In many parts of the world, especially the underdeveloped countries, one of the major concerns of the world organizations has been in the area of creating avenue and providing enough food for the populace. Yet much ground remains uncovered both in quantity and in quality wise to meet the teaming nutrition challenges.
It is therefore necessary to search for alternatives to bridge the gap while maintaining the nutritious standard to some extent.
Many people eat one main low cost food in every meal. This is their main food, which provide some of the body needed nutrients but will be of no benefit for a growing child until other food classes are added. This is because most of the main foods (available and particular to some communities) are predominantly in water and fibre with less energy and other food nutrients.
Feeding children enough and often (3 to 5 times daily) is more important than the food the child eats.
EATING WELL: A BALANCE DIET.
Eat the main food available in your area, with which you are accustomed to and add the helper foods available. This will reduce cost while maintaining the nutritious requirements for the dietary daily intake.
It is important to be well guided into what makes up a balanced diet with proper education on monitoring the quantity and quality of the food. Seasonal foods can as well be looked into to appropriate their adaptation.
Foods are basically classified in accordance to their nutritional value vis-à-vis carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fat, minerals and water. It is discovered that there are some foods that contain more than the predominant nutrients, making up 3 or 4 nutrients in a single food. Therefore, in this write up food classification is based on the available food to the consumer.
Selections can be made appropriately from the descriptions below. Classifications of food in this case does not follow the conventional system as some of foods contains more than one nutrients and are the basic available main food in a particular community.
MAIN FOODS: These are foods commonly available in the locality and are accustomed to by the populace. Some of these foods are relatively cheaper as are readily available on demand. These are:
Cereals and Grains e.g. Wheat, Maize, Rice, Millets
Starchy Roots & Tubers e.g. Cassava, Potatoes, Yam
Starchy Fruits e.g. Banana, Plantain, Bread-fruits
HELPER FOODS: Theses are the energy giving foods. They are more costly but naturally not needed in much quantity and can be affordable. Some of them can be added to main food for more nutrition. They are
Fats: e.g. Vegetable oil, palm oil, butter, lard
Fatty Foods e.g. Coconut, fatty meat
Sugar e.g. granulated sugar, honey, sugarcane
GROWER FOODS: These set of foods are important for bodybuilding. They are refer to as the proteins.
LEGUMES: e.g. beans, peas etc., all legumes fall in this range. It is important that children of early age consume more of legumes and in combination with their main foods.
NUTS: e.g. Groundnuts, wall nuts, cashew nut (some of these nuts contain bits of energy)
ANIMAL PRODUCTS: e.g. Milk, eggs, fish, yogurt, cheese, chicken meat.
GLOW FOODS: These are the most essentials of diet. They are not required in large quantity but must be present to wade off unnecessary imbalance of the body systems.
VEGETABLES: e.g. dark green vegetable leaf, carrots, pepper, tomatoes, etc.
FRUITS: e.g. Mangoes, oranges, pawpaw, pineapple, banana, etc. The good side of these fruits is that they are seasonal. Thanks be to God, choices can be made from varieties at different seasons.
Read up related blog: Food Nutrients That Can Make You More Healthier. below.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Good Nutrition: Your Right To Healthy Living (Part Two)
Save Life: Eat Well and Eat Aright!
Eating should not just be by the way. These days we found many junk foods around the corners. To eat in quantity is good but the proportion of what one eats in terms of the nutrients availability is the most essential. In taking this step to choose what to eat and how to eat will go a long way to prevent sickness and make healing fast.
Poor nutrition: Inability to eat the right food or well enough food the body need for normal functioning of various systems refers to as malnutrition will cause different diseases from mild to severe types.
In children, severe diarrhea that can lead to death is eminent in those malnourished. They also suffer chronic severe measles.
In adults, those that are not well fed or with inappropriate eating of right proportion of diet suffer from tuberculosis. The body lacks essential body antigens to fight against diseases. The liver also suffers damages done to the system due to imbalances. This is cirrhosis.
Poor nutrition during pregnancy causes weakness and anemia in mother and increases the risk of her dying during or after childbirth. Unavailability of nutrients cause great dangers than least expected. That is why every pregnant woman should feed well and in correct order. More fruits will do this time for vitamins, energy and body fluid. Many a times, poor nutrition causes miscarriages, still born, baby small in size or having after birth defectives.
Eat right to help the body provide resistant to sicknesses and diseases.
Eat right and well enough to get quick recovery from sickness.
Nutritious foods are good for health recovery. However, mostly, the sick finds it hard to eat especially to swallow which is more common among children. In such cases, feed the sick in bits. Eating as many times should be recommended and solid foods could be mashed into slurry or semi liquid. Drinking plenty of liquid is always important for the sick to pees often. Feeding the sick nutritiously can be through liquid foods.
Signs of diarrhea due to malnutrition cause the following in children.
Swollen hand and feet
Swollen face
Dark spot
Peeling spot on the legs
Prevention: Feed affected children several times daily with good nutritious diets
Fruits can as well be added for your daily dietary intake: Oranges, strawberry, watermelon, apple, red guava, avocados, soyabeans, pomegranate, cherry, pumpkin, potato, pear, etc. for great nutritional food value.
Importance of Eating Well and Eating Right.
Anyone can develop general malnutrition but it is most dangerous for
Children because they need more of food nutrients for growth and to remain healthy
Women of childbearing age in pregnancy and breast-feeding. They need extra food to stay healthy and for the health of the baby as well as their own daily work ability.
Elderly people lose taste for food as their teeth worn out and they lost appetite to food. Yet they need food for energy and other nutrients in the right proportion for their health.
Indication of Malnutrition in Children:
Poorly nourished children do not grow well but rather thinner and shorter than the other well-nourished ones. They often get sick and lose weight.
Checking Children for Malnutrition
One of the easiest ways to check the possibilities of a child’s malnutrition despite the child body size or absence of the above signs is the use of tape rule to measure the upper side of the arm. For a year old child less than 13.5 cm is an indication of malnutrition and less than 12.5cm is a serious case of severe malnutrition.
Another means of measurement is by means of weighing. The weight of a growing child is directly proportional to his age.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Good Nutrition: Your Right To Healthy Living (part one)
Good food is important for anyone desiring to live healthily, more so regularly eating. It is a means of well growth and living an active life. For little children to grow well in proportion of their age, balanced ration is best. For adults, having enough strength to work hard and stay healthy throughout life.
Inability to eat the right food or well enough food the body need for normal functioning of various systems can cause weakness of the body some common sicknesses and diseases. There are some of these illnesses that are not directly caused by inadequate feeding but will help to aggravate them.
The inability to eat the right food or well enough food quantity is being poorly nourished or malnutrition.
Generally, malnutrition causes the following sicknesses and diseases
*Weakness and tiredness – imbalance in the body energy level
*Loss of appetite
*Anaemia
*Sores in the corners of the mouth
*Painful or sore tongues
*Burning or numbness of the feet
Some other health related problems may occur due to other reasons, but malnutrition can make them worse.
These include:
*diarrhea
*frequent body infections
*headaches
*gum bleeding
*nose bleeding
*stomach discomfort
*dryness and cracking of the skin
*palpitation
*nervousness
*cirrhosis
*mental disorder
Particularly in children, the following illnesses can be prevented through good nutrition.
*growth retardation
*slowness in walking, talking and thinking
*big belly, thin arm and legs
*common illnesses that last longer than expected
*loss of energy
*child feeling sad, no play and crying often
*swelling of feet, face, limbs with sores
*thinning and loss of hair
*poor vision, dryness of eyes, blindness, etc.
Prevention is always cheaper than cure.
Inability to eat the right food or well enough food the body need for normal functioning of various systems can cause weakness of the body some common sicknesses and diseases. There are some of these illnesses that are not directly caused by inadequate feeding but will help to aggravate them.
The inability to eat the right food or well enough food quantity is being poorly nourished or malnutrition.
Generally, malnutrition causes the following sicknesses and diseases
*Weakness and tiredness – imbalance in the body energy level
*Loss of appetite
*Anaemia
*Sores in the corners of the mouth
*Painful or sore tongues
*Burning or numbness of the feet
Some other health related problems may occur due to other reasons, but malnutrition can make them worse.
These include:
*diarrhea
*frequent body infections
*headaches
*gum bleeding
*nose bleeding
*stomach discomfort
*dryness and cracking of the skin
*palpitation
*nervousness
*cirrhosis
*mental disorder
Particularly in children, the following illnesses can be prevented through good nutrition.
*growth retardation
*slowness in walking, talking and thinking
*big belly, thin arm and legs
*common illnesses that last longer than expected
*loss of energy
*child feeling sad, no play and crying often
*swelling of feet, face, limbs with sores
*thinning and loss of hair
*poor vision, dryness of eyes, blindness, etc.
Prevention is always cheaper than cure.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Importance of Dietary Fiber.
You can improve on your dietary intake by following a guided valuable nutrition and health information and advice. Develop a personal action plan for improving your eating habits while keeping the fun in food.
To start with, What is Dietary Fiber?
Dietary Fiber generally refers to those parts of foods like fruits, vegetables, cereals or grains, nuts and legumes that cannot be digested by humans digestive system. Tubers, meats, fish and dairy products do not contain fiber.
Basically, there are two types of fibers. These are soluble and insoluble.
The soluble fibers are found within plant cells. Examples are pectin, gums, and algal polysaccharides. Although pectin is part of cell walls, the gummy essence of oat bran and the mushy center of a cooked kidney bean reflect both the soluble fiber content of those foods and the ability of soluble fibers to soak up water.
The insoluble fibers produce the tough, chewy feel of wheat kernels, popcorn, apple skin and nuts. Essential to the cellular structure of plants, insoluble fibers include cellulose, hemicelluloses and ligin. As they do not dissolve in water.
Most fiber-containing foods feature both, but one or the other type often predominates in specific parts of a food and determines the characteristic texture of that portion of the food.
The fiber content of a food varies according to the species of the plant and stage of maturation, but seeds, berries, fruit skins and the bran layers of cereal grains generally contain larger amounts of a plant's fiber.
The fiber content of a food varies according to the species of the plant and stage of maturation, but seeds, berries, fruit skins and the bran layers of cereal grains generally contain larger amounts of a plant's fiber.
Diets higher in fiber, especially the insoluble type, have a lower incidence of colon cancer. They have greater impact on the health of the colon or large intestine. They prevent appendicitis, hemorrhoids, gallstones, diabetes and heart diseases.
Insoluble dietary fibre reduces disease risk by increasing fecal bulk, leaves water in the large intestine. The result is a larger, softer stool that exerts less pressure on the colon walls and is eliminated more quickly. Indeed, the most well-established benefit of a high-fiber diet is in the treatment and prevention of constipation.
Insoluble dietary fibre reduces disease risk by increasing fecal bulk, leaves water in the large intestine. The result is a larger, softer stool that exerts less pressure on the colon walls and is eliminated more quickly. Indeed, the most well-established benefit of a high-fiber diet is in the treatment and prevention of constipation.
They decrease the transit time of food through the gastrointestinal tract, allowing higher nutrients ‘extraction’. They reduce blood cholesterol levels and helping to control blood sugar levels.
The insoluble fibers alter the pH of the large intestine, interfering with microbial activity that produces carcinogens. The combined effect may be a reduced risk of colon cancer.
Studies have shown that diets rich in soluble fibers such as oat bran may help reduce total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in people with both high and normal blood cholesterol levels.
Soluble fibers appear to reduce blood cholesterol in two ways.
First, by preventing the re-absorption of vital bile acids from the small intestine. To replace the lost bile acids, cholesterol is drawn from the body, thereby reducing its cholesterol supply.
Second, the fermentation of soluble fibers in the intestine produces short-chain fatty acids which block the synthesis of cholesterol.
Studies suggest soluble fibers also may help control the rise in blood sugar following a meal and reduce insulin requirements in some patients with diabetes mellitus. By increasing the viscosity of gastrointestinal contents, soluble fibers retard gastric emptying, slowing the absorption of glucose in the process.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Food Nutrients That Can Make You More Healthier.
Most natural foods have been proven medicinal and good remedy for some chronic diseases. Some can help protect your skin, so you look and stay younger. Many of them are far better than most orthodox medicines as they do not leave any residue (like free radicals) behind as by-products of chemical reaction.
Generally, most part of the inner flesh for the fruit and vegetable is acidic in nature, whereas the peel/skin is always alkaline in nature. From this point, I can conclude that every part of the fruit and vegetable has its own unique nutritional property, whether it is its peel, flesh, pulp, stalk, stem, root or leaf.
So, you should eat the whole part of the fruits and vegetables if they can be eaten to promote the establishment of a healthy acid-base equilibrium which will eventually lead to the fullest healing and detoxification effects.
Note: If you're eating fruits and vegetables that have a residual of pesticide, herbicide or any other chemical additions, you're not encouraged to eat their skins. The rule of eating skin here is only applied for those home-grown or organically grown fruits and vegetables that are free from any chemical residuals.
POMEGRANATES
In addition to thickening your epidermis and helping to produce more collagen and elastin (the stuff that keeps your skin firm and springy), pomegranates contain antioxidants that seem to accelerate wound healing.
TOMATOES
The nutrients in tomatoes reduce the chance of getting a sunburn. It may be due to their lycopene content, but we really don’t know the active ingredient. So if there’s a choice between a lycopene supplement and the real tomato, choose the product from the vine. Tomatoes contain folate and other nutrients to keep arteries young.
CARROTS
Carrot is an excellent vegetable as it has both nutritional and medicinal values which are essential for our optimum health. Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. For each 100 g, carrot has 7.6 g of carbohydrate, 0.6 g of protein, 0.3 g of fat, 30 mg of calcium and 0.6 mg of iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.
Carrot has proved its outstanding role in anti-cancer effect. Researches revealed that people with lack of beta-carotene were more likely to have 2 times higher risk of cancer than normal people. It is wiser to eat an appropriate amount of carrot per day to prevent cancer.
Other carrot therapy include Hypertension, cancer, night blindness, prolong cough, constipation, dandruff, amongst others.
GRAPES
Grapes contain chemical components like pterostilbene and resveratrol that work as a cleanup crew, mopping up nasty free radicals in your body so they're less likely to cause problems such as heart disease and cancer. Phenolic compounds found mainly in grape skins has an antioxidant-like knack for knocking out breast cancer cell processes in women.
The resveratrol in grapes has heart-protective properties, regardless of its effect on cancer.
Grapes contains anthocyanins, which attack disease-fostering inflammation, and vitamin C.
These are enough evidence to improving your health with a juicy bunch of grapes.
LEGUMES AND NUTS
These contain biotin, and lack of this chemical (amino acid) can lead to dry skin and brittle hair and nails. Nuts generally contain monounsaturated fats to keep your arteries clear, as well as levels of precursors of serotonin to boost mood. Soybeans contain heart- and artery-healthy protein, fiber, and fats.
Vegetables generally Prevents cancer, enhance memory, reduce fatigue and stabilize emotion. They are also good for vision care, strengthen heart and cardiovascular system.
Other vegetable of importance are
Apple: is a disease-fighting antioxidants.
Lemon: The pectin found in lemon peel lowers cholesterol
Orange: The white-color part of an orange peel is beneficial for the respiratory system.
Banana: Banana peel is good for the heart. While preparing for this purpose, make sure that you wash the bananas thoroughly, slice them across into thin circles, and keep leaving a tiny ring of peel for each slice. In this manner, they will be easy for you to consume together with the peel.
Garlic: Prevents cancer, reduce LDL (bad cholesterol), and strengthen heart and cardiovascular system. It also contains Allicin (a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal compound occurs mostly in garlic).
Cabbage : Prevents cancer and enhance good memory.
Cucumber: Prevents cancer, aid in digestion, vision care and strengthen spleen, liver and bones. It is a good dietary source of calcium for adults instead of milk.
Avocados and soyabeans: Contain biotin (an essential amino acid for body building).
Some of these other fruits can as well be added for your daily dietary intake: strawberry, watermelon, red guava, pomegranate, cherry, pumpkin, potato, pear, etc. for great nutritional food value.
Fish: especially wild salmon, whitefish, tilapia, catfish, contain Omega-3s (like salmon) which does not only help your heart stay healthy, but they seem to keep kidney cancer away, too. The carotenoid that gives this fish its pink color, astaxanthin, also improves your skin’s elasticity. And it’s full of the good fat -- DHA-omega-3 -- that makes your skin and hair look younger and healthier.
Green tea: Its polyphenols act to protect you against sun damage and help thicken your epidermis, your body’s primary barrier to the outside world.
These foods if constanly added for a balanced diet will greatly improve your health.
Generally, most part of the inner flesh for the fruit and vegetable is acidic in nature, whereas the peel/skin is always alkaline in nature. From this point, I can conclude that every part of the fruit and vegetable has its own unique nutritional property, whether it is its peel, flesh, pulp, stalk, stem, root or leaf.
So, you should eat the whole part of the fruits and vegetables if they can be eaten to promote the establishment of a healthy acid-base equilibrium which will eventually lead to the fullest healing and detoxification effects.
Note: If you're eating fruits and vegetables that have a residual of pesticide, herbicide or any other chemical additions, you're not encouraged to eat their skins. The rule of eating skin here is only applied for those home-grown or organically grown fruits and vegetables that are free from any chemical residuals.
POMEGRANATES
In addition to thickening your epidermis and helping to produce more collagen and elastin (the stuff that keeps your skin firm and springy), pomegranates contain antioxidants that seem to accelerate wound healing.
TOMATOES
The nutrients in tomatoes reduce the chance of getting a sunburn. It may be due to their lycopene content, but we really don’t know the active ingredient. So if there’s a choice between a lycopene supplement and the real tomato, choose the product from the vine. Tomatoes contain folate and other nutrients to keep arteries young.
CARROTS
Carrot is an excellent vegetable as it has both nutritional and medicinal values which are essential for our optimum health. Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. For each 100 g, carrot has 7.6 g of carbohydrate, 0.6 g of protein, 0.3 g of fat, 30 mg of calcium and 0.6 mg of iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.
Carrot has proved its outstanding role in anti-cancer effect. Researches revealed that people with lack of beta-carotene were more likely to have 2 times higher risk of cancer than normal people. It is wiser to eat an appropriate amount of carrot per day to prevent cancer.
Other carrot therapy include Hypertension, cancer, night blindness, prolong cough, constipation, dandruff, amongst others.
GRAPES
Grapes contain chemical components like pterostilbene and resveratrol that work as a cleanup crew, mopping up nasty free radicals in your body so they're less likely to cause problems such as heart disease and cancer. Phenolic compounds found mainly in grape skins has an antioxidant-like knack for knocking out breast cancer cell processes in women.
The resveratrol in grapes has heart-protective properties, regardless of its effect on cancer.
Grapes contains anthocyanins, which attack disease-fostering inflammation, and vitamin C.
These are enough evidence to improving your health with a juicy bunch of grapes.
LEGUMES AND NUTS
These contain biotin, and lack of this chemical (amino acid) can lead to dry skin and brittle hair and nails. Nuts generally contain monounsaturated fats to keep your arteries clear, as well as levels of precursors of serotonin to boost mood. Soybeans contain heart- and artery-healthy protein, fiber, and fats.
Vegetables generally Prevents cancer, enhance memory, reduce fatigue and stabilize emotion. They are also good for vision care, strengthen heart and cardiovascular system.
Other vegetable of importance are
Apple: is a disease-fighting antioxidants.
Lemon: The pectin found in lemon peel lowers cholesterol
Orange: The white-color part of an orange peel is beneficial for the respiratory system.
Banana: Banana peel is good for the heart. While preparing for this purpose, make sure that you wash the bananas thoroughly, slice them across into thin circles, and keep leaving a tiny ring of peel for each slice. In this manner, they will be easy for you to consume together with the peel.
Garlic: Prevents cancer, reduce LDL (bad cholesterol), and strengthen heart and cardiovascular system. It also contains Allicin (a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal compound occurs mostly in garlic).
Cabbage : Prevents cancer and enhance good memory.
Cucumber: Prevents cancer, aid in digestion, vision care and strengthen spleen, liver and bones. It is a good dietary source of calcium for adults instead of milk.
Avocados and soyabeans: Contain biotin (an essential amino acid for body building).
Some of these other fruits can as well be added for your daily dietary intake: strawberry, watermelon, red guava, pomegranate, cherry, pumpkin, potato, pear, etc. for great nutritional food value.
Fish: especially wild salmon, whitefish, tilapia, catfish, contain Omega-3s (like salmon) which does not only help your heart stay healthy, but they seem to keep kidney cancer away, too. The carotenoid that gives this fish its pink color, astaxanthin, also improves your skin’s elasticity. And it’s full of the good fat -- DHA-omega-3 -- that makes your skin and hair look younger and healthier.
Green tea: Its polyphenols act to protect you against sun damage and help thicken your epidermis, your body’s primary barrier to the outside world.
These foods if constanly added for a balanced diet will greatly improve your health.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Diet and Nutrition
This blog provides a platform for helpful information. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or care, and does not contain information about all diseases, nor does it contain all information that may be relevant to a particular medical or health condition.
Nutrition messages and information are good and of great benefits. Some are healthy and accurate, providing all necessary details while others may be lacking in nutrients. Sometimes it is hard to sort it all out. The major thing is to follow the guidelines and the basics. That is eating a healthy diet.
You can achieve this through a right choice of a variety of fruits and vegetables। Additionally, you avoid less important food components like fats, added sugars, and excess salt. Eat in moderation.
It is possible that creative work will decrease depression, enhance a mood-boosting sense of personal control, and improve cognitive function। Therefore, in making good diet for nutrition and good health, make your work creative after eating right. Give room for right thinking and positive attitude.
Reduce your risk for diseases like heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, and osteoporosis. In fact, healthier eating could reduce cancer deaths largely.
Nutrition messages and information are good and of great benefits. Some are healthy and accurate, providing all necessary details while others may be lacking in nutrients. Sometimes it is hard to sort it all out. The major thing is to follow the guidelines and the basics. That is eating a healthy diet.
You can achieve this through a right choice of a variety of fruits and vegetables। Additionally, you avoid less important food components like fats, added sugars, and excess salt. Eat in moderation.
It is possible that creative work will decrease depression, enhance a mood-boosting sense of personal control, and improve cognitive function। Therefore, in making good diet for nutrition and good health, make your work creative after eating right. Give room for right thinking and positive attitude.
Reduce your risk for diseases like heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, and osteoporosis. In fact, healthier eating could reduce cancer deaths largely.
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