The Nation Newspaper

Tag: juice

  • African creativity is everywhere, but when it’s time for recognition, we’re sidelined — Juice

    African creativity is everywhere, but when it’s time for recognition, we’re sidelined — Juice

    For years, African creatives have shaped global pop culture, from music to fashion and visual arts. Yet, despite their undeniable influence, many remain unrecognized. Music producer and industry insider Chukwudi Charles “Juice” Ezeani is tackling this issue head-on in his upcoming documentary, The Silent Struggle.

    Juice, known for his work with the Producers Bootcamp, has long supported emerging talents. His new documentary aims to shed light on the systemic barriers keeping African creatives in the shadows while the world profits from their artistry.

    “African creativity is everywhere, but when it’s time for recognition, we’re sidelined,” Juice states. His film explores why African artists, producers, and designers often struggle for credit and financial rewards, despite their impact on global trends.

    Featuring insights from Grammy-winning producers and industry leaders, The Silent Struggle seeks solutions—advocating for ownership, better industry structures, and fair compensation. With its upcoming release, Juice is ensuring that this time, African creatives will be seen, heard, and valued.

  • Man, 21, in court for stealing beer, juice

    A 21-year-old man, Kamaru Kuye, was yesterday arraigned before an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing goods valued at N220,800.

    Prosecutor Inspector Oladele Adebayo said the defendant committed the offence on December 23, at 2:30am, at 1, Kano Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos

    Kuye, of no fixed address, is facing a two-count charge of burglary and stealing before Chief Magistrate Mr. O.O. Olatunji.

    Read also: Festive Season: Africa Volunteer Network remembers less privilege children

    Adebayo said the accused unlawfully entered the shop of the complainant, Mrs. Risikat Salako, and stole one TV set, four crates of beer and a pack of juice valued at N220,800

    When the charge was read, Kuye pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate Olatunji granted the defendant N100,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum and adjourned till January 30 for mention.

     

  • Chivita hits fruit juice market with Active Vegetable

    Chi Limited has hit the fruit juice market with a new brand, Chivita Active Vegetable & Fruit Nectar. The product, according to its handlers, combines the power of vegetable and fruit with a blend of vitamins, fibre and nutrients.

    “Chivita Active vegetable and fruit nectar is a healthy and tasty way to get the antioxidants and stamina required for a healthy active lifestyle,” the brand handlers said.

    In a consumer taste survey, the brand owners revealed that Olumide Ajagun, a manager in one of the banks, testified to the health benefits of the product.

    He said: “I bought a blender about two years ago to make healthy drinks as an easy way of getting huge amounts of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals and cancer-preventing antioxidants that my body needs for healthy living, but I can assure you that the process of getting the vegetable from the market, washing them and blending is a task I do not relish. With Chivita Active Vegetable & Fruit Nectar, I can now enjoy the lip smacking goodness of fruit and the benefits of no cholesterol and low fat from vegetables all in a pack.”

    Accordingly, the product is produced with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and is available in three exciting variants–Carrot Orange, Beetroot Grape and Beetroot Apple.

    The Managing Director of Chi Limited, Roy Deepanjan,  said: “We are once again pioneering a new segment of the juice market with the Chivita Active Vegetable & Fruit Nectar in line with our market penetration strategy. As an innovative company, we are always looking for new ways to excite and invigorate the market, which is why we will continue to develop the right products, that meets market expectation of consumers who are health conscious, in the years ahead.”

  • ‘Carrot juice good for cleansing’

    ‘Carrot juice good for cleansing’

    Freshly pressed raw organic carrot juice is a good cleanser. It is ideal for the liver as it stimulates livers’ cleansing, according to a phytotherapist, Dr Francis Elegbuo.

    Phytotherapy is the study of the use of extracts of natural origin as medicines or health-promoting agents. Phytotherapy medicines differ from plant-derived medicines in standard pharmacology.

    Dr Elegbuo of Franel Food Supplements and Natural Health Clinic in Ijegun, a Lagos suburb, said this healing root stimulates the natural immunity.

    “One of the reasons for its effectiveness as a cleansing tonic is the fact that it increases the number of red blood corpuscles and hemoglobin in the blood, in this way improving oxygen transport to the cells. Research has shown that it also renews and revitalises interstitial fluids, so this is deep tissue restoration at its best.

    “At the same time, the influence extends to the intestines where fresh carrot juice is a regulator of intestinal activity, slowing it down in diarrhea and increasing activity in constipation. Even the lungs are affected by its healing power with noticeable improvement in pulmonary infections including tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis and asthma.”

    Dr Elegbuo recommended the freshly extracted juice of 50 to 500 grams of carrots a day, “preferably on an empty stomach. It can be combined with other vegetable juices including sugarcane. This is really quite a delicious way to treat fatigue or stress and you can take advantage of the many fresh vegetables and fruits when you need a quick cleansing tonic. Remember to cook your vegetable and juice your fruits,” he said.

  • Juice for their honourables!

    Juice for their honourables!

    •As lawmakers scramble for choice committees

    Membership of the National Assembly is like a licence to print money, what with the trainload of compensations that comes with it for minimal exertion.  It is one long holiday in the lap of luxury, paid for by a public that has no say whatsoever on the matter.

    The lawmakers virtually determine what they take home.  While they may disagree about everything else, they are united in keeping their package of compensations a secret.

    More than 80 per cent of Nigerians live on less than N300 a day.  Yet Nigerian lawmakers draw a “wardrobe” allowance ranging from N50,000 to N60, 000 a month.  They even draw a special compensation for “hardship”:  the hardship of being chauffeured in luxury limousines paid for by the state, from palatial homes they bought for less than one-tenth of the market price, to the National Assembly, for desultory proceedings that last no longer that 200 days in a whole year.

    And yet, they are hankering after more, as is clear from the unseemly scramble for “juicy” committee assignments. Membership of the legislature, it seems, is not about making just laws for the good governance of Nigeria; it is not about entrenching democracy, or rendering public service. It is not about making Nigeria a better place for all citizens.

    Rather, it about self-aggrandizement.

    It is bad enough that the 109-member Senate has no less 59 committees dealing with every subject under the sun and even beyond. This arrangement ensures that each member will serve as chair or deputy chair of one committee or another.  It also guarantees that each member will have another official car in his or her fleet for committee work.

    The committee structure of the House of Representatives is similarly bloated.

    Were it left to them, few members would want to serve on the Committee for Monuments  and Museums.  There is no “juice” there.  The responsible Minister is hardly in a position to dispense largesse in cash or kind to Committee members for favourable consideration of its budget or programmes.

    But there is “juice” aplenty in the Ministry of Agriculture – think fertilizers— and in the Abuja Capital Territory – think parcels of choice public land – – and in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources —think import licences for refined petroleum products subsidies.

    For members of the legislature, the committees with oversight functions for these ministries or departments  are the committees of choice or, beg your pardon, of juice.

    Nor is this the only troubling aspect of the matter.

    Whereas the distribution of committee positions between the ruling APC and the Opposition PDP reflects the balance of forces in the Senate, that of the House of Representatives is so skewed that a visitor might think that Nigeria is running a coalition government.

    In that chamber, the APC with 214 members has 48 as committee chairs; the PDP with 125 members has 46 of as committee chairs.  House Speaker Yakubu Dogara says the arrangement is designed to reflect “federal character.”  The Constitution requires nothing like that. If that is indeed a requirement, why have with political parties and elections?

    As Dogara sorts out the confusion his high-handedness and his unrelenting defiance of his own party have wrought, it is well for the National Assembly to go back to basics; to remember that it is there to serve the people first and foremost, and that the pampered existence it has enjoyed thus far is no longer sustainable.

  • Establishing fruit juice processing plant

    Nigerians drink a lot. This is why drinks sell very fast. Today, fruit juice and milk drink enjoy good patronage with a large market share.

    Investing in fruit juice and milk flavoured products (chocolate and strawberry) is a good business opportunity.

    The basic equipment, machinery and facilities required are informed by the products and packaging materials/pack sizes recommended in the products and packaging section. The production facilities could be locally fabricated (manual) or imported sophisticated/automatic process production. The cost of production equipment ranges from N15 million to about N120 million, depending on the promoters’ financial ability and choice.

    The major raw materials include raw fruits (from local farmers), fruit juice concentrates for juice and drinks to be imported to argument farm supplies and provide the varieties in the range of products. Food ingredients (food flavours, acidulates, preservatives, stabilisers) granulated sugar, outer trays and shrink wrapping, nylon materials are to be imported.

    Packaging materials will include Tetra Pak (paper and pre-printed Doyle packs). The availability of the fruit juice concentrates is not in doubt as they are produced abundantly in different parts of Europe, America, Asia, South Africa, etc.

    Basically, two methods are used for reducing or eliminating the pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms, depending on the products concerned. For fruit juices and fruit drinks alone, the pasteurisation process is all that is necessary.

    Pasteurisation simply employs the principles of heating the product to a temperature of 75-900C (depending on equipment design and product) at a certain contact time ( 3 -8 seconds, depending again on equipment design and temperature applied), and suddenly dropping the temperature to about 20-250C (depending on filling room temperature). This treatment is usually enough to take care of spoilage organisms associated with fruit juices and fruit drinks.

    The other method is sterilisation, usually applied to highly microbiologically sensitive products susceptible to pathogenic and spoilage micro-organism in the milk and yoghurt products.

    The processes that take place at the packaging stage depend essentially on the type of packaging material, and the packaging equipment itself. Packaging material made of paper, sachet nylon, Doyle packs, employ the form, fill and seal principles.

    This is in sharp contrast with PET or Plastic (PVC) or Glass packaging materials, where different equipment forms the bottle and other equipments does the filling. In form, fill and seal, the same equipment accompanies the three stages.

    A small sized fruit juice plant set up in any of the urban cities of Nigeria stand the chance of reaping huge daily incomes for the promoters. A turnover of about N140 million of its 45 per cent installed capacity utilisation at first year operation is expected. This will give a first year after tax profit of about N28 million, which is 20 per cent of turnover.

    For a well packaged and comprehensive feasibility report, which is also a pre-requisite for fund sourcing and proper implementation of this project, please contact us through krisedbrilliant@yahoo.com or call 08023381900.

     

  • Benefits of tomato juice

    Benefits of tomato juice

    Tomatoes are a natural health secrets that provided by the Earth for humans.

    •Tomato juice contains large amounts of vitamin ‘A’ which helps in improving one’s eye sight.

    •It is good for skin care: Tomato juice benefits for skin as well as tomato juice benefits for face are widely known among people all over the world. One drunk twice a day, it is found in some cases to reduce the presence of acne and get rid of an acne infection faster. This juice can aid in the prevention of damage to cells in the skin. Tomato juice benefits for the face also include the prevention of pimples. One can make a face pack using fresh tomato base. One should apply this puree over the affected areas of one’s skin at least twice in a day for 10 to 15 minutes each time. Tomato juice is also great in its ability to tighten open pores. Rinse this mixture off with some warm water. This tomato juice can mixed with other fresh fruits or vegetables to make great face packs.

    •The vitamin ‘A’ found in Tomato juice is also beneficial for good hair growth. It helps in keeping one’s hair strong and shiny.

    •Tomato juice is recommended for people who are suffering from heart conditions or who are recovering from heart attacks.  This juice is almost always recommended for most patients who are recovering from various diseases.

    •It helps to lower blood pressure.

    •Vitamin C is also known for its ability to enhance one’s immune system. One can try drinking tomato juice for arthritis related problems. Tomato juice also helps in the prevention of inflammation and pain that is associated with arthritis. It helps in strengthening the bones.

    •Tomato juice is also known for its ability to prevent constipation problems. This juice should be mixed with fresh spinach juice. It helps to activate the person’s liver and thus prevent them getting constipated.

    •It is also good in treating diabetes because of its nutritional properties.

    •It is for kidney stones and gall stones patients. For this, the patients are advised to eat the tomatoes without any seeds in it. Tomato juice also works as a natural antiseptic and thus helps in guarding the human body against any kind of common infections in day to day life.

    Moreso, raw tomato juice is found to contain potassium. This is an essential mineral that is required for the human body to reduce malaise and general overall body weakness.

    Source: The Alternative Daily

  • 8 processed foods to beware of

    8 processed foods to beware of

    Over the past twenty years, a lot has changed, and the foods that we eat

    are creating a sicker generation of children. Even small changes will go a

    long way when significant percentages of the population take part, knowing

    or unknowingly. As a result, we now have epidemic increases in diabetes,

    heart disease, obesity and cancer.

    The commercialization of food has forced food companies to find newer,

    cheaper mechanisms to increase the shelf life of food, improve color, taste

    and perceived nutritional value.  The result – a food system that is

    heavily laced with food preservatives, artificial food colorings and

    chemicals.

    Processed foods are one of the greatest dangers to one’s overall health as

    they provide little actual nutritional value.  These foods are commonly

    loaded with unhealthy sugars, salts and fats that create inflammation,

    spike blood sugar and elevate blood pressure.

     

    *Instant noodles topped with MSG*

    There are many brands of instant noodles but few will win any health food

    awards. The immediate danger is what is in the flavor packet that comes

    with the noodles.  This packet often contains monosodium glutamate or MSG

    and very high amounts of salt.

    One of the most common causes of high blood pressure and kidney disease is

    eating too much salt.  One can incorporate instant noodles into a healthy

    diet by simply leaving out the flavor packet.

     

    *Sweet addictions*

    There are many types of sweets and ways of making them but the vast

    majority are high in saturated fat and a large portion of the calories come

    from sugars. They are also a very poor source of vitamins and minerals.

    The sugar is not just bad for one’s teeth but is a leading cause of

    inflammation and weight gain as well.

    It was appalling to find a small sweet that was packed with over 234

    calories, 25 grams of sugar and 12 grams of fat.  Sugar is addictive as it

    manipulates one’s taste buds, metabolism and brain into seeking out more.

     

    *Soda affecting heart beats*

    People often drink soda as if it is water, some even instead of water. Soda

    has an alarming amount of sugar, calories and harmful additives that have

    absolutely no nutritional value. Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis,

    obesity, tooth decay and heart disease.

    The caffeine found in soda can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood

    pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin

    and mineral depletion, breast lumps and possibly even some forms of cancer.

    Soda also contains phosphoric acid that can interfere with the body’s

    ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the

    bones and teeth. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the acids in the stomach

    making it difficult to properly utilize nutrients.

     

    *Crisps ousting healthier snacks*

    Crisps are perceived to be inexpensive, tasty and a convenient snack, but

    the toll they take on our bodies may not be worth the risk. An occasional

    handful of crisps may not cause irreparable damage to someone consuming an

    otherwise healthy diet but the real dangers arise when one consumes crisps

    on a regular or daily basis.

    Crisps are typically low in vitamins and minerals, and they tend to oust

    things in the diet that have better nutrient values.  They are typically

    high in fat and energy, which can raise the risk of weight gain and

    obesity. As an example, one ounce or 15 to 20 crisps of a popular brand

    contained 10 grams of fat and 154 calories.

     

    *Sugary cereals no better than biscuits*

    Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides the energy for

    the day, nutrients needed to repair bodily tissues and activates one’s

    metabolism to maintain a healthy weight.  Junk food, also known as sugary

    cereals in the morning will provide no nutritional value and can do more

    harm than good.

    According to a recent study, children’s breakfast cereals should be in the

    chocolate biscuit aisle of supermarkets.  One cup of a popular brand of

    children’s cereal contained more sugar than three cookies.

    Researchers looked at 50 cereals overall and 32 were too high in sugar.

    Even brands advertising themselves as healthy options tipped the scales.

    ‘Healthy options’ usually indicates the fortification of vitamins or

    minerals.  Fortification is a process of artificially implanting nutrients

    to improve product sales.

     

    *Boxed juices or boxed sugar with colorings*

    Infants less than a year old should not drink any fruit juice, 1 to 6 years

    olds shouldn’t exceed 6 ounces of fruit juice per day and older children

    ages 7 to 18 shouldn’t consume more than 8 or 12 ounces per day, ideally

    divided into two servings according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Sensationalist claims on the box make it difficult to figure out if the

    juice is actually healthy or not. Numerous studies detail the dangers of

    drinking too many high-energy, high-sugar, low-nutrient beverages.

    Consumers should be urged to check the food label before purchasing any of

    their favorite juices.

     

    *Processed meats producing cancers*

    Many processed meats are made with unhealthy nitrates, nitrites, trans

    fats, saturated fats and large amounts of sodium and sugar. A recent study

    showed a 67 percent increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming

    moderate amounts of processed meat. The high trans and saturated fat

    content can sabotage one’s heart and waistline as well.

    Sodium nitrite can be found in nearly every packaged meat product

    imaginable. It’s listed on the food label of products such as bacon,

    breakfast sausages, dried meats, pepperoni, sandwich meats, ham and even

    the meats found in canned soups.

     

    *Noodles, sauces and artificial colorings*

    Processed and unhealthy, just the thought of the powdered imitation sauce

    alone should make one cringe. These products contain excessive amounts of

    salts and preservatives to ensure the shelf life of the product.

    Artificial colorings, stabilizers and emulsifiers are chemicals used to

    make the food more attractive and palatable.

    Imitation powdered sauces often contain chemicals like artificial dye

    yellow #5 and #6. Yellow #5 is a water-soluble artificial dye that is also

    known as Tartrazine. Other foods that contain Tartrazine includes cake,

    pudding, biscuits, cookies, muffins, breads, pie crusts, frostings, sweets,

    gums, ice cream, beverages, cereals, instant waffles, yogurts, chips,

    crackers, salad dressing, pickles, cheeses, dips, takeaway foods, prepared

    dried and frozen entrees and sides.

    The problems do not stop there. Packaged sauces also contain a fattening

    secret known as partially hydrogenated oils. These oils are one of the

    reasons that heart disease is one of the fast growing health conditions.

    Food companies routinely manipulate oils to make them partially

    hydrogenated. This manipulation allows the oils to be more stable and have

    a longer shelf life. The entire process of partially hydrogenating an oil

    will produce unhealthy trans fats. Trans fatty acids are toxic to our

    systems, produce inflammation and allow diseases to develop.

    Partially hydrogenated oils also have a negative effect on cholesterol

    levels as they raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower HDL (good

    cholesterol). These oils have also been linked to the development of

    diabetes and a variety of cancers.

    Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for

    numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the

    world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals

    of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not

    necessarily reflect endorsement.

    Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com

Facebook: Dr. Cory Couillard

Twitter: DrCoryCouillard