Categories
Food Recipes

How To Make Garden Egg Sauce (Recipe)

garden egg sauce

Hello friends, it is time to learn how to make my favourite stews. People around me ask-why I love this so much. I answer; because it is healthier than most of others stews we consume daily.  Do not forget to read from the previous article I posted on how garden eggs can improve your health.

If you have not eaten garden eggs sauce before, this is a one time opportunity to give it a shot and you will be thankful you did. Lets go straight to the steps involved in making garden egg sauce delicious.

garden egg sauce

Ingredients for making Garden Egg Sauce

  • 10 average size of garden eggs ( I prefer the white ones)
  • 5-6 pieces average size of pepper, 2-3 pieces average size of tomatoes and one large size of onions.
  • Iru ( Completely optional), Cube seasonings and Salt
  • Palm oil (3 cooking spoons). You could add more if need be
  • 2-3 Boiled Titus fish or smoked fish (I prefer the roasted one)
  • Some amount of water

Method Of Preparation

  • Purchase about 10 fresh average size green or white type of garden eggs. Wash then clean in a running water.
  • Cut and dice into tiny pieces and pour into a powerful blender.
  • Add enough water to make the blades of the blender oscillate.
  • Blend until it has a very smooth thick consistency.

Pour the pasty garden egg into a clean cooking pot and cook for 2-3 minutes until it further thickens under low heat. Ensure you continuously stir to avoid burnt garden egg puree. Keep this aside.

  • Dice a big size onions into smaller pieces and set aside.
  • Use a hand blender to blend two to three average size tomato and plenty pepper (rhodo) and set aside. If you do not like pepper you could reduce the ratio to your preference. You could pound this to form a paste if you can.
  • Using your clean hands, cut your roasted fish into smaller pieces and set aside.
  • How To Make The Gargen Egg Sauce
  • Pour about three cooking spoons of palm oil into a clean non sticky big frying pot or pan placed on a cooker. Ensure low heat.
  • When the oil is hot, had you diced onions. I seriously love onions, so I used a very big size. Stir for about 15- 20seconds.
  • Add your prepared garden egg paste and allow to cook by covering the pot under low heat for about 10minutes. Do not forget to stir during this period. This should be done when the little water in the garden egg puree disappears. You must stir once in a while to avoid burnt sauce.
  • Add your grated or pounded pepper, Iru pete (Mashed locust beans but optional based on your preference) and cube seasoning and salt to taste. Allow to cook for some minutes. You could add a little water to give room for the further cooking but ensure you sauce ends up in a thick consistency usually with no water.
  • Add the boiled Titus or roasted fish and stir. Do this not more than 90 seconds.
  • Your garden egg sauce is ready to be served with boiled or fried yam, boiled or fried plantain and boiled rice

If you do have time to try out this recipe, do not forget to share your experience here. In fact you could be adventurous with the ingredients to make the sauce.

ALSO SEE: See How Garden Egg Can Boost Your Health

Categories
Food Recipes

How You Can Make Poundo Yam With Blender At Home

Poundo yam & egusi soup
Photo: urnaija.com

The hassles and difficulty involved in making pounded yam through the conventional way of using mortal and pestle has led many people to delete the meal from their family’s menu. In recent times, the proliferation of an alternative — poundo yam; a powder/ flour type that produces a similar result appears to be the way out.

However, many people especially those familiar with the original taste of pounded yam were not satisfied with the taste and the stretchy form of the poundo yam dough. This could be as a result of added preservatives and other additives that have impeded on the quality, appearance and other organoleptic properties of poundo yam.

Poundo yam & egusi soup
Photo: urnaija.com

How To Process Poundo Yam With Blender

While this dislike for the powdered alternative appears to be growing geometrically in number, it will surprise some of you to know that making pounded yam can actually be done with a good food processor popularly called powerful blender. The good thing about this is that you know exactly what goes into the making of your pounded yam. Hey! let’s see how this is done.

Ingredients for Poundo Yam

  • A TUBER OF YAM
  • SALT (Optional)
  • WATER

Method for Preparing Your Own Poundo Yam

  • Cut the tuber of yam into pieces and peel the skin.
  • Cut the yam pieces into smaller pieces and wash under running water thoroughly.
  • Pour into a cooking pot and add enough salt to taste if you do not mind and water to cover up the yam. Do not forget to cover the pot.
  • Check the yam for tenderness. Normally the yam should be quite tender between 20-30 minutes. If not keep on cooker until tender.
  • When tender, drain the water and pour the yam into a clean plate.
  • Using a knife or a folk, mash the cooked yam pieces so that the blades of the blender can easily run through them.
  • Pour the mashed yam into a food processor or blender.
  • Run the blender for few seconds (6-10s) and stop. Do this twice or thrice before running the the blender until the yam turn dough like and stretchy. Do that to the remaining cooked tender yam pieces.
  • Scoop out the stretchy yam dough and do not forget to dress it up in the plate to form a nice looking pounded using a big plastic spoon or what is called Igbako by the Yorubas….Yea….Your pounded yam is ready
  • Serve with a delicious Egusi Soup, Vegetable soup or just any other soup of your liking.

Absolutely, you can eat pounded yam without going through much difficulty. Try this out with a good blender or food processor and get back to us as regards the result.

VIDEO COMING SOON…WATCH OUT!

ALSO SEE: Solutions For Yams Turning Yellow, Brown When Peeling

Categories
Food & Nutrition

See How Garden Egg Can Boost Your Health

garden egg

It is over a decade I ate garden egg stew. Without doubts in my mind, it is one of the healthiest stews ever made for me by my grandmother. Garden egg otherwise known as eggplant fruit has somewhat lost its place in the diet of  Nigerians especially the younger generation.

Grandma usually tells me that most times whatever is sweet to the mouth is poisonous to the stomach and whatever is bitter to the mouth provides a lot of advantages to our body. Clearly, this is the case for the lack of adequate patronage of this bitter-tasting fruit particularly among the younger generations who prefer chocolate candies and other sugar-coated products which are killing them slowly.

garden egg

Solanum melongena as it is botanically called is widely distributed in the temperate and tropical regions. In many West African countries, the fruit is known as bitter tomato and it is specifically grown for food, nutritional and medicinal purposes.

The Health Benefits Of Garden Egg (Solanum melongena)

Each day in my email box, I keep getting messages concerning “how to lose some fats”. This continues to surprise me as many of the senders are hoping to hear me say to them of certain nutraceuticals they need to buy that will take 20 pounds of fats off their bodies within 5 days, whereas a potent food like garden egg does not only stare at them but is at there beck and call.

It is good for weight loss

Research carried out on laboratory rats or mice both home and abroad with this fruit has corroborated the fact that it has the capacity to make humans lose weight due to its high fiber content and low-calorie value. Without gainsaying, this is the perfect recipe for achieving weight loss within a reasonable short period of time.  My advice is if you find the fruit difficult to chew in its natural form due to its bitter taste, you could make a sauce out of it. Trust me it tastes nice.

Helps to relieve constipation & manage HBP

The high fibre value has also been helpful in treating serious cases of constipation. Many constipated people who chew or include it into their diet are grateful to do so. See

Any time, any day, we can not speak enough on the need to prevent or manage high blood pressure (HBP) since the condition is fast becoming the main killer of men. With garden eggs loaded with potassium; an important electrolyte that is critical in maintaining body functions and regulating blood pressure, there is hope that cases of hypertension could be well managed and prevented.

Abundant in Important Vitamins and Minerals

Asides containing a high amount of potassium and dietary fibre, garden egg is a very good source of manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus. vitamin B6, folic acid, vitaminC, E and K among others. Phytonutrients such as nasunin,  alkaloids,  flavonoids, steroids,saponins, and chlorogenic acid are also present in notable quantities. Surely, those who avoid this fruit are missing quite a lot.

It should also be noted that thorough chewing of eggplants provides an opportunity for more of its nutrients to be released. The nutritional benefits of Garden eggs are numerous and cannot be totally enumerated. It has also been reported according to research carried out among the Igbos to be effective in improving sight defects.

Garden eggs are gradually crippling into the market, get prepared for a healing bite. If you do not like to eat them, watch out for a short and concise post on how to make a sauce out of the plant. So enjoyable with slices of yam.

Categories
Food Safety

How Your Phones, Money Could Be Leading To Food Poisoning

phones dirty
Photo: atzlabs.com

Aside air, two other  things that seem to be so important in the lives of many are phones and cash. In fact no one can do without money but phone has actually made itself so important in out lives too.

When we discuss food poisonings, we tend to lay more emphasis on sources that are easily trackable but obviously neglecting other sources that are hunting us day by day and sending many to the hospital when the situation gets worse especially in children and vulnerable aged.

Our phones particularly get in with us anywhere we go to. From churches, mosques, hotel rooms to bathroom or toilets and other places where contamination is quite easy. Remember the number of times your mobile devices dropped on the floor, even in the toilet and other insalubrious environment and all you did was to wipe with a handkerchief. I can confidently say that our phones are dangerously loaded with and carrier of life threatening bacteria. Although I have not carried out any microbiological analysis on any of these devices to ascertain this claim.

phones dirty
Photo: atzlabs.com

Research has shown that many more people in the past five years are more connected with their  phones and mobile gadgets more than they are to their spouses. We do not give our mobile devices a breathing space even while we eat and cook our so called African foods like eba, fufu, and other solids using our hands. While many are cautious of washing their hands cleans before rolling the solids, many of them are completely unaware of the danger they could cause themselves by touching their mobile devices with any of your hands during cooking or meal times. It is best not to use your phone while doing any of these activities.

Recently, I visited a top notch restaurant. As the woman was about picking a spoon to be used by one of the customers, she pick up cash to give another customer her change. What surprises me was when she took the spoon not at the handle to place on the customers tray. Such customer could eventually eat the meal and end up with diarrhea. Many of our monies are kept in the bra by market women and others. The thought of our dirty notes is quite disheartening. Touching our notes during cooking, food serving and eating can be a cause to many of the cases of food poisonings seen of recent.

I hope we will all avoid touching cash notes and using our phone devices during any cooking activities and meal times.

RECOMMENDED: How To Avoid Food Poisoning Eating At Eateries/Restaurants

Categories
Food & Body

Foods That Make Your Butt Bigger Naturally

cooked beans

Different folks…different strokes and I believe everyone should understand that. While there are girls and women outside looking to get the flat shape, there are others who want the curves and significant bumps in the “right places”.

Someone asked me on FoodsNG BBM Channel recently, “are there foods that can make you have a bigger butt?” I’ve got that question more than once before. This post you are reading is borne out of that question.

Let me inform you before I proceed that I am not a woman, but with my knowledge when it comes to food and how they work coupled with my consultations with women in the field (including dietician and fitness trainers), I was able to come up with these five food that can help make your butt go bigger without all these drugs and implants.  I did some research too and was able to see some testimonies that these foods work wonders.

If you are one female out there looking to increase the size of your butt, then this post will come very useful to you. These are foods that have been recommended by those who have used them with great success.

The same words of caution many women who have tried out these foods gave is “if you eat some of these foods excessively, you can grow bigger all over the body”.

Five Foods That Will Help Make Your Butt Bigger

The group of foods that will help in this regard include the protein-rich foods, complex carbohydrates, the good fats and foods and vegetables.

Examples of each food group that are particularly useful for this cause can be found on the next 2 pages of this article.

Protein Food Group;

Below are the examples of food that are protein-rich and must be considered for bigger buttocks;

  • Kidney beans
  • Soya nuts
  • Cottage cheese
  • Eggs
  • Chicken breasts (skinless preferably)
  • Salmon fish
  • Tuna fish
  • Turkey

Complex Carbohydrates;

  • Oats
  • Brown bread (whole grain bread, eat  moderately)
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Brown rice

Fats and oils;

When we say fats, we only mean “good fats”. These are fats that are really good for the body and our body needs them for proper functioning. We listed some of them under the posts where we talked about the fats you need to eat in order to lose fat. You may want to check that out.

The following are sources of fats that you should take;

  • Olive oil,
  • Sunflower oil
  • Nuts like almonds, cashews nuts etc.
  • Avocados
  • Peanut Butter
  • Fish Fat/Oils
  • Soybean oil
  • Soymilk

Finally, fruits and vegetables and we know a lot of those. These are the types of foods that testimonies have shown to set the base for growing a bigger buttock. I also found out that out of all those people I spoke to, a large percentage of them do squat exercises. The foods and the exercises could be the factors working together to help them make it bigger.

Categories
Knowledgebase

How To Check Egg Freshness Before Buying Or Cracking

float test for to test egg freshness
Photo: SturgisJournal.com

There are several ways of knowing if an egg is good after you have cracked it for frying or other purposes. The colour of the egg white and the yolk, the smell and other factors can be determined the level of freshness or how bad an egg has gone.

Never attempt to consume egg that had changed colour or smells — you don’t want to witness the consequences, let alone experience if first hand. That said, what if you want to boil your egg? Is there or are there ways for checking the freshness of eggs before you boil them.

Eggs in crates

Sometimes, you go to the open market where eggs are stored at normal ambient temperature instead of the refrigerator and you want to know if the eggs are still good before you spend your hard-earned money to buy them. You don’t want to buy them and get home to discover they have gone bad.

I am going to share with you, tips that I have used, and that I still use to know if eggs are still good before I buy them. They have always worked for me. Try them out and share your experiences with other readers of this article.

Tips for checking the freshness of egg before cracking it open

1. The Shake shake test!

You have to be careful when doing this when you are buying in some markets if you don’t want to receive showers of abuses from the sellers. With this test you just need to take some samples randomly from the crates and shake lightly. When you do that, you can tell if the content is still very viscous or gone watery.

I usually don’t take the watery ones because I believe it is an indication they have been around for a longer period, even if they are not spoilt yet.

Another important thing to do when using this method is to make sure you select your samples randomly. This is to make your samples representative of the whole lot. Take from the front, middle and back — you know sellers can mix fresh ones with the not-so-fresh ones.

2. The Egg-in-Water Test or The Float Test

This test cannot be performed in the market. I doubt if any seller would allow you to perform this test on eggs before you purchase them. So, this is only suitable for checking egg freshness at home. You might want to ask, “why do I need this test after buying?”

Okay, let us say you want to fry 3 eggs or mix an egg with other ingredients like flour to make cake or something, you have to be sure each egg is fine. What if you have cracked and mixed two fine eggs together and the third one you crack inside turns bad? You have wasted 3 eggs!

Fill a bowl with cold water and place your eggs in the bowl and allow them to stay for some seconds. Then observe how the eggs behave in the water. There are three possibilities.

Float Test Continued

If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on their sides, then you have bought very fresh eggs. If they have been stored for a few weeks but still good to eat, they’ll stand on one end at the bottom of the bowl.

float test for to test egg freshness
Photo: SturgisJournal.com

However, If they float to the surface, they’re no longer fresh enough to eat. So, you may not want to risk cracking them open. The smell can be pungent and very repulsive if they have really changed the smell and color. I’ve been through that before — I couldn’t eat eggs for months after.

3. The Candling Method

The Candling method is not really straightforward as the others and it is the method that should normally be used for testing egg quality before putting eggs for sale in the market. It can, however, be used to determine the freshness of eggs too.

To do this, just put on a flashlight and hold right next to the eggshell to light up the inside. Although a sort of pinhole camera is normally used, the flashlight works fine for home use. When you flash the light, you can see the air space to determine if the egg is fresh or not (image below).

candling method for egg freshness
Photo: Woman’s Institute Library of Cooking (1918)

With the candling technique, you could have any of the following; a fresh egg (little air space, slightly visible yolk), a slightly old egg (larger air space, slightly darker yolk), a nearly bad egg (really dark yolk, spotty), and a spoiled egg (mixed in yolk, lots of dark).

Finally, let me say this that no matter which tests we try to carry out on eggs before cracking them, the best will remain cracking them open to check the colour and odour. Those listed here, however, will ensure that we get eggs that are still good and can be consumed.

ALSO SEE: Do Eggs Need To Be Refrigerated Or Just Stored At Room Temperature?

Categories
Food & Nutrition

Foods You Should Avoid Eating When You Clock Age 40

fit not fat 40 plus

Every gadget, instrument or even furniture has a period when it turns around to begin to function less than optimal level or abnormally. The reason behind this is that materials go through wear and tear and if they had not been properly maintained in the past, the chances that the object stand the test if time is slim. So is the case in humans.

Humans from age 10 place a lot of pressure on their body system; from the foods they eat to their general life style while neglecting to service the engines that do the entire work. The result of this is that the body begins to become susceptible to infections and diseases more than ever before since no form of maintenance had been previously performed. Then, HOW DO WE SERVICE OUR BODY?

fit not fat 40 plus

It is no news especially in Nigeria that life starts at the age of 40. The youthfulness is still around while in reality, the chemical structure of your body has taken a different shape. At this age, these people forget to realize that they are no more in their early twenties or thirties. They go all out consuming all kinds of foods expecting their body systems to handle it as it has always done decades back.

Did you miss our article on 5 Foods People In The 40+ Ages Should Be Eating More? Please read it after you are done with this post. It’s healthy to read it.

Suddenly, age-related illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and other debilitating disease begin to surface. Friends, carefully read through this post to see foods 40 years old and above should avoid in order to service their body engined and secure a healthier future for themselves.

Soft Drinks And Sodas:

This is definitely top on my list. For me, no food seems to contain empty-calorie as much as these products. The major ingredients of soft drinks and Sodas are caffeine, fructose, and refined sugar. Do not be deceived by the word diet soda or diet coke or any other name that seems to attract you as you perceive them to contain no sugar. Yes, they do not but they are loaded with artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin which are even worse.

At age 40, your pancreas which is the organ responsible for the secretion of insulin which acts on sugar could have reduced in its performance unknown to you. The caffeine in sodas has also been associated with higher chances of a heart attack.

Alcohol:

Some health professionals have argued that a little alcohol is good for the body. While I do not disagree with their assertion, I have never read or heard of any research that shows how avoiding consuming alcohol becomes hazardous to your body. At age 40, regularly funneling volumes of alcohol especially lager and ale will place pressure on your kidney and liver.

I understand that a little red wine could be helpful but that is never a reason to indulge in the various brands of alcohol sold in retail shops all around.

Fries:

It has been a long time since I clearly notice how people who indulge in fries suddenly turn overweight. As you age, the less likely it is for you to be able to follow a nutritional regime to lose weight. So, why gain it in the first place? At 40, consuming fries increases your overall calorie intake and this makes you gain weight.

This is particularly dangerous for women above 40 who could be battling with arthritis and other bone-related conditions.

Pancakes And Doughnuts:

Flour, sugar, and oil are the major ingredients of these snacks. So, how do you benefit from this at age 40? Yes, egg and other ingredients might be included but these flour made products are known majorly to raise sugar levels.

Chocolates And Candies:

Asides from the fact that these products are loaded with sugar and raise your sugar levels, chocolates and candies affect your dental health. Women are the culprit in this area as they love these products. I am sure that no one at 40 would love to have a poor dental status. Avoid them completely.

Categories
Food & Nutrition

5 Foods People In The 40+ Ages Should Be Eating More

Ginger and Garlic

In one of my recent articles, I took the time to pen down why people who are 40 years and above should avoid the consumption of certain foods so that they can live a healthier life in the future. While this is ideal to spread around to families and friends, it remains incomplete if I do not disseminate information about foods that people in their 40s should consider consuming regularly.

The need for proper nutrition will help individuals within this age bracket look and feel their best. The consumption of a healthy diet definitely increases one’s life expectancy by reducing the risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity among other diseases.

The importance of proper weight control is also critical for 40 years old and above since most diseases are associated with weight gain. It is also of note to consume these foods that will be highlighted below moderately and at recommended daily intake.

1. Fortified Skimmed Milk:

On the day of your 40th birthday, you are probably feeling as young as ever but the truth is things within your system are beginning to take a new shape and you must respond appropriately. Most people as young adults indulge in whole milk which are loaded with fats and these people continue unknowingly over the age of 40. It is impossible to exclude fat from any healthy diet combination but you must begin to reduce them from hidden sources.

Consume skimmed milk (Milk that fat had been removed from) as a way of reducing your daily fat intake.  I indicated “fortified” because, during the removal of fats, some essential nutrients must have been lost; so there is a need for those nutrients to included via fortification.

2. Fish, Yes, Fish!:

Well, this is not to say that you cannot consume meats again but fish should be your primary source of protein. The need to obtain omega 3 fatty acids for proper cell functioning at this age cannot be overemphasized. Scaly seas fish and crabs are found to be quite healthy. 

I do advise some of my patients who had crossed this age line to reduce deep fat fried foods. The strength of their bodies to process or digest foods had reduced. It is best to enjoy your fish without frying. Fresh fish pepper soup is acceptable.

3. Calcium-Rich Foods:

Osteoporosis is a serious condition that begins to set in majorly at age 40. This is usually due to low bone density. A healthy bone can help against bone-related conditions. Foods rich in calcium include spinach, soybeans, dairy products like milk and yoghurt (be cautious about the dairy products). Including only calcium-rich foods might not solve the problem.

Getting enough vitamin D is very critical as the body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium for proper body function. Not getting enough of these leads to fragile bones which is usually worsened by weight gain causing arthritis. Supplementation is also available but does not result in self-help. Ensure you speak with a certified professional.

4. Fruits And Green Vegetables:

We can not overemphasize the need to include this category of foods into anyone’s diet. For those in their 40s, it is essential to say that not all fruits and vegetables will be appropriate to be included in their diet. At 40 years, a lot of people are unknowingly diabetic. Advising such an individual to consume pineapple which has a high glycemic index may be counterproductive.

People in this age should consume green vegetables, cucumber, garden eggs, carrots and other fruits and veggies with the known low glycemic indexes. It is advisable to speak with your doctor to know your health status and dietician to plan a menu for you. You might want to see tips on how to cook vegetables such as nutrients inside are not lost.

5. Garlic And Ginger:

For me, the combination of these natural food additives is critical for an improved immune system more than any other food for any age group. I remembered when my mum was battling with increased blood pressure, after a proper menu had been prepared for her, I was quick to inform her to include both garlic and ginger into her soups and stews.

Ginger and Garlic

In fact, she swallows some diced garlic at night as prescribed by me. Now, she is free from the situation. Subsequent tests revealed normal blood pressure. Asides this, these foods are both loaded with antibacterial compounds.

If you do have brothers, sisters, friends or even colleagues at work who are close to the age of 40 or 40 years and above, you will be doing them a whole lot if you share this article with them.

Indeed Life Begins at 40…….Stay Healthy.

RECOMMENDED READING: Animal Liver, Heart, Other Inner Meat Parts & Their Dangers

Categories
Food & Nutrition

A List of Healthy Food Snacks We Should Not Do Without

pumpkin seeds

By way of definition, a snack is a small portion of any food eaten between meals. This could be a snack food (i.e. food that are generally in small quantity and not consumed as main meals) —items like potato chips or baby carrots. It could also simply be a small amount of any food.

Snacks, generally referred to as junk foods have been implicated in so many diseases and medical conditions. They are known to cause general weigh gain, obesity and at time cardiovascular heart diseases, so many people tend to stay away from them now while other cannot for one reason or the other.

The work schedule of some people means that they cannot sit and eat overtime the body demands it. This prompts them to snack away on several junk foods. While eating good foods remains the best option, when you cannot avoid it, there are “healthy snacks” that you can eat.

Also, when we exercise or engage in activities such as reading, we like or have cravings to eat things as we do them or after the activities. Healthy snacks can serve these purposes.

A List of Healthy Snacks That We All Should Know

These foods healthy snacks list will contain foods that can be found and bought anywhere and those that are only available in some regions — they are only few in some other countries and often expensive. However, this post will try as much as possible to list more snack foods that are available everywhere — those that can be found in grocery stores.

You can go through the pages by clicking from 2 to 8 below to see all the foods and why they make very good snacks.

1. Dark Chocolates as Healthy Snacks

Dark chocolate can be a healthy snack when you eat the type with at least 60 percent cocoa content. This type of dark chocolate has been linked to reduced heart disease risk and even lower body fat numbers in people who snack on it more often.

dark chocolate melted

Also, because dark chocolate has a more intense flavor than the sugar-laden milk varieties, you’ll be satisfied after eating a small quantity.

2. Carrots

Carrots are nutritious, available everywhere, convenient and easy to carry around. When buying your carrots, only select dark orange ones that are crisp and firm. Not soft ones that are changing colours.

Carrots contains a considerable amount of beta-carotene which works for good eyesight, healthy skin and resistance to infection. The potassium present in carrot assists in moderation of blood pressure.

Carrot also contains fiber which helps in maintaining a healthy intestinal tract, controls blood sugar and promote healthy cholesterol levels. Carrots also contain calcium, vitamin C, iron and vitamin K, which promotes healthy blood coagulation.

3. Banana — a healthy snack (day or night)

This is my favorite because it has been packaged naturally for easy movement. I can easily peel of the skin and eat anywhere I am. If you kind of work requires energy, banana can help you because it comes with the added benefit of cramp-prevention. We made reference to this under our post which listed foods that help relief menstruation cramps and pains.

If you have also read the list of foods that you can snack on at night, you would find banana there. Even though it is not advisable to eat a few hours before going to sleep, banana is still one of the healthy foods you can use as snacks before going to bed.

4. Almonds

If you want to make a healthy grocery list, then you should have almonds on that list when next you are going to the grocery store.

Almonds, often referred to in some quarters as the most healthy food on earth contains healthy fats. Almond is a high-fat food that is also good for your health. Yes, you would already know that there are fats that are good for your health if you did read this article when we posted it.

almonds

Almonds have a lot of health benefits that can be written as a separate article. They have cholesterol-lowering effects and the ability to reduce heart disease risks.

5. Pumpkin Seeds

Before my fellow Nigerians start asking if this is even available in Nigeria, yeah it is. I have come across it at one store at Chevron in Lekki, Lagos State. They even have an online store —you can get pumpkins on this page — http://www.evronfoodstore.com/pumpkins. I will also make effort to check at Shoprite outlets, the next time I go to one for groceries.

pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds can make a healthy snack when washed, dried, and nicely roasted. About 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds has about 14 grams of protein. I have seen fitness trainers and dietician recommending this as the perfect pre-workout snack!

6. Hard-boiled Eggs

Eggs are readily available and when boiled can be packed and moved around to eat whenever we need to at them. Hard-boiled eggs are are very good sources of protein. They are low in carbohydrates and simple to prepare — each one only has about 76 calories.

One egg has the following compositions;

Calories: 70

Fat: 5.0g

Carbs: 1.0g

Protein: 6.0g

The yolk contains nutrients necessary for immunity, healthy skin, nerves and vision. It also contains good amounts of B Vitamins, Vitamin A, iron and riboflavin.

7. Other food that you can snack on healthily;

Smoothies, Greek yoghurts, Cottage cheese, Strawberries, Apricots, Celeries, Dried plums (aka prunes), Frozen grapes, Walnuts, Mixed nuts, Tofu sticks.

Others that you may also snack on include Oat bars, baby carrots, Turkey jersey, Cantaloupe, Raspberries, Egg White.

ALSO SEE: Fatty Foods: How To Eat Fats To Lose Body Fats

Categories
Food & Nutrition

Pawpaw Seeds Are Edible! See Nutrients & How To Eat Them!

Usually, most seeds of crops and fruits appear completely inedible but unknown to many, a few of these seeds are loaded with numerous health benefits.

Pawpaw, botanically known as Carica papaya is a popular fruit consumed not only in Nigeria but across the entire globe. For me, no other fruit eases the pains of constipation more than papaya. I can not but remember a day when my father was seriously constipated and he called me for advice. I did not think twice to tell him to have a serving of pawpaw about the size sold for N50. The next morning it was his call I received. He was so grateful beyond measure. He said he just left the bathroom. No doubt, papaya flesh which is extremely high in vitamin C, folate, potassium, vitamin A and dietary fiber can do such magic but make sure it is ripe.

papaya seeds

Having said that while many people only consume the pulp of pawpaw, virtually everyone I know throw away all the seeds. In fact some have claimed to hate the sight of it. The black coloured seeds have the power to improve your immunity to illnesses and diseases. It also helps in detoxification of your body system. According to researches, the seeds are high in fat and protein and a good source of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

How To Consume The Papaya Seeds

Unknown to many, papaya seeds can be eaten directly but I do not indulge in it because it is slightly bitter with a spicy peppery flavour. To benefit from the health loaded seeds, I add one or two tablespoons of it into a dice portion of the pulp of papaya and blend until completely juicy.

Sometimes, depending on how I want it to taste, I include some slices of pineapple. In certain countries, they are added to salads, soup or any dish acting as a substitute for black pepper but in moderation.

Caution About Papaya Seeds

Pawpaw pulp itself has short coming especially in the diet of a pregnant woman as it is known to trigger miscarriages in certain women. While this remains a fact for the pulp, one should be cautious with the consumption of the seeds as there is no record of the amount which may trigger any form of toxicity in humans.

Although, a portion of it is no doubt is helpful but there is growing concern as papaya seeds contains a compound; Benzyl isothiocyanate which induces toxicological damage in animals at very high doses according to the December 2003 issue of “Life Sciences.” Research presented in the February 2010 issue of the “Journal of Ethnopharmacology” .

Categories
Smoothies

How To Make Healthy Juice From Ugwu (Pumpkin Leaf) At Home

ugwu juice

For me, nothing is richer and healthier than been able to make everything right in your small or large size kitchens as you have it. This way you determine what goes in or goes out. Usually, it is a better option than most of the concoction that we consume outside even so called drugs.

Have you ever heard our mothers advise their daughter on the need to eat plenty of Ugwu vegetable? I have several times. The reason behind this is because the leaf is loaded with iron, a mineral that is key to improve your blood production level especially during and after menstrual cycle.

ugwu juice

In this article, I will be sharing with you in about few steps how you can make a healthy vegetable juice out of your pumpkin leaf.

Equipment needed for making Ugwu Juice

  • A blender or food processor
  • A sieve or muslin cloth
  • Ingredients
  • Ugwu leaves (Pumpkin)
  • A tin of evaporated milk or a bottle of malt drink or both using half quantity apiece.
  • One Orange

Method Of Preparation

The making of this juice is so easy such that it will take you less than 20 minutes to reach your end product. Check out the steps below.

  • Get your hands properly cleaned to avoid contamination.
  • Ensure you properly rinse the entire ugwu leaves to remove all debris and insects crippling on it. Do this process twice. You do not need to slice the ugwu.
  • Pour the ugwu leaves into the blender.
  • Add some quantity of water and blend with high speed until smooth. This could take up to five minutes depending on your blender.
  • Drain the juice using a sieve or muslin cloth
  • Put the solution to boil for between 90-120 seconds so that more vitamins become released. Let the solution cool off lightly.
  • Add the entire tin of evaporated milk or malt bottle drink or add half quantity of both into the solution.
  • Squeeze the orange into the solution. This is completely optional. Your Ugwu vegetable juice is ready to be served.

While this might not be sweet to taste, it is rich in plenty nutrients that are good to replenish your body. If you must make this juice sweet to your taste, you could had a cup of pineapple juice extract but ensure you do not over dilute the solution to much. For me, I love it without the pineapple. Men are particularly advised to take this before or after intercourse.

Do not forget to share your comments when you have tried this recipe.

ALSO SEE: Nutritional Benefits Of Eating Ugwu (Pumpkin Leaf)

Categories
Food & Nutrition

Nutritional Benefits Of Eating Ugwu (Pumpkin Leaf) You May Not Know

ugwu soup

Whether Ugu or Ugwu, you can be certain we are talking about the same leaf that is particularly common among the Igbos in Nigeria. In fact, the Igbos are the only tribe who are seen to sell these leaves anywhere in Nigeria, whether in the north or south, yet it is used in one way or the other by all tribes in Nigeria. I sincerely do not know the reason behind this.

The leaf is a valuable commercial crop which is grown majorly in the West African region. The dark green leaf, no doubt has been a staple vegetable in the diets of many as it can be combined with all the solid meals such as wheat, eba, fufu and the rest. Unknown to many, pumpkin leaves are loaded with a lot of nutritional benefits which can be helpful in aligning our path to a healthy status.

ugwu soup

The fluted pumpkin botanically known as Telfaira occidentalis has one advantage in that it can be enjoy through out the year unlike some other vegetables. However, you see the leaves flood the market more during rainy season.

Below are some of the nutritional and health benefits of including Ugu leaf into your meals.

1. UGWU HAS A HIGH FIBER CONTENT:

Are you constipated in a way, consuming Ugwu vegetable might be helpful as it contain high fibre. Each time I eat a meal contain Ugwu at night, it becomes easier to download feaces in the morning unlike previous days. I definitely recommend this for you.

2. UGWU LIKE MANY OTHER LEAFY VEGETABLES IS RICH IN IRON:

Are you a fan of blood tonic and supplement during period weakness, Ugwu is nutrient dense enough to get you back to life more than any of the aforementioned. The iron content in a well prepared servings of Ugwu leaf can do the magic you have been waiting for. 

Women, particularly during and after menstrual period are encouraged to consume serving portions of Ugwu leaves as it helps boost blood levels or volume. The leaf has been used to cure anaemia in community based nutritional interventions.

3. GOOD FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT:

The main idea about losing weight is to load your body with highly nutritious food yet contain a reasonably low amount of calorie. Ugwu is a low calorie vegetable and can help fire up your metabolism to trigger fat reduction in the body.

So when you want to eat Eba, Fufu or Amala, ensure you have only a small portion while adding plenty Ugwu soup. The fibre of the Ugwu will make you fuller, so you eat less than you would normally eat.

4. IMMUNE BOOSTER:

As a child, each time I fall sick and I was trying to recover, my mother waste no time in cooking Ugwu delicacy. In fact during that period, I could consume only the Ugwu vegetable soup as the main meal. After a little while, I begin to notice restoration.

The leaf is also a good source of vitamin E, Thiamin, Niacin, vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, Copper and Manganese.

The leaves also contain anti-oxidants, such as alpha-carotene and Beta–carotene which help to slow down ageing process. All these nutrients put together also improve your skin and hair quality. Now you can see the reasons the leaf will help boost your immunity.

I know some people may be interested in knowing more about foods that give you fresh, younger looking skin and those foods that improve your hair colour and quality. Click the respective links to see them.

5. REDUCTION OF BLOOD SUGAR: DIABETES CONTROL:

Due to the leaves hypoglycemic index and its nature of slowly releasing sugar into the blood, it presents a rare opportunity for diabetic patient to reduce their blood sugar.

ugwu vegetable leaves

These are just a few of the benefits one can obtain from consuming Ugwu vegetable. The list is endless. As a parting shot, please learn how to cook your vegetable so you don’t lose all nutrients in it.

ALSO SEE :: How To Make A Healthy Juice From Ugwu Leaves

Categories
Food Safety Knowledgebase

Poisons That We Consume Every Day

poison

Let me quickly use this first paragraph to explain the title of this post to you. Like I have mentioned in two of my articles in the past — every thing that we eat and consume could be viewed as a poison, the amount (dose) that we have taken in is what determines if it would cause disease or become lethal (cause death). Almost every food I have seen has a component, that can cause adverse health effect in everybody or some specific group of people.

If this is not really clear, let me use this analogy of a drug called Indocid. When I mentioned this name, what would come to the mind of many people here in Nigeria is its use in killing mice and rats in the house. Well, the drug was actually designed to help relief the painful condition involving inflammation of joints or muscles. It could be arthritis. When rats take that amount we put in foods for them, it is lethal but not for human.

poison

This analogy is true for every food component that has been labelled ad dangerous or risky — they all have a dose at which they are lethal in the body. We only have to eat enough of it to see adverse effect in our body. This is not to say that we should not care about the dangers every food pose, in fact we have to endeavour to find out about them. This way, we can know the hazards posed by the food component, at what quantities it becomes dangerous and the problems it causes when its adverse effects start to manifest.

NEXT [2] :: Continue reading on page 2…

Categories
General

Top 3 Nigerian Snacks That Should Be Sold In Super Restaurants & Hotels

In Nigeria, until recently, it was a rare phenomenon to find high flying restaurants that sell African dishes. Once you step into the eateries in those day, all you could order for are a plate of fried rice and chicken, packs of meat pie, scotch eggs, chicken and chips, and some other flour made snacks that stare at you on the shelves of the outlet. Just about a decade back we began to see the introduction of some African dishes such as pounded yam with vegetable, fufu and afang soup and others being sold in all the five star hotels, food outlets while competing with the foreign dishes that our classy people have seem to accept.

Presently, you will agree with me that there is no such super restaurant in Nigeria that does not have African soups and meals on their menu as many Nigerians, African and even foreigner seem to enjoy the richness and uniqueness of our meals. While these types of meals and soups appear to have a strong footing in the industry, I am of the opinion that certain foods that are usually enjoyed as snacks on the street of Nigeria can be introduced and sold in major restaurants, five star hotels and other super food outlets around Nigeria, so that regardless of your status; whether as an Ambassador, Commissioner or even a minister, if you enjoy such snack, you could get a bite right there in your five star suite.

Here is my top three list of African snacks that I think should be seen in the menu list of top notch restaurants and hotels

Roasted Plantain And Groundnut:

I am certain many people who are in high positions would definitely book for a snack like this in their hotel rooms or any restaurant they visit. The blend of plantain and groundnut is second to none provided the roasted plantain is still oven hot.

NEXT [2] : Go to page 2 to see other street snacks that deserve to be hotels menu…

Categories
Food & Body

9+ Foods To Help Relieve Menstrual Cramps And Pains

Menstrual cramps (Dysmenorrhea) is the medical term used to refer to the painful cramps that some women experience immediately before or during their menstrual period. You don’t need a soothsayer to tell you when some women are menstruating because of the kind of pain they pass through and how they react to things around that period. You cannot blame them; you don’t know how it feels unless you have passed through it before. At least that’s what several  women told me when I asked.

However, there are some foods that can help you through the episode of menstrual cramps and the resultant pains. These foods are not guaranteed to totally prevent the pain but they cab relieve it. There are several attendant pains like aching pain in the abdomen, feeling of pressure in the abdomen, pain in the hips, lower back, and inner thighs. 

Some 9+ Foods That Help Relieve Menstrual Cramps

These foods will take some of the pains away for you if you eat them during your and after your menstruation period.

Different types of Tea can help!

Since there are several attendant symptoms of menstrual pains, different types of tea can help you relieve different symptoms. For example, green tea can help with cramps, while peppermint tea can soothe the stomach upset that may arise.

Green Tea

If you are someone that takes coffee normally, you should avoid it during this period because it may add to your anxiety and cause some other types of pain.

Categories
Food & Body

Other Side Of Sugar-Free Drinks & What Makes Them Sweet

zero coke

The recent bad labelling of foods high in sugar have made a few food production companies to go back to the drawing board. Dietitians, Nutritionists, Medical doctors and other health professionals have done a lot to inform the general public on the dangers of funneling high calorie processed foods particularly those loaded with sugars into their body systems without caution. While the campaign against sugary foods could have been said to be gaining ground in some quarters, food manufacturers have come up with catchy names on the packages of products.

These names include “No sugar, Zero sugar and Sugar free“. My questions are — Are these products actually not containing sugars? How come do they taste so sweet just like sugar loaded products? How healthy are they when regularly consumed? Well friends, you would learn the answers to these questions as you read further.

zero coke

Do Sugar-Free Products Contain Any Sugar At All

Clearly, many obese and overweight individuals have thrown to the thrash bins all sugar-containing foods on their shelves so as to help reduce their calorie intake and weight. In truth, sugar-free products may contain other types of sugar which are inherent in other ingredients of the products. For instance, in sugar-free cookies, the flour contains sugar. Also, other forms of sweeteners such as sugar alcohol (sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol) are added to the product which usually supplies a lower calorie compared to regular industrial granulated sugars, glucose or fructose syrups. Other forms of additives that act as sweeteners that are accepted by international bodies to be included in foods are Aspartame, sucralose, neotame, and saccharin.  These are the reasons these sugar-free products all taste sweet.

So, are these sugar-free products really healthy for us?

How Healthy Are The Sugar Free Products?

An average teaspoon of sugar contain about 15 calories which amounts to close to 120 calories in a bottle or can of cola drink. While this is scary, food manufacturers present to us artificial sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame and the rest that only contain very little amount of calorie yet providing sweetness that is required for the product.

In any platform, I have always shown my disapproval for a “No this, No that” kind of food. What happens when they avoid a particular constituent of food is that an artificial or chemical based one that will imitate the original will be introduce into the products.

The question of how healthy these products are to humans have been up for serious debates among researchers, nutritionist and dietitians over the years. There is a clear growing concern with the hazards associated with these products since most of them are chemical based and tend to alter the human body’s chemistry of recognizing sugar.

Aspartame and commonly used sweeteners

Aspartame, saccharin and sucralose which are the most common artificial sweetener used in food production have being associated with many side effects ranging from hallucination to seizure, migraine and headaches, enlargement of the liver and kidney to mention a few.  These claims come to be due to some test carried out on laboratory rats which indicated that the sweeteners can trigger some health complications as opposed to when fed with natural sugars like glucose and fructose.

Even though these results have not been concluded, many research institutions including Purdue University have suggested that theses sweeteners do more harm than good to the health of our planet.

So, if you do not want to take these types of sugars, what options do you have?

What Options Do You Have?

Your best bet for me is to quit addiction to and consumption of these products. While believing they are helpful in lowering your blood sugar and reducing your calorie intake you must consider the associated health implications. It is better to switch to regular and more natural sugar types such as honey and molasses and taking conscious effort to reduce your overall sugar intake.

Learn to check food labels to know exactly the constituent of what you want to consume. Go for natural sugar found in fruits rather than processed foods to cater for your sugar cravings. Honey is also another good option to explore but they are relatively expensive.

Speak with a qualified nutritionist or dietitian to help you with a proper diet plan.