LES FRUITS MÉLANGE 1.

Avocadoes and mangoes are sumptuous, yummy, juicy, vitamin packed fruits. 
While avocadoes supply vitamin E (in the form of tocotrienol) , mangoes supply a good dose of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

When you do a combination (mélange) of both,

Scurvy is eradicated or prohibited, 
Burns and wounds are healed,
Immunity is boosted,
The skin becomes supple,
The memory is improved,
Memory loss is avoided, 
Neural degeneration is delayed,
Macular degeneration is nabbed,
Certain cancers, breast, prostate, are avoided,
Fertility in men is improved.

You can dice up mangoes and avocadoes to make a fruit salad.

You can blend or purée avocadoes and mangoes together to make a mango- avocado smoothie. 

If you chill mango- avocado smoothie in the fridge, it becomes mango-avocado ice cream. Which is a healthy alternative to conventional ice cream. 

Mango- avocado purée can be used as salad dressing. It has similar consistency with salad dressing, likewise the sweet-sour taste of salad dressing. 

You too can invent other ways of engaging mangoes and avocadoes. 

          Do Eat Responsibly! 

Vitamin C, Vitamin Cool.

Vitamins are derived from fruits, vegetables, whole cereals(e.g millet), legumes(e.g beans), root tubers

( e.g potatoes). 

Vitamin C, is found in foods like, spinach, kale, broccoli, ugu(pumpkin leaves), irish potato, oranges, lemon, grapes, blackcurrant, straw berry, cantaloupe, water melon, pomegranate, paw-paw

( papaya), pineapple, kiwi fruit, guava, mangoes. 

This cool vitamin, aids in boosting immune system. Healing burns and sores, prevents scurvy, improves health of the gums, and has placebo effect on colds.

For citrus fruits, the larger percentage of vitamin C is contained in the peel. Yes, the outer part of oranges that you discard is where most of the vitamin C lies. 

Same thing goes for potatoes. The vitamin content is higher in the peel. You can grate the peel of lemon or orange or any citrus fruits, toss the grated peel into your blender or smoothie maker with other fruits, and whip up a 'zingy' smoothie. 

Vitamin C is heat labile, it is destroyed by exposure to heat. When preparing vegetables, steaming is the preferred cooking method. Approximately one minute should be okay for steaming. 

The cool vitamin is also photosensitive, endeavour not to expose cut portions of fruits and vegetables to  sunlight. Cut and eat 'soonisly', as soon as you can.

Vitamin C tablets are also available in different varieties. About 80 mg/ day is enough. It should be taken daily, whether as tablets or from natural sources. This is because vitamin C is not stored in the body, the body uses the much it needs and the rest is excreted , thus it need be replenished on a daily basis. It is important not to overdose on vitamin C tablets, excess of it can lead to kidney stones. However, if you are taking natural sources, fruits and vegetables, feel free to eat 5-9 portion per day.

Do Eat Responsibly!

PEACE.......

It is not the absence of trouble, rather the presence of calmness in troubled times. 

An assault to peace in an individual,  is an assault to health. 

Guard your peace of mind jealously .

Peace of mind prevents psychosomatic disorders and progression of  other diseases because there is this mind-body connection in human beings.

Most importantly, JESUS CHRIST is our peace,and can be yours too if you believe. 

Do Relax Responsibly! 

FOOD MYTHS.

Different countries, continents, regions, have different beliefs and myths surrounding food. 

Here are a few food myths in Nigeria.

Eating mangoes together with soft drinks can lead to death. Some folks do believe this to their marrows. I tried this combination yesterday, not deliberately though, and I'm yet to drop dead.

Another myth is that consumption of fruits and vegetables is for pregnant women and invalids. This has really taken root in a lot of minds, thus posing a challenge to public health educators like me. 

Yet another belief is that fruits and nuts have no caloric value and as such are not food. This is erroneous. Fruits have calories by virtue of the simple carbohydrate, fructose, they contain. Nuts do have calories from fats and proteins. 

Another hilarious myth is that alcoholic beverages are like water, that is to say they have no caloric value, and that passing urine after consumption of alcoholic drinks will drain the body of the alcohol consumed. This is not so. 1 gram of alcohol gives 7 calories of energy whereas 1 gram carbohydrate gives 4 calories, 1 gram protein gives 4 calories, 1 gram fat gives 9 calories. Alcohol is not drained from the body through urine. The calories from alcohol beverages are not metabolised for energy in the body rather they are stored as fat deposits in the body. More so alcohol damages the brain cells and the liver.  A 33cl bottle of alcoholic beverage, 7.5% alc., has 173.25 caloric value. 

Whatever your food choice is,

Do Eat Responsibly. 

MESSAGE IN, MESS OUT.

I am in total agreement with the words in this picture. 

It's not about religion, race, creed, believe, class, preferred school of philosophy, it is nothing but the truth. 

The Message: JESUS CHRIST died for you to have a quality relationship with HIM. 

Get this Message into your heart, believe it, apply it, and get the Mess in your health, career, finances, life, OUT.

It's GOOD FRIDAY!

Thank GOD it's friday.

DRUGLESS REMEDIES FOR HEADACHES.

Over-the-counter painkillers/pain relievers top the list of abused medications. Even some pain medication that are prescription meds, are also grossly abused. Well, I really do feel for people, pain keeps one uncomfortable, distressed, less productive, sad.
 Addiction to pain medication could be detrimental to your health. Abuse of even the commonest painkiller can kill your kidneys. Drugs are chemicals and need not be taken on impulse but on prescription.  
For headaches, there are simple remedies that could bring relieve.

Discover and eliminate the cause of the headache, e.g loud noise.

Stay in a well ventilated area.

Sleep long and well, not in between phone calls or other distractions like TV.

Drink some water, preferably cold water.

Cold compress. Place some ice on the area of your head that is aching.

Take a slow paced walk in the cool of the evening or in the morning in a well aerated area without much noise.

Play some soft music.

Take a cold shower.

Eat some bananas.

If symptoms persist take some pain relievers or consult your doctor.

Do Get Your Head Straight. 

DO HAVE A FRUITFUL TUESDAY! 

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION. 

Life is not rosy, bright and fair all the time. There are periods of despair and despondency, seasons of darkness and depression. Could be because of loss of irreplaceable loved ones, could be money challenges, relationship crises, unmet expectations and so on. There are many factors that foster and or lead to depression. I can say from experience, it's not a good experience, it's a dark place.

You could try some of these tips to help with depression :
Faith: You can trust your unseen future into the hands of an Unseen but ever present GOD. 
You can hand over your impossible situation to The GOD who knows NO impossibility. 

Sunshine : do come out of your house and take in some sunshine especially in the morning.

Diet : please fight the urge to eat without control. You don't want to add obesity to your list of challenges. Do Eat bananas, they boost 'feel good hormones' and also contain potassium in very significant amounts, that will help steady your blood pressure. 

Soul-soothing music: this is potent. It calms nerves and relaxes the mind. Take care not to play the tunes that remind you of your problems or your loss.

Art: it could be drawings, making craft. ,painting. You can express your emotions on paper with drawings. 

Talent: you can pick one talent or skill you have and work on it, explore it, be better at it. 

Exercise : take walks in the evening in a less congested area. You could run, do aerobics, dance, engage in body building. 

Laughter: yes laughter is good medicine for heart matters. Go for funny articles, videos that can make you laugh. You can hang out with funny people. 

Charity: helping someone who is in need may help you come out of depression. 

If you can, fix the problem. 
These are some steps to take, but trust me, it's easier said than done. 
Depression is a dark, hard,place, I pray we all make it to the light without losing it. 

'I NEVER CHOP SINCE MORNING' SYNDROME .

Like it or not this is a 'disease '. It is rampant in Nigeria. It's neurological.  The symptoms range from mild to moderate to severe. There is no medication yet invented for its cure. 
Okay, it may not be a disease but it's a phenomenon.  
Over the years in my nutrition practice, I've observed this phenomenon play out over and over again. 
While clerking patients (taking down diet history), to determine their dietary pattern and predisposition, there is provision for 24 hour diet recall. In 24 hour diet recall, the patient is asked what he/she has eaten from the previous day to the present moment. That is usually when I get this response ' I never chop since morning'(I've not eaten since morning) .
Now, upon further probing, the same patient /client that said he/she has not eaten since morning, will start giving responses like ;
Na only bread I chop for morning. I never chop since morning.
Na only tea(beverage) I drink since morning I never chop.
Na only gala(beef sausage roll), I eat o.
Na banana and groundnut(peanuts)  dey my belle (stomach), I never chop.

Truth is, whatever you eat or drink that is not water, contains calories and as such is food. Yes, if it's not water then it's food, sorrrrrrrry.

Bon Weekend.
Do Eat Responsibly! 

NOODLE for DOODLE.

Noodles enjoy wide popularity in different parts of the world, from China to India to Nigeria to Benin to Canada.  
Noodles are very popular among children, not sure if it's the taste, texture, or the curly appearance that appeals to children. Or could it be because the noodle food industry packages the advert of noodles to appeal to the younger generation. 

Truth is, noodles are not the best option when it comes to health matters. 
Noodles are highly refined foods, with very low nutrition value and with possible unhealthy food additives. Yes, face it, it's the truth.
Is there a wholesome alternative to noodles? Sure, there are wholesome alternatives; wholesome carbohydrate foods like yam, sweet potato, Irish potato, plantains, whole wheat, oats, guinea corn, whole millet, and so on.
I do understand and empathise with mothers who are usually tempted to prepare noodles for their kids because it's easy and fast to prepare especially during school mornings. 

Introducing Doodles.
 I came up with a recipe I call Doodles. In Nigeria, ripe plantains are called doh doh, so I coined the word Doodles from it as a pun on noodles. Noodles, Doodles(duudles). 

In preparing noodles especially in Nigeria the usual ingredients are: noodles, fresh tomatoes, pepper, onions, carrot, green peas, egg which is fried and added as a side. 
For my doodle recipe all the ingredients are the same except noodles. Switch noodles for ripe plantain. Boil eggs or fry eggs.

Cut up the plantain after washing and peeling, the size will depend on how you want it. 
Place in a pot add a pinch of salt, and cook with water that just covers the plantains. 
After a few minutes the plantain will cook well, strain the water, remaining a little quantity.
Put plantains back on fire and add, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, carrots, ,green peas and bouillon cubes(seasoning cubes). You can add a little red oil or vegetable oil if you like. 
Cover the pot and allow to simmer for about one minute so as to have the vegetables crunchy.
Turn off heat and stir.
Doodles dish is ready to serve.

It is easy, not time consuming, delicious, children friendly, wholesome and healthy. 

Noodles are high glycemic, causing spike of blood glucose after consumption, while
 Doodles are loo glycemic, releasing glucose in the blood slowly, after consumption. 

Noodles are simple carbohydrates and  have no fibre, while,
Doodles are complex carbohydrates and  are fiber full. Fibre helps to control blood sugar rise, aids digestion, prevents certain cancers.

Noodles are highly refined and contain harmful additives, while, 
Doodles are 100% natural, minimally processed and healthy.

It involves, similar preparation time, similar 
ingredients, similar budget but greater taste and health benefits.
Make the switch from Noodles to Doodles.

Feel free to add your own ingredients and finesse.

Do Eat Responsibly. 

MODERN NUTRITION. 
Seven Wrong Roads.

There are several food ingredients that characterise today's diet that are harmful to the body when taken in significant quantities:

Sugar. Sugar is devoid of fiber and nutrients, refined sugars are empty, or naked calories. But because of their caloric density, they are well suited to promote obesity. 

Refined Foods. People used to think refinement was good because it got rid of useless roughage. Now we're learning how necessary fibre (roughage) is in protecting us from certain cancers, stabilising blood sugar, controlling weight, and preventing gastrointestinal problems such as gallstones, haemorrhoids, diverticulitis and constipation. 

Salt. Most people consume 10-15 grams (two to three teaspoons) of salt a day. This is much more than is actually needed and contributes prominently to high blood pressure, heart failure, and kidney disease.

Fat. Most people don't realise that they are consuming two to three times more fat, oil, and 
grease than is optimal for good health. As a result, 
blood vessels plug up, impotence sets in, and hearts and brains suffer. A high-fat diet also contributes to overweight, adult diabetes, and certain cancers. 

Protein. Proteins are of two classes; animal protein and plant protein. Animal protein is of higher biological value than protein. That is to say that animal sources of protein give higher give higher amounts of protein to the body than plant protein of 
similar amount. Inasmuch as proteins are necessary for the maintenance of good health, excess consumption of proteins especially of animal source, gives the kidney much work. More so, proteins from animal sources are usually laden with saturated fats which are deleterious to health. 

Beverages. People most times forego water opting for soft drinks, beer, coffee, tea, sweet drinks. These drinks are loaded with calories from refined sugars and alcohol, which can play havoc with blood sugar levels and sabotage weight-control efforts. Caffeine, phosphates, and other chemicals found in beverages pose additional health risks. 

Snacks. Snacks mostly are made with refined food ingredients like white flour, refined sugars, butter, margarine, additives and preservatives. Snacks are taking over wholesome home cooked meals. Children are given snacks by some parents as a show of love. Wow! Junk, unwholesome foods, killer foods, as a show of love. 

These are most of the unhealthy markers of Modern nutrition. 
I think I'll rather be Old School.


Old School Nutrition Rocks!

 Do Feast Responsibly.

Acknowledgement: Hans Diehl., Aileen Ludington.

           BON SOIRÉE: BON SANTÉ?

You might be familiar with French greetings, bonjour (good morning), bon après midi(good day), bonsoir(good evening), bon nuit(good night). 
Then in consonance with the 'good time' spirit of the French, there is bon soirée. Bon soirée is the greeting for down time, hang out time, which for the french is around 6-7 pm there about. There after they start greeting bon nuit.
Now it can't be only the french who know how to have down time/ happy hour. In different  climes, different cultures, people do hang out for happy hour. 
How healthy is happy hour? Is bon soirée really bon sante? 
The concept of having some time to unwind after the day's work is really a healthy one, for real. But then the big question is, how do you unwind? 
In France, red wine plays a pivotal role. Red wine contains  resverstrol that keeps the heart healthy when red wine is taken in moderation. 

In the U.S, cooling off with alcoholic drinks in pubs and bars is popular. Also beef barbecue comes to play while hanging out at a friend's place. High consumption of alcohol and red meat is bad for the heart, bad for the health.

In Nigeria it differs from region to region but generally food items that are popular with down time are ; alcoholic beverages, asun(goat meat mix), isi ewu (goat head), fatty pepersoups, nkwobi,(cow hide mix), . Again alcohol consumption in significant amounts is dangerous to health and most of the side dishes / delicacies are high in cholesterol which is bad for the health, could lead to heart diseases, strokes, high blood pressure, obesity etc.
So, really, is BON SOIRÉE, BON SANTÉ? 

Whatever you eat during happy hour,

Do Eat Responsibly! 

PERCEPTION versus REALITY (You and The Food Industry)

The food industry has mastered the art of communication with food consumers so skillfully that they know the exact methods to use in their packaging and adverts to attract patronage of their products. 
They know the public is becoming increasingly health conscious as such they have to align to the new trend or lose patronage and close shop.
But do they really make healthy food products? 

In the real sense of it, very few food brands make completely healthy food products. A greater number of them are just masters in the art of illusion. They use perception as an apt tool of their trade.
What do I mean? 
These guys use few healthy ingredients in their products but package and advertise them in such a way as to draw the attention of consumers to the healthy ingredient, and away from the plenteous less healthy, sometimes harmful ingredients also added in their food products.
Take for example, Oat biscuit. This is produced with weight watchers or low calorie consumers in mind. For people who wouldn't want to eat white flour products because of weight issues and diabetes. 
When you see the word Oat Biscuit, what comes to your mind is, Oats: Oat is healthy, Oat is wholesome, Oat contains fiber, Oat is good. Yes, Oat is good. But that is not all there is to it. 

For starters, the word is Oat BISCUIT. Did you now take note of the biscuit part of it? 
What ingredients are used to make buscuit?
Flour,
Sugar,
Eggs,
Binder/ lubricant (margarine, butter, or oil)
These are the basics that must be present.
For oat biscuit, the flour is Whole oats which in itself is a healthy food ingredient. But what of the other ingredients, just how healthy are they? 
Sugar- the reason why weight watchers and diabetics run from white flour products is because white flour is readily converted to sugar in the body, raising the level of sugar speedily in the blood. The sugar they are avoiding is still added to this product.
Lubricant- There are available  healthy oils from plants like olive oil, soya oil, sesame oil etc that can be used for baking but in the case of most food industries butter or margarine is used. Butter and margarine are fats from animal sources and contain bad cholesterol. Margarine also contains trans fatty acids which predispose people who consume it regularly to heart diseases. 
There is also high presence of sodium in most packaged food products. 
Sometimes some quantity of white flour is still added to oat pastry products and whole wheat pastry products too, to enable the products hold together and not break up. 

Now you know. 
Next time you want to go for 'healthy products', please read the label and judge for yourself if your perception is really reality. 

Do Eat Responsibly! 

CODE RED.

Oil palm fruits are not harmful to the health as some think. 

They are rich in carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, High Density Lipoprotein, lycopene.          

These nutrients in oil palm fruits actually protect the heart's blood vessels from cholesterol attachment and oxidation, while lowering low density Lipoprotein (the bad fat). 

These lovely reds can be eaten raw or cooked. However, eat in small amounts to avoid weight gain.

Enjoy Responsibly. 

TANK OR TUMMY.

I saw this somewhere and really, I don't get it. 

Yes I understand eating fruits with peanuts, tastes great with great health benefits too. But the fuel and engine oil though.

 Or could it be petroleum-pineapple fruit mix? 

Are the petroleum products meant for the tank or the tummy?

Bon Weekend.

YOUR REAL AGE, JUST HOW OLD ARE YOU?

Yes, you very well know your date of birth and probably the particular day of the week you were born. But is that your real age? 

Now there is your birth age and there is your biological age.
Your birth age is of course when you were born. 
There is also your biological age which is how old your internal organs are. Yes, your internal organs have their own age too.
Your biological age is a consequence of wear and tear of your organs. 
Wear and tear of your organs is brought is about by several factors such as:
Stress,
High Blood Pressure, 
Smoking, 
Alcoholism,
High Body Mass Index(overweight and obesity),
High Blood Sugar.

Presence of one or more of these factors lead to aging of the organs. Some people are young but their internal organs are quite old. If any of the factors is present in your system try to eliminate or manage it.
Make daily exercise and adequate nutrition your habit. 
You are what you eat.
Do Eat Responsibly. 

FOODS THAT LOWER CHOLESTEROL.
Cholesterol is a type of fat that is obtained from the foods we eat, foods like butter, margarine, cheese, full creme milk, beef fat, poultry fat. 
Not all cholesterol is bad for the health. There is good cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and there is bad cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). 
Low density Lipoprotein (LDL) clogs the arteries thereby causing high blood pressure and progressively stroke or heart attack.
Attack cholesterol before it attacks you, with these foods:
Olive oil- you can substitute salad dressings which are high in saturated fats with olive oil.
Nuts - peanuts, pistachio, almonds, cashew nuts, Brazilian nuts. Nuts contain fiber and are good sources of healthy fats that can reduce cholesterol in the blood. 
Legumes - legumes are fiber-full. These fibers trap cholesterol in food, preventing their absorption by 
the body. Beans are good examples.
Fruits- fruits like oranges, grapes, lemon, shaddock, apples, pears, banana are helpful in trapping cholesterol reducing their level in the blood.
Vegetables - at least five servings of vegetables a day. A serving is the size of a cupped palm.
Wholegrains- whole wheat, oats, whole corn, grains with their bran(fiber) intact.
Fish- steam, boil, bake, grill your fish. It contains healthy oils that can lower cholesterol level in the blood. 
Soya- soya milk, soya flour, edamame,tofu and soy products. 
Teas- black tea, green tea.
Red wine- resveratrol abundant in red grapes that is used in red wine production, is a potent polyphenol and reduces blood cholesterol level.
Dark cocoa powder- like soy, red wine, teas, dark cocoa powder is abundant in antioxidants that help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.
Diet alone may not suffice as there is need to be physically active. 20-30mibutes of hart pumping exercise like jogging, aerobics, fast walk, daily, can burn calories, reduce weight, and lower cholesterol level. 

Whatever you eat.
Do Eat Responsibly. 
Bon weekend.