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Tag: Vegetables

  • Why you should incorporate more fruits, vegetables into your diet

    Why you should incorporate more fruits, vegetables into your diet

    Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet is one of the most effective ways to enhance your overall health.

    Embracing a diet rich in fruits and vegetables supports numerous bodily functions and helps prevent chronic diseases. 

    Here’s why they are essential to your health:

    1. Essential Nutrients: Fruits and vegetables provide vital vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, potassium, which bolster immune function, regulate blood pressure, and aid in cell repair.
    2. Fiber for digestive health: The high fiber content in these foods promotes digestive regularity, helps prevent constipation, and supports a healthy gut microbiome.
    3. Antioxidant protection: Many fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals, potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
    4. Low in calories: Naturally low in calories, fruits and vegetables such as apples, berries, cucumbers are perfect for managing weight and creating a balanced diet.
    5. Hydration support: With high water content, fruits and vegetables aid in hydration, maintaining healthy skin and proper bodily functions.

    To boost your intake of these nutritious foods, consider these practical tips:

    1. Add Fruits and Vegetables to Every Meal: Begin your day with a fruit smoothie or top your cereal with fresh fruit. Include a side salad or vegetables with lunch and dinner to ensure you’re consuming a variety throughout the day.
    2. Use Fruits and Vegetables as Snacks: Opt for fresh fruits or vegetable sticks instead of unhealthy snacks. Keep ready-to-eat options like apple slices, carrot sticks, or a bowl of mixed berries readily available for quick, nutritious snacks.
    3. Experiment with New Recipes: Incorporate fruits and vegetables into your favorite recipes or explore new dishes that highlight these ingredients. Add vegetables to pasta sauces, soups, and stir-fries, or create fruit-based salads.
    4. Shop Seasonally and Locally: Choose fruits and vegetables that are in season for better flavor and nutritional value. Visit local farmers’ markets to find fresh produce and support local growers.
    5. Prepare and Store in Advance: Wash, cut, and store fruits and vegetables in accessible containers. This makes it easier to grab a healthy snack or add them to meals quickly.

    By integrating these strategies into your daily routine, you can effortlessly increase your fruit and vegetable intake, reaping the numerous health benefits they offer. 

    Prioritizing these foods will not only enhance your vitality but also contribute to your long-term well-being.

  • Four benefits of eating vegetables

    Four benefits of eating vegetables

    Vegetable is a broad term that refers to the edible parts of plants, which are usually their leaves, roots, fruits, or seeds. Vegetables are a staple food across the world and are a fundamental part of modern agriculture. 

    Since they’re low in calories but high in nutrients, most health experts recommend that you consume vegetables daily. There’s a scientific consensus that a balanced, rotating diet of different varieties of vegetables is one of the best ways to source nutrients from your food starting at a young age. 

    1. Lower blood pressure: Vegetables can help lower blood pressure because they are rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and fiber, which are known to have a positive impact on blood pressure levels. Potassium helps balance the effects of sodium in the body, which can help lower blood pressure. Magnesium plays a role in relaxing blood vessels, promoting better blood flow and lower pressure. The fiber in vegetables also contributes to heart health, which indirectly helps in maintaining healthy blood pressure.

    2. Lower risk of heart disease: Eating vegetables can help lower the risk of heart disease because they are rich in nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are good for your heart health. Vegetables contain antioxidants that can reduce inflammation and improve blood vessel function, leading to a healthier heart. Including a variety of vegetables in your diet can also help manage weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, all of which are important factors in reducing the risk of heart disease.

    Read Also: NGO urges govt to stop deforestation to boost tomatoes, vegetables production 

    3. Diabetes control: Vegetables can help control diabetes by being low in calories and high in fiber, which can help regulate blood sugar levels. The fiber in vegetables slows down the absorption of sugars, preventing spikes in blood sugar. Additionally, vegetables are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that can improve insulin sensitivity and overall blood sugar control.

    4. Nutrition: Vegetables are like superheroes for providing us with essential vitamins! They are packed with vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin K, and various B vitamins, which are crucial for our overall health. Each vegetable offers a unique set of vitamins, so eating a variety ensures you get a wide range of essential nutrients to keep your body functioning at its best.

  • High consumption of vegetables, olive oil treats depression- Research

    High consumption of vegetables and olive oil and moderate consumption of protein, will not only help treat depression, but also can save consumers and patients money as a more cost-effective treatment, according to latest Australian research.

    “Our new analysis looked at comparative costs in things like counselling, healthcare visits (or general practitioner (visits), medicine, food, travel, and lost productivity to evaluate whether a dietary intervention like this provides value for money,” Dr. Mary Lou Chatterton, a research fellow from Deakin University, said on Tuesday.

    “The lower cost was partially due to fewer health professional visits, such as to doctors, dentists, and psychologists.

    “The participants on the dietary intervention also reported less time lost from unpaid activities such as housework and childcare.”

    Read Also:Depression and rising cases of suicide in Nigeria

    The university’s latest findings build on what it said is ground-breaking evidence that it published in 2017 to show how diet could be used to treat depression.

    The move involved patients switching to a Mediterranean diet-like regime of increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, fish, lean red meats, olive oil and nuts, while reducing their consumption of unhealthy “extras” foods, such as sweets, refined cereals, fried food, fast-food, processed meats and sugary drinks.

    The latest economic analysis on the simple dietary improvements, published in the journal BMC Public Health, factored in dietitians’ wage costs as well as food, with costs for consumers of the healthier diet estimated at 26 Australian dollars (19.70 U.S. dollars) per week lower than their normal consumption before they started the trial, according to the researchers.

    “We already know that dietary counselling is cost-effective when it comes to the management of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” Chatterton said.

    “But these results indicate that providing support for people with depression to improve their diet may be a cost-effective strategy to reduce mental health symptoms too.”

    “There is a strong relationship between depression and the development of other chronic health conditions like these.

    “So a dietary improvement strategy could have multiple benefits that translate to wider health and well-being,” he added.

  • How eating too much vegetables can turn your poop colour green

    How eating too much vegetables can turn your poop colour green

    Vegetables are great!

     

    Eating meals that contain vegetables is a very healthy practice. It is even recommended that you try to include them in your meals every day because there are many health benefits associated with them.

    Vegetables contain dietary fibre, which helps in digestion, contain several important vitamins and minerals and are a good source of water. Examples of vegetables are lettuce, broccoli, tomato, spinach, cucumber and cabbage.

    Vegetables keep you hydrated, improve your skin and help with weight control. They are also associated with a decreased risk of developing chronic diseases like hypertension, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

    According to the World Health Organization, 1.7 million deaths per year are attributable to eating low amounts of fruits and vegetables. Also, eating inadequate amounts of fruits and vegetables causes about 14% of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, 11% of ischemic heart disease deaths and 9% of stroke deaths worldwide.

    It is recommended that you take at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables every day to stay healthy.

    Now, this doesn’t mean you should take only vegetables. Because of the many benefits of eating them, some people take them in very large quantities or choose to stick with only vegetables as their only source of nutrition. This isn’t the best, this practice could come with some side-effects or can be outright dangerous.

    Today, we would be focusing how it affects your poop.

    Vegetables, especially the green ones can actually turn the colour of your poop green.

    You may be curious: how does this happen?

    Well, the answer lies in a special chemical pigment called chlorophyll.

    What chlorophyll is and how does it affect poop colour?
    If you studied agriculture at any level, you might have come across this word ‘chlorophyll’. Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in green plants that helps them trap energy from the sun for them to produce carbohydrates. It converts light energy into chemical energy. This process is referred to as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis also helps the environment by exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen.

    When you eat green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach, the chlorophyll present in them could change the colour of your poop from brown to green.

    As a matter of fact, green foods like vegetables are the commonest reasons why going to the toilet for a ‘number two’ could produce a green coloured stool.

    You are more likely to pass green stools if you take these vegetables in large quantities like in the popular ‘juicing’ or green detox regimens. (By the way, doctors and dietitians do not support juicing to lose weight but a balanced diet and adequate physical exercise)

    What else causes green poop?
    Green vegetables are not the only reason why people may pass green coloured stools. Diarrhea, food dyes, some medications and intestinal illnesses could cause green poop.

    When a person has diarrhea, poop rushes through the intestines and there isn’t enough time for bacteria and enzymes to act on bile (a green pigment made in the liver that helps in digestion). Normally, when these enzymes and bacteria act on bile, they change its green colour to brown. This is why normal stool colour is brown. But in diarrhea, this decreased transit time of poop in the intestines could lead to green poop, sometimes accompanied by mucus.

    What are other stool colours?
    Apart from brown and green, poop could be red, black or yellow.

    Red stools that are bloody are usually a sign of bleeding from the lower part of the digestive system (like the large intestine, rectum and anus), while black stools usually signify bleeding from high up the digestive system from sites like the esophagus, stomach and small intestine.

    Yellow stools can be caused by a decreased production or release of bile caused by liver or gallbladder diseases. Pancreatic problems also lead to a decrease in an enzyme that breaks down fat, causing yellow greasy stools that have a foul smell.
    Takeaway
    While it’s very important to eat vegetables, moderation is key (as with most good things). There is a popular thought that you can’t have too much of fruits and vegetables, this isn’t true.

    Eating too much vegetables or going on ‘vegetable juice diets’ could come with side effects like green stools.

    A balanced diet is what is recommended by doctors and nutritionists. A balanced diet is one that contains foods from all the main food classes in correct proportions. The main food classes are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals.

    Dr. Omiete Charles-Davies is the founder of 25 Doctors, a platform where you can chat with doctors online

     

  • ‘Eat fruits, vegetables for optimal health’

    ‘Eat fruits, vegetables for optimal health’

    A Naturopath, Dr Idowu Ogunkoya, answers the question.

    Watermelons are an excellent source of several vitamins: vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant. Vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, promote healthy teeth and gums and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy.

    Watermelon has the highest concentration of lycopene of any fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and several types of cancer – prostate cancer in particular.

    A great source of potassium, which helps muscle and nerve function, helps maintain the body’s proper electrolyte and acid-based balance, and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure. The health benefits of watermelon juice do come from the fact that the fruit is a great way to keep hydrated, especially during the hot months. Sometimes, it can be difficult to get young children to drink enough water, but it is easier to get them to consume watermelon. However, the benefits don’t end there. Watermelon is a good source of fibre, vitamins C, A, and B. It is also a source of protein and carbohydrates, as well as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Watermelon contains enzymes, organic acids, and natural sugars. It also has no fat or cholesterol, and limited sodium content.

    Health benefits of drinking watermelon juice

    Blood pressure: The potassium and magnesium, along with the acids in the watermelon, combine to help keep blood vessels healthy and maintain smooth blood flow. The watermelon can also help maintain proper electrolyte and acid balance, which are all-important for a stable blood pressure level. A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension reports that watermelon has the ability to reduce blood pressure in those who are overweight.

    Asthma: Some research suggests that the risks of developing asthma are lower in people who consume higher amounts of certain nutrients, including vitamin C. As mentioned above, watermelon contains vitamin C. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a report in 2014 that suggested vitamin C should be included in a list of asthma treatments to be examined further.

    Heart health: Amino acids help maintain arteries and good blood flow, which promote healthy cardiovascular function. There are amino acids in watermelon. The fruit also contains beta-carotene, as well as vitamin C, known to help reduce cholesterol.

    Weight loss: Research seems to suggest that watermelon juice benefits weight loss. In animal studies, acid, like that found in watermelon, appeared to interfere with the production of fat in fat cells. Since watermelon is low in calories and does not have any fat in it, many people have turned to it as a weight loss aid. The fact that watermelon contains about 90 percent water helps us fill up quickly and avoid over-eating.

    Skin: Hydration is important for our skin and since watermelon contains water many people are not surprised to hear there are watermelon juice benefits for skin. The vitamin A in the fruit also promotes body tissue growth such as skin and hair. Vitamin C helps maintain collagen, which provides structure to both our skin and hair.

    Pregnancy:  There seem to be watermelon juice benefits during pregnancy. Many women have reported that consuming watermelon while pregnant eased their swelling, heartburn, and morning sickness. A study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics indicates that essential nutrients found in watermelon reduce preeclampsia by as much as 50 percent. Since watermelon contains vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium, it can’t hurt to eat the fruit when pregnant. All of these vitamins can be important to the development of a baby’s brain, nervous and immune systems.

    Kidney health: Watermelon can be a diuretic. It can stimulate kidney function and reduce uric acid in the blood. Some believe that the watermelon also helps the liver process ammonia, which can lower stress on the kidney while getting rid of excess fluid.

    Cancer: Studies are ongoing, but we know some scientific experts suggest that nutrients found in watermelon could be helpful in reducing certain types of cancer. We also know that vitamins C and A (also found in watermelon) play a role in protecting cells from free radical damage. Some nutritionists recommend consuming watermelon daily and not just the flesh, but the rind as well.

    Eye health: It turns out that carrots aren’t the only good food for our eyes. Watermelon juice benefits our eye health as well. Watermelon is an excellent source of beta-carotene. It also has a combination of vitamin A, vitamin C, and other essential nutrients that can keep our eyes healthy.

    Rich in antioxidants: Many nutritionists will tell you that watermelon is packed with antioxidants that have the ability to help keep us healthy. Antioxidants protect us from free radicals that can cause inflammation and problems such as arthritis, asthma, stroke, cancer, and heart disease. Some experts suggest that in order to maximize the antioxidant benefits we should consume watermelon that is ripe and fresh.

    Carrot juice- the king of juices

    Carrot juice is the richest source of vitamin A. The body can easily assimilate this type of vitamin A. Carrot juice not only has a rich source of vitamin A, but this juice has a good supply of vitamins B, C, D, E, G, and K.

    Benefits of drinking Carrot Juice

    Beta carotene: Carrots are a rich source of this powerful antioxidant, which, among other vital uses, can be converted into vitamin A in the body to help maintain healthy skin. 2. Digestion: Carrots increase saliva and supply essential minerals, vitamins and enzymes that aid indigestion. Carrots are nutritious and fiber-rich vegetables, whether you consume them whole or in juice. When comparing carrot juice to raw carrots, serving sizes are important to consider. A cup of carrot juice weighs 236 grams, more than the weight of three large carrots. Because you are unlikely to eat three carrots in a sitting, a serving of raw carrots, one large carrot, weighs significantly less than a serving of carrot juice and contains fewer nutrients.

    Macronutrients

    A cup of carrot juice has 94 calories, with 2.24 grams of protein and 1.9 grams of fiber. A raw carrot is much less energy-dense, with 30 calories and 0.67 gram of protein; however, it has two grams of fiber, making the two equals in fiber content. Carrot juice has 9.23 grams of natural sugar, while a carrot has 3.41 grams. If you are trying to lose weight or maintain your current weight, a raw carrot can give you appetite-satisfying bulk with fewer calories.

    Antioxidants

    Carrots are a valuable source of antioxidant vitamins, which benefit your immune system and help prevent premature ageing. A cup of carrot juice gives you more than one-fourth of your daily requirement for vitamin C and half the vitamin E you need daily, while a raw carrot provides five percent of the vitamin C and 3 percent of the vitamin E you need each day. Carrot juice also gives you 2,256 micrograms of vitamin A, more than three times your recommended daily intake for that important antioxidant. A carrot, with 601 micrograms of vitamin A, provides 86 percent of your daily requirement.

    B Vitamins and Vitamin K

    Carrot juice is also richer in minerals than a raw carrot. A cup of carrot juice has 41 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin K, a nutrient that helps your blood clot properly, while a carrot gives you about one-tenth of the vitamin K you need daily. Carrot juice also provides 39 percent of your recommended daily intake for vitamin B-6, 20 percent for thiamine and 12 percent for riboflavin, while a carrot gives you less than one-fifth as much of each of those B-vitamins.

    Minerals

    Carrot juice provides more than twice the amount of minerals a raw carrot provides. Each cup of carrot juice contains about one-seventh of the potassium and phosphorus you should get daily, benefiting your nervous system and bone health. It also has one-tenth of your recommended daily intake for magnesium, a mineral that plays a role in muscle contraction, and six percent of the bone-strengthening calcium you need each day. A raw carrot has less than five percent of your daily requirement for each of those minerals

    Health benefits of guava

    Guava is a laxative fruit. Being a rich source of dietary fiber, it helps to cure constipation. Magnesium in guavas helps to relax the nerves and muscles in the body. Guavas are low in calories and fats but contain several vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant poly-phenolic and flavonoid compounds that play a pivotal role in prevention of cancers, anti-aging, immune-booster,etc. Guava is packed with vitamins and minerals that help to keep the skin healthy, fresh and wrinkle free. Guavas are very good sources of vitamin A, the nutrient best known for preserving and improving eyesight. Guava is rich in Vitamin C which helps to prevent the viral infections like cold and cough. It also effectively helps in treating scurvy. One cup of guava is packed with almost the same potassium as bananas. Potassium works as an important factor in regulating blood pressure by reversing the role of sodium in unbalancing normal.

     Health Benefits of Ladies Finger also known as Okra or Bhindi or Babae daliri

    The superior fibre found in Ladies Finger helps to stabilises blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Ladies Finger helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The Ladies Finger fibre absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools. This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, Ladies Finger’s mucilage soothes, and Ladies Finger facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic.

    Ladies Finger binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Ladies Finger also assures easy passage out of waste from the body. Ladies Finger is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most unlike the over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

    Ladies Finger is good for dry season heat treatment. Ladies Finger is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.

  • ‘Increase vegetables export to EU’

    Nigerians have been urged to increase their vegetables exports to reap  from the reported shortage of vegetables in Europe.

    According to a February 8 story in The Wall Street Journal, consumers in northern Europe are seeing extremely limited availability of a number of vegetables. The shortages started in December, when severe flooding and snow hit Spain’s Murcia region along the Mediterranean Sea, damaging crops and preventing farmers from planting. Spain is the primary source of vegetables for the continent during the winter.

    Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute’s (ARMTI’s) Acting Executive Director Dr. Olufemi Oladunni has urged farmers to take advantage of the situation and export vegetables to Europe.

    He advised them to address quality certification issues that have been a major hindrance food exporters have been facing in the European Union (EU) market.

    He stressed the need to strengthen food export policy with clearly-defined safety standards, traceability norms, soil certification guidelines and good agricultural practices, saying this would boost exports of agricultural products and processed food from the country.

    To avoid rejection, he said vegetables exports should be carried out only by complying with the guidelines issued by the 28-member EU bloc, adding that there should be strict monitoring and in-house certification for the export of perishable goods, and that government officials should inspect farms.

    Oladunni urged the government to support every efforts to increase exports’ competitiveness. To attain an improved export growth trajectory, he urged the government to maximise its strengths and reduce structural bottlenecks to enhance the nation’s competitiveness

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) is striving to get the EU to lift its ban on the export of beans from Nigeria to member-countries. The agency’s Coordinating Director, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, said all hands were on deck to ensure that the EU lifts the ban before 2019.

    He said the EU ban on Nigerian beans had affected the economy, adding thats there was a need to avoid future rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural commodities.

  • Dark-green leafy vegetables good for smallpox

    Dark-green leafy vegetables good for smallpox

    A traditional medicine practitioner, Dr Lambo Adebisi, has advised Nigerians to eat natural herbs, such as dark-green leafy vegetables, to prevent smallpox.

    He said ugwu and tete were especially good to ward off small pox.

    According to him, natural plants have anti-oxidants, among many active ingredients, to stop the disease.

    He urged people to make 40 percent of their food natural herbs, which are organically grown, that is, planted naturally without fertiliser.

    Also, a preparation of bomubomu  (giant milk weed) and corn can handle smallpox. “When both are boiled and drunk three times for four or five days, it can bring succour to the sick,” he said.

    People, he said, can also rub ogogoro (locally made dry gin) extract of bitter leaf with small quantity of undilluted honey on the affected part. This may also be taken as an oral tincture. Two table spoons of it two or four times daily. Ogogoro and honey are capable of  extracting pathogens from the rashes of the measles, chicken pox and small pox. It helps the rashes to dry up quickly.

    He said smallpox is treatable and preventable.

    According to him, smallpox is similar to chicken pox and measles and it is described as an acute infectious disease caused by a virus.

    This disease, he said, affects adults and children.

    “But it only affects people once in a lifetime as the body would have been immune to it. This may also apply to measles and chickenpox,” he said.

    Some of its symptoms, he said, are fever, headache, sore throat and rashes, among others.

    The rashes, he said, usually begins from the face and later spread to the rest of the body.

    “According to the Yoruba belief, smallpox is an airborne disease, which is usually spread by some spirits during the dry season.

    “But, herbalists believe the disease is a deceitful agent, which can also strike during the rainy season,” he said.

    Smallpox, he said, has several similar symptoms as measles.  “Other symptoms are cough, catarrh, red eyes, conjuctivitis (Apollo). Blood can come out from the suffer’s nose or ear. He can also be passing out bloody urine,” he said.

    Adebisi said the Yoruba address smallpox as Sonponna olode, which means an airborne spirit). It is also called igbona or ita (heat), he added.

    He said there was outbreak of the disease in 1959 in which sufferers were isolated in a remote area.

    Traditional medicine practitioners, he said, were employed to handle the disease, adding they stopped the disease by hanging Akoko leaf at the entrance of houses. They also put tangiri in people’s house so as to ward it off.

    To prevent its spread, he said, people drink a concoction made from cooked bomubomu leaf and corn.

    Those who take this mixture do not experience the disease.

    He said conventional doctor simply handle the problem by boosting the immunity of patients so that they can withstand the disease.

    Besides, vaccines were also introduced to stop the disease.

    The danger, he said, was late detection and treatment because it can kill the sufferer.

    He described the disease as an opportunistic disease, which is treatable in healthy people.

    “But people with poor immunity are more vulnerable and easily affected by it,” he said.

  • Eating enough vegetables helps fight cancer – Expert

    Eating enough vegetables helps fight cancer – Expert

    A food technologist, Mr. Ochuko Erinkainwe, says most cancer cases can be prevented by eating enough vegetables, noting that it remains the only natural food that helps to fight the disease.

    Erinkainwe spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos against the backdrop of the World Food Day celebrated on Oct. 16.

    He said that Nigeria’s vegetable spread had what it takes in the fight against cancer.

    Erinkainwe, the Public Relations Officer of Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), said that emphasis on World Food Day should on eating right for healthy living as “food is healing’’.

    “Researches have proved beyond doubt that people who eat more natural plant foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

    “Our daily meals count a lot when it comes to cancer risk factors, what we eat determines how much immunity we have in our body and also building resistant fluids inside the systems.

    “If we want to build or design an anti-cancer diet, then we should look at adding much vegetables to our meals, we should eat plenty of vegetables every day.

    “By this, we will be flooding our systems with protective substances, this will help a lot, most especially the cruciferous vegetables,’’ he told NAN.

    Erinkainwe said: “Cruciferous vegetables may have the most powerful anti-cancer properties. This family of vegetables includes green vegetables, cabbage, onions, broccoli and some others like cauliflower.

    “The mere meaning of cruciferous suggests its importance. It was taken from the Latin word ‘crucifer’ meaning ‘cross-bearer’ for their flowers, having four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross.

    “All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition.

    “They have sulfur-containing compounds which are responsible for their pungent or bitter flavours.

    “Vegetables when broken down in the system provide sulfur-containing compounds — Isothiocyanates (ITCs) – a compound with proven anti-cancer activities.

    “This compound can work in different molecules. They can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens and kill cancer cells. It also produces antioxidants or even immunologic effects.

    “Many are not aware of the anti-oxidant powers deposited in vegetables and the most interesting thing is that many whose lives would have been saved neglected this part.’’

    He said that vegetables provided all kind of healing to the system not just the cancer cure only, they also detoxified the body and help to keep it in shape and increases immunity.

    “Vegetables also help in inhibiting cancer cell growth or induce cancer cell death; cruciferous vegetable juice contains ingredient that has proved to induce fluid that can fight breast cancer too.

    “Some vegetables too, apart from the fact that they detoxify the blood, they also establish blood supply and increases the excretion of certain dietary toxins not needed by our systems.

    “Regular intake of vegetables, most especially in-between cruciferous vegetables has a potent antioxidant against breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers.

    “This has been reported, but cruciferous vegetables are far more potent.

    “These observations in cell culture and animal studies have been confirmed by epidemiological studies drawing connections between cruciferous vegetable intake and cancer incidence,’’ Erinkainwe told NAN.

    On the potency of cruciferous vegetables, he said that studies had shown that they were twice as powerful as other plant foods.

    “In population studies, a 20 per cent increase in plant food intake generally corresponds to a 20 per cent decrease in cancer rates, but a 20 per cent increase in cruciferous vegetable intake corresponds to a 40 per cent decrease in cancer.

    “Twenty-eight servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 33 per cent, but just three servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41 per cent.

    “Also, one or more servings of cabbage per week reduce risk of pancreatic cancer by 38 per cent.

    “However, to maximize the potency of our cruciferous vegetables, methods of preparation must be taken into consideration to aid digestion and absorption into the blood stream.’’

    Erikainwe said that chopping, chewing, blending or juicing allows for production benefits, whereas some benefits may be lost with boiling or steaming.

    He added that the maximum benefit was eating cruciferous vegetables raw.

    “Cruciferous vegetables are not only the most powerful anti-cancer foods in existence; they are also the most nutrient-dense of all vegetables.

    “The National Cancer Institute in America recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for cancer prevention; they have not yet established specific recommendations for cruciferous vegetables.

    “Consuming a large variety of these rich cruciferous vegetables within an overall nutrient-dense diet can provide us with a profound level of protection against cancer,’’ he said.

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  • Nestlé Nigeria canvasses consumption of vegetables

    Nestlé Nigeria canvasses consumption of vegetables

    Buoyed by the need to encourage consumption of vegetables as part of a healthy diet, Nestlé, through the Maggi brand, has engaged over 15,000 Nigerian women through its home garden initiative this year.

    The scheme is an integral part of the yearly Maggi Women’s Forum, which is held in different parts of Nigeria in partnership with various women’s groups, including the Governors’ Wives Forum. At each forum, participants are taught about the importance of nutrition, health and wellness, shown how to raise a home garden and are given a vegetable garden starter pack containing iron-rich fluted pumpkin vegetable (an indigenous vegetable grown in southern Nigeria), and a leaflet. Over the past five years, women in 18 Nigerian states have received vegetable seeds.

    Commenting on the Maggi home garden initiative, Category Business Manager Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria, Nordine Meguini, said: “Maggi helps families to prepare balanced menus, based on nutritious ingredients. The home garden initiative is a simple and sustainable way to promote home cooking with vegetables. The seeds offered are easily grown and do not require specific skills”.

    Speaking on the response to the home garden initiative, Imabong Martins, Regional Consumer Services Manager said, “It has been very positive and encouraging. Women have called in to report on the progress of their home gardens. Some women have even taken this a step further and are now selling the vegetables they grow on a commercial basis”.

    This year, women are encouraged to cultivate and send pictures of full grown-harvest ready plants. The first five women to send their pictures from each association will be visited and presented with a Maggi gift.  This initiative is part of Nestlé’s global commitments to encourage consumption of vegetables as evidence suggests that many people do not reach the recommended level of consumption. The Maggi Women Forum is expected to reach an additional 15,000 Nigerian women by the end of 2015.

  • Fruits, vegetables ‘good for arthritis’

    Fruits, vegetables ‘good for arthritis’

    People who suffer from arthritis have been advised to consume  fruits and vegetables regularly.

    This, according to the Chairman, National Association of Natural and Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), Lagos branch, Dr Yekini Akande, would ensure that damaged cells are repaired or replaced.

    He described arthritis as a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint, adding that it is common among the aged.

    “Today, the condition also affects the young and middle-age adults,” he said. He said people can suffer arthritis if they are overworked or engaged in too much of tedious work.

    “Sometimes, people who have over-worked themselves or are working too hard could develop arthritis. Previous injury, infection, smoking, and occupations which are very demanding physically can also cause it.

    “Arthritis can start suddenly without any obvious cause, and at any age. Sometimes something in your lifestyle or medical history – or a combination of these – could be responsible. A number of factors may increase people’s risk of developing the condition if they are already susceptible to it. Previous injuries sustained by people can increase their risk of arthritis,” he said.

    He continued: “Infections or an allergic reaction can cause short-lived arthritis.

    ‘’Some foods may appear to make your arthritis worse, although your diet or a food intolerance are unlikely to cause arthritis.”

    The traditional medicine practitioner  said men who engage in too much of intercourse without adequate care are likely to have arthritis.

    “After intercourse, men are usually advised to use mineral supplements to cover for the lost energy. This is because the energy expended during the exercise can cause wear and tear to the body,” he said.

    He advised people to rest for six to eight hours after a hard day job so that the body tissue and all organs recover from the activities.

    Akande said too much of carbonhydrates is bad, adding that most people who suffer arthritis are those taking starchy food often.