size of Brazil’s but the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only five laboratories – or one per 40 million people. This is way way too few if they are serious about their responsibilities.

Lastly, I believe Government should do more in funding and appointments. When you want to appoint someone to head a parastatal that deals with food, don’t appoint a pharmacist, chemist or medical doctor. The same goes for every other parastatals too – appoint someone who is well-trained in that field with years of experience on the job.

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Food Recipes

Learn How To Make Soy Milk At Home

Soy Milk

In these past few years of my experience as a practicing Nutritionist, I have been opportune to meet a few patients that are lactose intolerant. Those that are lactose intolerant do not have the ability to digest the sugar lactose found in milk and some milk products thereby leading to bloating (accumulation of gas in the stomach), diarrhea and other symptoms. This is usually due to a lack of lactase enzyme produced in the small intestine. As they avoid this important food, they tend to lose a lot of nutritional benefits. In view of this, there is a need for them to consume milk substitutes that do not trigger any intolerance but supply good nutrients to the body. A typical example is Soy milk, a plant-based source of milk that does not contain lactose and so it cannot lead to intolerances.

Method To Make Your Own Soy Milk

Soy milk is quite available in many grocery stores but most of the processed soy milk have higher amounts of food additives that could trigger some health conditions. It is essential and cost-effective to learn how to make this milk substitute at home.

Soy Milk

Ingredients:

  • Soy Beans (150 g) to make 1littre of Soy milk.
  • A pinch of salt (optional)
  • Water (as appropriate)

Equipment

  • A blender; Kenwood or Philips
  • Muslin cloth
  • 1 Sieve and 2-3 bowls
  • A  measuring cup

Method:

Have you hands properly cleaned before touch the food item. Do not forget to make sure your equipment are clean too.

  • Grab the 150gram Soya beans and pour into a big bowl.
  • Add enough quantity of portable water to cover the beans well enough to give room for swelling.
  • Keep the mixture for about 8 hours or overnight. By that time, you would have noticed the beans had doubled or tripled in size.
  • Drain the water away using a sieve or carefully pour the water away.
  • Prepare and add hot water at 6O°C to the beans. It will help soften the hull of the beans so that it can be easily removed by hand rubbing and help inhibit further enzyme activities just after the soaking.
  • Rub the beans between your hands to take away the hull or skin just like you would do to beans in the making of Moimoi and Akara until it is completely done.
  • Carefully remove the hull by washing with water again and again until it remains the de hulled soy beans. Usually the hull will rise to the top.
  • Pour the entire Soya beans into a blender and add 1 litre of portable water.
  • Blend for like five minutes and pour into a bowl. Ensure the solution is smooth.

Using another bowl, place a muslin cloth over it and pour the solution into it in order to sieve out only the soy milk. You could use you hands to squeeze further to get more of the milk. The insoluble substance gotten here is called Okara and can be used as cattle feed.

Once you have completely achieved this, the solution can be placed on cooker to simmer slightly. Make sure it is on low it for 15 to 20 minutes. This will make the soy milk completely fit for consumption. During this period, a thick sheet of the soy solution might appear on the top, use a spoon to scrape it off. You do not need to cover the pot in this process.

Allow to cool and finally pour the solution into a sieve placed over another bowl to get the final soy milk with no sediment or beans particle.

Your healthy soy milk is ready for consumption. To enjoy it, you could add a pinch of salt and sugar to taste and  keep it in the refrigerator. But these are completely optional. However, you might prefer flavouring it this way.

PLEASE NOTE: While soy milk contains no lactose and no form the symptoms of lactose intolerance could occur, it is important that people who chose soy milk as a substitute should gradually include it into their diets until their system completely adjust to it.

I should also add that people that cannot digest lactose can go for other processed milk options such as Yoghurt. Lactose in milk has been converted to lactic acid in yoghurt. It is a good option too.

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Food & Body Food & Nutrition

Foods That Cause Constipation: Top Foods To Avoid

Photo: damianmotlo.com

This could sound unbelievable but I have never had constipation more than once in my life. At least since I could tell my left hand from the right — it could have had it before then. Even though I have had it only once in my life, I know the pain that comes with constipation and some that may linger on for the rest of your life. For me, when I see or smell all the food I ate the day I had constipation, I feel like throwing up. That nauseating feeling just comes.

This is one of the reasons I don’t eat cracker biscuits and ojojo (fried balls made from grated yam) till today. Whenever I see them, the memory of that day just comes to my mind. I saw it yesterday and I though about writing this article.

constipation
Photo: damianmotlo.com

What Causes Constipation?

The common causes of constipation include a low fiber diet, not drinking enough water, or a lack of exercise. According to a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Kristi King, RD, “Constipation is not usually caused by one or more foods on [its] own.” “It’s usually a combination of things.”

We have mentioned those other factors that could contribute to constipation, so, the rest of this post will only talk about food that contribute to constipation. Let’s go.

So What Foods Cause Constipation?

Basically, foods that are low in fibre content can contribute to the development of constipation. Fibre helps us digest our foods easily — one of the reasons vegetables are always emphasized in our diet. They are very rich in fibre.

When you indulge in unhealthy activities like not drinking enough water and not exercising too much, you cannot couple them with eating too much of these kind of foods (low fibre). Dairy products like cheese and milk can help develop constipation because of the high-fat and low-fibre content of many of these products.

Any cereal that is less than 1 g of fibre per serving, e.g. some cornflakes, puffed wheat, Rice Krispies could have really low fibre content. Making milk and accomplice could even make the matter worse. Other foods include white rice, plain white pasta, noodles and macaroni.

Please be informed again that these foods don’t cause constipation on their own — the other factors mentioned above coupled with these foods usually cause constipation. If you are not exercising well enough and still eat high fibre foods such as fruits and vegetables (such as spinach cooked the right way), constipation should not come near you.

NEXT: Foods That Can Help You Relieve Constipation Fast

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Knowledgebase

The Differences Between Lager, Beer, Stout, Ale & Wine

beer wine lager ale stout

Beer of course without doubt is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and usually described as the most consumed liquid after tea and water. I bet it is fast catching up with tea and soon enough water. I guess you doubt that, but nothing is impossible in a beer drinking world of ours. Beer is dated back to years Before Christ (BC) when the world came up with the product through a process called brewing. Brewing is simply the soaking of a starch source like barley or wheat in water and grinding or mashing the result to produce a liquid called Wort which is then fermented.

beer wine lager ale stout

While the ingredients (Barley, Hop, Water, Adjunct and yeast ) of making the different types of beer can be the same, there is a slight difference in the method of production to bring about the different beer types. For the records, beer is majorly of two types- Ale and Lager. In this short post, I will be sharing with you the difference between the two types. Lets take them one after the other.

Here Are Details of Each Drink So You Can Differentiate

NEXT [2] Click to page 2 to continue reading…

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Food & Body Knowledgebase

Thin People Could Be In More Danger Of Fat Than Fat People

visceralfat

You have heard about cardiovascular heart diseases and how fat people could be in danger of it and you just think, “I am not fat, so I have nothing to worry about”. Well, you may be right and you may be wrong. Thin people could be in danger of these diseases too — in fact, they could be in more danger of fat than people who are visibly fat. Yeah, mark the word “VISIBLY”.

I have explained in one of the posts published on this site that when we consume too much foods that are high in fat and carbohydrates, our body store the excess as fat. That is why we are always advised to minimize our consumption of foods that will make you fat (high calorie foods).

So, I Am Not Fat, How Could I Be In Danger of Fat-related Diseases?

I will try to explain this in simple and clear terms. Fats are being stored in different ways in our body and I mentioned this when I talked about some of the foods that cause fat belly and the common foods that can help fight fat belly. People with fat belly basically store most of their fats in tissues of their tummy. This is a fact that we are all familiar with.

visceralfat

The way our body store fat and the hence the type of fat we have in our bodies can be classified into two – cutaneous and visceral. The former, which involves storing fat under skin tissues is better in my opinion. This way, you can tell that you are getting too much fat and fight it head on.

The latter involves storing fat around organs including the vital ones like kidney, liver, heart, etc. This is what makes it dangerous because from outside, you are looking all slim and without much fat but the organs are suffering inside. You would agree with me now that cutaneous (skin) fat is better than visceral fat.

You should endeavour to always check your weight from time to time. With this you can always calculate your Body Mass Index to determine if you are underweight, overweight or even obese. You can use our free online BMI calculator to do that now (link opens in new tab).

If you find out that you are overweight, obese or very close to overweight, you should start watching what you eat and also start exercising. You could also consult a medical doctor or a nutritionist to advise you on further steps to take.

I hope this post brings it to the awareness of everyone that anyone could be in danger of diseases that are caused by fats and their compositions. I am going to write about the types of fats that are dangerous to us and the foods they can be found in. I will also take time to write about the diseases that are caused by these fats and their symptoms.

You don’t want to miss them, do you? If you don’t want to then subscribe to our updates free.

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Food & Body

List Of Foods That Help Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

eating apple
Photo: saidaonline.com

Unless you grew up with parents who took care of your teeth very well, taught you how to take care of your teeth and foods (and drinks) that cause damages to your teeth, you may have one or two problems with your teeth as you grow up. This may be occasional toothache, enamel erosion, decay and discoloration of the teeth.

Even if your parents took care of your teeth very well, as we age, our teeth tend to lose some of its whiteness and starting having discolouration. The once white teeth may now become slightly yellow due to foods that we have exposed it to. Several foods are very bad for the teeth and some of these foods go as far as wearing out the enamel of your teeth. This makes you feel some pain when you drink cold water or brush in the morning.

Let us leave that and go to the topic of the day. In as much as we have to avoid eating foods such as beverages like tea, dark sodas, and fruit juices that stain teeth to stop further discoloration, there are foods we should eat too to help us remove the stains already there naturally.

whitening teeth

Foods That Can Whiten Your Teeth For You – Home Remedy

1. Strawberries

Strawberries are red in color but they have a component that helps your teeth get whiter. This component is called Malic acid, it acts as a natural astringent to remove surface tooth discoloration. You may want to start eating more of this. Recall that we also told you that strawberries and sone foods together can serve as anti-aging foods too.

Some people even use this fruit by mashing it up and leaving on their teeth for 5 minutes before rinsing it away. This gives the teeth more exposure time to the malic acid but that means wasting the strawberry by not eating it.

Click 2 below to go to food number 2 that whitens your teeth…

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Food & Body

Bloating: Your Pot Belly May Not Be From Fats

bloating and distention

When many people develop protruded belly, they think they have accumulated a lot of fats in their tummy and start working out to burn the fats. Sometimes, they work out for months, eat low calorie foods and still find out that the belly is not going down. I have seen cases like this before and with what I found out, there are pot bellies that are caused by other factors other than eating too much calories and the resultant fat accumulation. I am going to share them with you now.

What causes Pot Belly other than fat?

Before you start treating yourself, placing yourself on diet and exercising, it is advisable to see a doctor to know what the cause of your pot belly is. I have seen people that are kind of underweight with pot bellies thinking they have fat belly. Yes, we store fat in different places in our body and a good way to find out if you have too much weight is to check your Body Mass Index. You can check it with few click on our website by going to this page (opens in new tab).

bloating and distention
Photo: iffgd.org

If you are overweight according to your BMI, you may want to start with burning some calories by exercising and avoiding foods that make you fat. Often, fats around the belly get burned faster than those in other places. If your belly however remains the same after seeing your BMI come to normal, then you may want to see your doctor to see if you have a bloated stomach or abdomen condition.

ALSO SEE: How Alcohol Causes Fat Belly [Must Read]

Okay! So, What is Abdominal Bloating?

Abdominal bloating is a condition in which the belly (abdomen) feels full and tight. Your belly may appear swollen (distended) and sometimes fell pains (some people don’t). Bloating is caused by a lot of factors that I cannot explain in this post. I am going to write an article on causes of abdominal bloating and how to treat it.

If your stomach bloating is not caused by medical conditions such as heart and liver disease, then it would be gas accumulation caused by any or a combination of the following factors;

  • Swallowing air, Constipation
  • Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Lactose intolerance and problems digesting other foods
  • Overeating
  • Small bowel bacterial overgrowth

If you want to confirm you have a bloated abdomen, you have to see your doctor first. Don’t do a self-diagnosis or medication.

Another factor that can make your stomach get protruded is a lack of enough abdominal muscles. Out stomach has a tendency to expand when we eat, so if you do not have strong abdominal muscles, the stomach just push it out. People with this challenge would notice that they have flat tummy before eating and a round pot belly after eating. It goes down as your food digest.

Also, if you lie down with your back flat on the bed, you have a flat tummy but stand up, the round ball comes out. This can be devastating. In this case, you have to do three things exercise, keep exercising and don’t stop exercising. Do more of abdominal exercises.

Here are some recommended abdominal exercises you should be doing to get more muscles around there.

Categories
Food Safety

How Ogogoro, Paraga, Jedi, etc, are Silently Killing Nigerians

no alcohol sign

That I have not tasted alcohol is a complete lie and there is no iota of truth in me. Research have also shown that a little alcohol is not bad for the body but this is not that I am preaching that you should drink alcohol. To keep this straight, when I say alcohol, I mean wine and a little of beer not “ale”, that are produced and bottled by recognized and standard companies who put into place the necessary hygiene and good manufacturing practices and have the overall reputation of their companies to protect. They cannot afford to toil with people’s lives by mere negligence. You should by now be able to decipher the brands of alcohols or wines I am talking about.

Having said that, it is a complete shame to know that in a country where food and brewery processing professionals abound, there seem to be a rise in the proliferation and popularity of so many brands of alcohols that are far from meeting the requisite of proper alcohol production; yet, this poisons are sold in every nook and cranny of our country damaging the lives of people without them knowing. Sometimes, I wonder what National Agency For Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is doing.

In rivers state, just recently, it was reported that about 2 scores of people died mysteriously after consuming some quantity of local gin in a nearby local shop. According to PM news, the Director of the Department of Disease Control in the state, Dr. Roland Obed Whyte said there was a ban on these products and it was for the good of the locals who regularly take Ogogoro. The director said it would be difficult to get samples of the particular gin that was consumed through clinical analysis as youths of Woji community, where the incident happened had burnt the shop.

While one cannot convincingly say these deaths were caused by the concoction called Ogogoro or Kaikai as they are popularly called, it is becoming clearer that these products which are manufactured under unacceptable food processing conditions have been causing havoc to the health of many. Funny enough, they are unaware.

I do not know why people drink these brands of alcohol. Some claim it makes them high, others say it is a super enhancer for sex and other physical activities. Well, those are none of my concerns. But my brother, are these the reasons you have chosen to make these drinks your breakfast? A trip to major streets in Lagos, between 5am and 7am, You will sight tens of motor drivers and union members in different locations sipping the concoction as their breakfast. All it does is gradually damage their liver, kidney and stomach wall. No wonder many of them are ulcer patients with multiple skin diseases.

I have also come to realize that the consumption of these drinks are not only peculiar with transport workers etc, many educated people and professionals also secretly use them as enhancer to perform well at work, in bed and other duties. Many are constantly having headaches and some undescribable body reactions without knowing it is as a result of the poisons they had been funneling into their body system.

Many State Ministries of Heath are beginning to place a ban on these products as so many health concerns are associated with the consumption. An example is Ondo State Ministry of Health. It was also recorded that a similar incident which claimed lives of people happened in the state.

All these bitters and gins, in as much as one cannot say they should not be manufactured; the production and importation of theses drinks have to be monitored by appropriate authorities to ensure compliance to standard and avoid loss of life.

We have to protect Nigerians and those yet unborn. A ban on these product and a jail term for public sales will be a welcome development until government and agencies concerned come up with serious standards and procedures in which manufacturers of these products must adhere to in order to avoid further loss of lives as it has recently happened.

I STAND TO BE CORRECTED!

If you have had a terrible experience with any of these drinks, please share it.

Categories
Food & Body

Foods You Should Avoid During Examination Period

junk foods

I am writing about foods you should not eat during your examination period or when your examination is approaching because some curious readers of one of our sister websites, who are preparing for Post-UTME screening asked. They want to know if there are foods that can hinder their concentration, brain cognitive functions and exam performances.

I thought that their questions make sense because we know alcohol can damages brain cells, so it would be wise to stay away from alcohol and foods/drinks containing them during if you would like to make the best out of your brain.

Brain Foods: Foods That Boost Brain Power & Memory

Now, let us talk about those foods you should stay clear of when you are getting close to your exams. Some of them are even foods you should not indulge too much in because if a food affect brain functions, for example, avoiding it during exams would not undo the damages it had done before that time.

Below are some of the foods you should not consume or consume less just before and during your exams;

1. Alcohol of Foods Containing Alcohol

During your examination period, you should stay away from too much alcohol. It has negative effects on many organs in our body, even the brain. When your drink much alcohol and it gets to the brain, it disables function by damaging the connective tissue at the end of neurons, called dendrites.

We have billions of these dendrites in our brains and what they do is to conduct electrochemical stimulation from one cell to another cell body in in the brain.

no alcohol sign

With some of these dendrites damaged, there is the disruption of communication among neurons, it becomes difficult for cells to talk to one another and makes it harder for an individual to focus or complete minor tasks including reading and understanding. However, our bodies do a good job by repairing this if we stay off alcohol for some period afterwards.

Categories
Food & Body

Foods As Eczema Triggers – The Facts & Myths Explained

eczema

Eczema is a skin condition that causes itchy and swollen patches of the skin. It is also called atopic dermatitis and is treated with oral medications, creams and light therapy. I do not want to go into the details of telling you what eczema is if you don’t already know what it is, you would probably not be reading this. I would like to just go straight to the main discussion.

Do Foods Cause Eczema or It is Just A Myth?

I would answer yes in some cases and answer no in some cases, depending on who is asking me this question. Foods can lead to the onset of eczema in some children below the age of 4, but as they grow older eczema as a result of eating foods is very rare.

In adult, there is no scientific backing for claims that some foods cause eczema on the skin. I have not seen one, if you have come across one somewhere, I would be glad if you point me in that direction. I am not saying this could not happen, I know someone that gets eczema after a prolonged period of eating fish and milk. Whenever she stops, the eczema leaves but there is nothing yet implicating foods in the development of eczema.

eczema

Maybe it’s just similar to what I explained under the foods that cause pimples/acne – it could just be a case of different foods for different folks.

“Don’t just take his word for it, after all, he just a Food Scientist/Technologist.” I know some people may think or say that but I am not alone on this.

Andrea Cambio MD, FAAD. Cambio is the medical director of Cambio Dermatology in southwest Florida said and I quote;

There is no science linking certain foods with flare-ups. But it can be an individual thing.

For example, if a patient reports eating chocolate makes her eczema worse, then I would advise her to cut down or eliminate chocolate from her diet.

So what are now the real cause of eczema?

Common Causes of Eczema:

Let me tell you that eczema is often caused by by a lot of external factors which also vary from person to person. Some people have noticed that they get eczema on their arms when they dip it inside water with detergent, some have reported toiletries and perfumes, too much heat and cold, dust and many more.

All you just need to do is be observant and see if any food or external factor causes eczema for you but the challenge is that, we expose ourselves to these these things in combination everyday, making it hard to separate their effects on our skin.

For example, the person that complained about milk and fish could eat both in a day, use toiletries, perfumes, get exposed to dust and detergent all in the same day. In this case, what are you going to blame for the eczema?

ALSO SEE: Foods That Keep Our Skin Young & Looking Fresh

Categories
Food & Body

Foods That Will Help Improve Your Hair Colour & Quality

kim kardashian fine hair

Gone are those days when women are particularly interested in the quality of their natural hairs, they know they can always use attachments, weavons, wigs and other hair-like materials that will make the outward appearance of their hair look great and attractive. Lesser number of women subscribe to our native hair styles and this trend had made women care less because hair fashion continues even without a healthy and good looking natural hair. Also, external treatment have been popular.

While I can not doubt the efficacy and importance of using relaxers, shampoos, gels, oils and the rest, the best way to keep your hair healthy is ‘inside out’. Just like the quality of the foods you consume affects your vision and skin appearance, so does foods affect your hair. They are all interlinked. This short post will be addressing three major categories of foods you should consider including in your diet on a long term basis to help improve your hair quality. You will be surprised at the result if you adhere to this religiously. Before sharing the top food lists, I want to discuss my personal story.

kim kardashian fine hair

For those who know me well, they are aware I have had a slightly brown coloured hair for a very long time. Recently, I got involved in the distribution and sales of Coconut oil. I was quick to include it into my diet without the thought of using it to improve my hair quality. Suddenly, after few months, I started receiving complements on the new looks of my hair, gradually becoming dark and shining. Clearly, it has improved. Then I was convinced that the composition of your diet can improve your hair quality

TOP THREE CATEGORIES OF FOODS THAT IMPROVES HAIR QUALITY

1. Foods High in Biotin:

Biotin is an essential nutrient that is needed for improved hair quality. A member of the vitamin B complex is needed for a number of enzymatic reactions which aids proper metabolism of protein. When people do not consume foods rich in biotin, there will be poor metabolism of body nutrients which contributes to undernourished hair follicles. This vitamins helps to promote the strength and texture of your hair. A diet rich in animal protein like eggs, liver and sea foods would supply adequate amount of biotin to your body.

Click to page 2 below to see the other groups of foods…

Categories
Food Recipes

Learn How To Make “Ice Cream” From 1 Ingredient At Home

As a nutritionist for children with special needs, one of my job responsibilities is to come up with new food varieties and recipes that will be appealing to our children. Sometimes it can be quite difficult but the nutrition team which I belong to, tries its best. Some times last year we decided to give a new look to the mid-day food of our children at the centre. Then, we decided to make Ice cream.

Banana Ice Cream Recipe
Photo: imsa.edu

As at that time we had no Ice cream equipment and other important ingredients necessary for the making of Ice cream. As we pondered, one of us sighted at a food item and he said we could make a healthy nutritious Ice cream from it. If your guess is as good as mine…….then by now you should know the food item – Banana. Yes, you can make Ice cream from start to finish using BANANA only. Although, the procedure is simple and a bit different but the output is as creamy as your ice cream made from milk and other ingredients.

How Is Iced Banana Cream Made? – Ingredients and Method

Ingredients, Equipments and Method of Preparation!

INGREDIENT

Medium sized ripe banana (Two fingers)

EQUIPMENT

A powerful blender or a food processor. I usually use Kenwood Food processor.

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Wash your hand clean and keep them dry before handling the food item to avoid contamination.

  • Ensure that the blender or food processor is clean.
  • Peel the 2 banana fingers and slice each to six or seven pieces. A straight horizontal cutting will do.
  • Pour the sliced banana into a small glass container that has a lid. Cover it up.
  • Place in a freezer for about three hours if you are using a blender but over night if using a food processor.
  • When ready collect the already frozen banana and pour inside your food processor.

Turn on at high speed for about 30 seconds. Stop, scrape the banana to fall into place and start the engine again. Do this continuously until the banana turns completely creamy just like your ice cream. This process could take up to five minutes, less or more depending on your processing device. The colour of the cream may appear brownish depending on you banana.

Your Banana Ice Cream or better still, Iced Banana Cream is Ready.

One good and healthy thing about this recipe is that banana contains most of the other ingredients that regular ice cream contains. Banana contains sugar and pectin that keep it creamy and fibre to aid in proper digestion. You can also decide to add other ingredients to it if you so wish.

Milk, Peanut butter or Nutella chocolates will not be bad. Just add at moderate quantity. I do not advise adding sugar because Banana is already high in sugar.

Do not forget to give this a shot and share your comments here!