•Heals, prevents diseases
e saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ could not be more apt when it comes to the health and wellbeing of the body. Indeed, health experts have long drawn a strong link between good nutritious food and health, pointing out the healing and health promoting qualities of good nutrition.
“Food is a very powerful medicine that can prevent and heal diseases even more than standard pills and drugs,” opined James Ighene, a nutritionist, fitness and lifestyle coach. To him, many foods contain medicinal properties that can prevent, treat diseases and transform health.
Some of these foods, herbs and spices he noted, have been used for centuries by our ancestors who valued them for their healing properties.
Said he: “What you eat can to a large extent, determine how often you see your doctor. Foods rich in phytonutrients, which are natural compounds found mostly in plant foods for instance, have been known to have antioxidant properties that help prevent damage to cells throughout the body. ‘Phyto’ is a Greek word meaning plant so basically, phytonutrients mean plant nutrients. They are mostly found in nature, that is natural foods not the processed types full of chemicals and addictives. These plant compounds have beneficial effects. They work with other essential nutrients like proteins and healthy fats to promote good health.”
He stated that these phytonutrients can be found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts and others. A number of phytonutrients, he added have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and other ailments.
“Some also have positive effects on the immune system, hormones and promote healthy aging, thus good for longevity. The health benefits of these nutrients are enormous; that is why I always encourage my clients to go for foods rich in them. Luckily, we have most of these foods like vegetables, fruits such as oranges, bananas, watermelons, avocados and others in our local markets so people should take advantage of them and eat well for the sake of their health and wellbeing. The journey to good health begins with the food you put in your mouth,” he enjoined.
Eating right, staying well
Infact, the importance of good nutrition to the health was highlighted earlier in the week in the country as some health practitioners marked this year’s World Health Day with the theme ‘Safe and nutritious food, a panacea to fighting malnutrition and diseases among infants, young children and women of reproductive age’. Organised under the auspices of the Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria in conjunction with the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), the forum noted that 37 percent of children under age five in Nigeria are malnourished and are classified as stunted, the highest rate in sub-Saharan Africa and the second in the world. It stated that ‘despite progress made in reducing malnutrition, Nigerians especially women and children are still affected by many food related challenges including vitamins and mineral deficiencies, obesity and non communicable diseases.’ Speaking on the importance nutrition plays in the like body’s wellbeing, Bolanle O. Tijani, Head Dietician, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH), stated that it is important to eat well to stay healthy. “It is important to eat well. For instance, just eating well can help people to prevent obesity. Eating well ensures that. Also good nutrition naturally helps to prevent communicable diseases like cough and also helps the management of diseases,” she said. She added that good nutrition can also help in the management of certain diseases such as diabetes and stroke.
“However, while good nutrition can help in illnesses like stroke, hypertension, diabetes, it cannot cure such diseases. It can only help the management of the diseases. That is because, some of these diseases, once somebody has it, it comes to stay. But good nutrition is important because if one eats anyhow, some diseases that are silent in the body can come up.
There is also no food that is not good for the body. It is how you eat it and the time you eat it that determines a lot. It is good to eat vegetables, spinach, fruits and so on,” she advised.
To Ifeoluwa Otitoju, a nutritionist, all kinds of ailments can manifest in the body when there is poor nutrition. “Food is a natural substance used to cure diseases. Once there is an alteration in the quantity or quality of food intake, then it can open room for diseases to take hold of the body,” she said.
On some of the diseases that can be managed with nutrition/diet, she stated: “To manage high blood pressure, patients should take a high fibre, high protein diet and also low fat products. Guavas, beans and cabbage are suitable for those with high BP. The person should go for skimmed milk instead of whole fat milk to avoid being obese. Lean meat is also recommended instead of the fatty type.
“Those with diabetes should opt for a low calorie, normal protein, low fat, high fibre diet. They should reduce or avoid sugar, reduce intake of refined products and avoid beverages and caffeinated drinks.”
For management of obesity, she recommends food high in fibre such as oats and low fat food. “Also, it is advisable to use soya oil instead of palm oil. The basic thing is to eat food high in protein but low on calories. For cancer, it can be managed by high calorie and high protein diet. Cancer patients should also avoid smoked food. They should take unsaturated fat, so instead of palm oil, take Soya oil.”
However, while nutrition can act as a healer, certain foods can also be a trigger for some ailments, leading to allergic reactions. “Some diseases are inherent or hereditary in the body system. They may not show up but if someone eats food that triggers some genes, then these diseases could attack the body since they had been triggered by certain food intake,” the University of Ibadan trained nutritionist noted.
A varied diet
To get the maximum benefits from the nutrients in food, experts advise eating a diverse diet incorporating different foods and dishes. “Variety is the key to getting the different nutrients contained in foods,” stated Ighene. He added that nature has made it possible for people to get a wide choice of foods but tastes, cultural habits and taboos restrict many people. “Over time, due to certain factors such as unbringing, people have developed different tastes for different dishes which they tend to stick to. For instance, I have a client whose favourite food is rice. She can eat rice three times a day mostly with beef stew all year round. The problem with this type of diet is that she is denying herself of other nutrients from other food sources.
“So, what I have advised her to do is add some vegetables like carrots and peas to the rice. Carrots are very good as they contain beta-carotene which protects against cancer and the skin against free radicals which cause ageing. So, eating plenty of carrots will help your skin glow and look fresh and youthful. This is good for ladies who desire smooth, radiant skin; instead of spending large sums of money on skin lotions and creams as many of our women do these days, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits such as carrots, peas and watermelon. Beta carotene is also good for the eyes because of the Vit A it contains so it is recommended for those with poor eyesight,” he said.
While conceding that eating well can be a challenge for many people in the society due to the high poverty rate, he noted that one can eat good, nutritious food without robbing the bank. Said he: “As I stated earlier, we are richly blessed in this country when it comes to variety of food which are mostly fresh. Some might be too expensive for some people but there are cheaper options that are equally good and affordable. For instance, take a local vegetable like pumpkin leaf or ugwu. It can easily be grown in your backyard especially if you live in the suburbs or outskirts of the city. With this vegetable, you can make a nice meal with a little oil, dry fish, pepper and spices which can be eaten with plantain, yam or eba depending on your choice. You don’t need a large sum of money to cook such a dish and the health benefits are plenty- ugwu is a blood enricher and contains many vitamins and minerals especially Vit C which is good for healthy bones, teeth and skin.”