Plantain and Its Nutritional Value

Plantain belongs to the Musacace family and is cultivated in many tropics and subtropical countries of the world. It ranks third after yams and cassava for sustainability in Nigeria.

Plantain (Musa Paradisiaca) is a rhizomatous perennial crop used as a source of starchy staple for millions of people in Nigeria. Mature plantain pulp is very rich in iron, potassium, vitamin A and ascorbic acid but low in protein. Plantains do not contain any fat, sodium or cholesterol, making the fruit heart-healthy, a serving of plantains also has 2g of fiber and 1g of protein.

According to "Medicinal Uses of Fruits and Vegetable’ unripe plantain contains special dietary fibre called pectin, which increases the number of calories ingested thus can shed weight or treat obesity.

According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, regular consumption of fruits like plantains helps prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. The beta carotene content in plantains helps protect your eyesight.

Unripe plantain meal is usually consumed by Nigerian diabetics to reduce postprandial glucose level. This is because the propensity of individuals to develop diabetes and obesity is due to the increased consumption of carbohydrate rich foods with a high Glycemic index.

The benefits of plantain are just unparalleled. They are usually cooked and consumed; plantain is known to benefit health in more one way.

Plantain juice can be effectively used to treat sunburn, ulcers, scalds and burns. It is treated as an effective substitute for aloe vera.

It is very effective for treating liver sluggishness and inflammation of the digestive tract too.

Plantain is also used as a vulnerary to treat cuts and wounds.

It is touted as a wonderful blood cleanser. It is also an effective cure against venomous snake bites and scorpion stings.

It can be consumed in the following ways

1.    Boiled plantain

2.   Roasted plantain (popularly called “bolae” or “bolle” in southern Nigeria.

3.    Fried plantain

4.    Boiled and pounded plantain 

5.    Plantain flour

The roasted plantain meal had the lowest Glycemic index for dietary staples to control and reduce hyperglycemia is essential in the treatment of diabetes. It controls spikes in blood glucose levels.

How to prepare plantain and cow tail
Wash the plantain and peel off the skin. Scrape the strands off the peeled plantain and keep aside to be used as thickener.

Chop the plantain into big chunks. Blend a lot of crayfish and clean the dried fish. Cook the cow tail. Place the plantain in a pot and add a little quantity of water. Add the onions, pepper, and salt, cubed seasoning and allow cooking till the plantain is a bit soft.

Add the crayfish and dried fish and the cow tail. Add a bit of groundnut oil; but in the absence of that, you could use vegetable oil. Allow to cook thoroughly to remove the raw taste of the groundnut oil. Stir. Add the shredded scent leaves and allow simmering for a while. Then serve to be consumed.

Have you eaten plantain today?

High Blood Pressure, the Silent Killer.

Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the artery walls by the pumping blood. The heart pumps blood around the body through the blood vessels.

High blood pressure (hypertension) means that the blood is pumping at a higher pressure than normal through the arteries, it exists where the pressure at which blood is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average. Blood pressure is measured using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.

In as many as 95% of reported high blood pressure cases in the U.S., the underlying cause cannot be determined but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, some are:

1. Smoking - smoking is such a powerful risk factor in increasing high blood pressure.

2. Overweight or obese - as body weight increases, the blood pressure rises, being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m (it can be calculated with this formula: weight (kg) / [height (m)]²)

3. Insufficient physical exercise – not doing a regular body exercise can cause high blood pressure, it means there will be high tendency to have excessive weight which is one of the risk factor for high blood pressure.

4. Too much salt in diet -high consumption of sodium (salt) has tendency of increasing the blood pressure, increase consumption of fast foods and processed foods contain particularly high amounts of sodium which may contribute to high blood pressure.

5. Alcohol consumption- taking more than 2 drinks of alcohol per day in man and 1 in woman can increase it.

6. Stress – being under a lot of stress can ginger high blood pressure.

7. Older age – the older we become, the risky we are to have high blood pressure due to some many factors like less work or exercise, more time to be alone or at home without being involved in a productive activity.

8. Genetics – if it runs in the family, it implies there is a risk of being victim.

9. Family history of high blood pressure- it has an important role to determine the risk of having high pressure. If the father or mother has high blood pressure, it shows there is tendency to be victim but if proper measure is taking it can be managed.

And others that may not be included which can be traced to its causes.

Research has shown that certain drugs can cause hypertension or make controlling hypertension more difficult. These drugs include:

o   The combined contraceptive pill

o   Some nasal drops and sprays

o   Some cough medicines, eye drops and appetite suppressants

When a direct cause for high blood pressure can be identified, the condition is described as secondary hypertension. Among the known causes of secondary hypertension, kidney disease ranks highest.

If not managed over a period of time it can ginger many illnesses, which may include -

o   Heart attack

o   Heart failure

o   Kidney disease

o   Stroke

Control or measure

The blood pressure can be controlled by having an improved life style, taking for instance someone smoking and drinking excessively can reduce the rate at which the blood pumping is pushing the vessels walls, if he quits smoking and drinking.

Likewise, regular body exercises can help in controlling or preventing its causes.

Reducing the sodium (salt) intake can also be of help in managing the blood pumping rate.

Guard Against That Cancer

Do you that you will guard yourself against cancer? If you take these foods, Try it today and boost your immunity.

Oranges and Carrots -  

Oranges and carrots are rich, respectively, in the antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene - which appear to protect cells by neutralizing free radicals, molecules that cause damage that can lead to cancer. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has been linked to reduced levels of lung and other cancers.

Tofu  -

The isoflavones contained in soy beans have a gently estrogen-mimicking effect in the body. This may help block the effects of stronger estrogens, both natural and those from environmental chemicals from sources such as plastics and pesticides. This may reduce the risk of hormone-linked cancers in both women and men.

Green Tea –

 Is a powerful antioxidant that appears to stop damage at a genetic level in lab cultures. In studies with animals it also stops tumors from forming their own blood supply network, which means they can’t grow. Green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea or coffee, but drinking large amounts can still lead to problems such as trouble sleeping and nausea

Garlic -  

The smelly compounds in garlic are potent anti-cancer agents. All of the onion family, including leeks and shallots, contain these compounds, too. In lab studies, chemically induced cancers were interrupted by the active compounds formed from allicin (which comes from garlic). Studies in humans show a lower risk of several common cancers in those who eat lots of garlic, to get the most out of garlic, chop or crush the clove and eat it raw or cook it lightly.

Whole-Grain Cereals  

Fiber found in whole-grain bread and cereal is important for digestive and hormonal health. The fiber gives the colon something "to work with" and also promotes activity of good bowel bacteria. Grains are rich in several other compounds that have been linked to reduced cancer risk

Yogurt –

Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in live yogurt, promote good digestive health and may boost the performance of the immune system. Regular yogurt intake has been shown to increase levels of immune anti-cancer compounds such as interferon and natural killer cells

Tomato Sauce –

The compound in tomatoes thought to be key is lycopene, a potent free-radical scavenger. Lycopene inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells in lab studies and is associated with lower prostate cancer risk in men with high intakes of tomato products; blood levels of lycopene are much higher when tomatoes have been cooked than when eaten raw.

21 Powerful Uses of Honey That You May Not Know

Honey has a long history of human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as  a sweetener and flavoring. Honey contains powerful antioxidants with antiseptic and antibacterial properties. It is non-toxic; it has the pH level between 3.2 and 4.5.

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation, and store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive.  Honey gets its sweetness from the mono saccharides fructose and glucose, and has approximately the same relative sweetness as that of granulated sugar.

Here are the 21 powerful uses of honey. 

1.       Honey is used in curing flu, cataract and glaucoma.

2.       To cure insomnia – use hot milk and honey, you will have sound sleep.

3.       To cure dropsy

4.       To promote virility and longevity

5.       To cure intestinal  worms

6.       To improve appetite

7.       For hangover(that is too much alcohol- use honey, orange juice and yogurt)

8.       To build or boost the body immunity.

9.       To clean the body of toxic- use it before breakfast, mix honey with lemon juice into a cup of warm water.

10.   To cure mental illness.

11.   To treat ulcer- honey can be used in combination with alum

12.   To gain more strength, that is, is energy booster- mix a teaspoon into a cup of tea and you will feel better.

13.   To soothing the bowls

14.   To alleviate allergies.

15.   To treat sore throats and cough- it is used usually by the musicians to aid them in singing.

16.   To treat wounds or burns, simply by applying it to the surface.

17.   To catalyse calcium consumption.

18.   It is used for conditioning hair and to prevent hair loss or break- apply honey with water after you have had your bath.

19.   It is used to reduce damage to the colon in colitis.

20.   It is to reduce facial redness and acne- use honey with warm water to wash your face.

21.   It is used for weight loss- it reduces cholesterol level in the body- use honey before you eat the breakfast, one teaspoon of honey, two teaspoons of lime juice with natural water that is warm (not boiled). Do some exercise with it, the change will be clear.

In case you are interested in getting good honey, you can call this number - 2348051263730 and your order will be delivered.

 The list is still counting…… you can add others that you know.