HONEY: A VERY USEFUL NATURAL FOOD AND MEDICINAL PRODUCT

Honey is produced by bees from the nectar juice they collect from flowers. The nectar is biochemically changed to honey, which is harvested by human beings, either in the wild or at home from bee hives constructed by man.

The practice of establishing bee farms is becoming more common these days due to the recognition of the fact that honey is a very important product in international trade and the fact that the nutritional and health benefits of honey are becoming more obvious.

Honey is commonly used as a sweetening agent in homes. It is a perfect substitute for refined sugar in both urban and rural areas in Africa. Nutritionally, honey is a very good food substance. This is because it has a great amount of carbohydrates such as levulose, dextrose, sucrose and dextrins. It also contains some good quantities of minerals and water. The carbohydrates are easy to digest and absorb by the body, thereby providing a rich source of energy for life activities. The pollens extracted from bee hives along with honey are consumed by human beings. Experts say that they are valuable nutritionally as a source of protein.

Honey is used locally in the treatment of cough, particularly among children. The usual practice is to mix honey, lemon juice and garlic together. The resulting mixture is taken orally as many times as possible. Honey can also be mixed with hot water, lemon juice or hot milk for the treatment of cough and sore throat.

We can also take advantage of the antibiotic properties of honey by using it as dressing for wounds. Among the Yorubas of Western Nigeria, honey plays an important role during naming ceremonies.

HAPPY NEW AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

I hereby wish all my fans a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. It is my expectation that we will enjoy this year better than we did last year. May God Almighty bless you all.

PAWPAW- AN EXCELLENT FRUIT

The pawpaw fruit which is scientifically called Carica papaya is one of the very valuable tropical fruits. It is regarded as a wholesome fruit. The daily requirements of essential nutrients such as minerals and some vitamins can be met by eating this fruit.
The pawpaw has excellent medicinal values which are recognized, even right from the ancient times. It is easily digested and also aids in digestion of other foods. Ripe pawpaw is good for growing children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. One of the important discovery of modern science is the presence of a protein digesting enzyme in the milky juice of the fruit. The enzyme is similar to pepsin in action and is reputed to be able to digest 200 times its on weight in protein. Its effect is to assist the body's own enzymes in assimilation

SNAIL MEAT

Snail meat is a high quality food, and highly relished as great delicacy in African and many European countries. The proximate composition of snail meat is as follows:
Crude protein 88.37% of dry matter
Fat 1.64 % of dry matter
calcium 185.70 mg/100g of dried sample
phosphorus 61.24 mg/100g of dried sample
potassium 63.3 mg/100g of dried sample
Iron 1.40 mg/100g of dried sample
Cholesterol o.42 mg/100g of fresh sample
Lysine 9.21 g/16gN
Leucine 9.36 g/16gN
Arginine 8.31 g/16gN
Tryptophane 1.29 g/16gN
Source: Akinnusi, O. (2004). Introduction to snail farming. p.38
From these figures it can be concluded that:
-snail meat is very rich in protein
-snail protein is of high quality considering the amino acids contained therein
-Snail meat has appreciable amounts of minerals


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My Experiences with the Fluted Pumpkin

The fluted pumpkin ( Telfaria occidentalis) is a vegetable crop commonly grown in Nigeria. It is reputed to enhance the development of healthy red blood cells. In order words, it helps in preventing anemia in humans.
I have two daughters who are sicklers, in other words, they have the sickle cell genes. These children usually fall sick very frequently and they are anemic. It was recently that someone told me about the efficacy of fluted pumpkin in rectifying the situation. What i did was that i extracted the water or juice in the fresh leaves of this crop, i mixed the juice with Maltonic and i gave the mixture to these children for drinking. I was carrying out this process weekly. Since i started giving them this mixture, i noticed that the frequency and severity of their crises have reduced drastically. I obviously cannot confirm whether it was only this mixture that brought about this observed changes. However, readers comments and experiences are welcomed

Factors Affecting Nutrient needs in Man

The following factors are known to affect the amount of nutrients needed by man:
1. Age: The overall quantity of nutrients needed is higher for adults than for children
2. The state of health: Sick people may need certain kinds of nutrients than others. For example they need more vitamins and proteins for quick recovery
3. The type of lifestyle or job one does: People who lead active lifestyles need more carbohydrates to be able to sustain such lifestyle. However, people with sedentary lifestyles need to regulate the amount of nutrients they take in to prevent overweight and its complications
Whenever we are not able to obtain the required nutrients in sufficient quantiites, we suffer from malnutrition. The common symptoms of malnutrition are the following:
- Emanciation and loss of weight
- Nutritional diseasaes
-Low resistance to diseases and infections
- slow growth rate

The Need for Nutritional Supplements

Have you ever expressed any of these sentiments?
-That almost all wellness deiciencies are part of the normal aging process, therefore there is nothing one can do about it.
-That all nutrients we need are obtained from our average daily intake, therefore supplementation is a waste of money.
The truth about our current food situation, according to experts, is that we are not getting enough of the nutrients that are needed for maintaining excellent health. This is because most of what we eat are over-processed, which make them lose their nutrients, particularly the vitamins. In the hope of obtaining enough nutrients therefore, we eat too much. The estimate is that about 60% of the world ppulation is over-weight, which brings in its own problems.
It is true that aging is a natural process in man, but the process is usually accelerated if the body is not able to obtain enough of the required nutrients as discussed in previous postings. The body cells are damaged faster while new ones are formed slowly. For this reason, the body parts begin to lose their functions.
To slow down the aging process therefore, it is important for us to eat foods that are rich in nutrients, and that are as natural as possible. If this goal cannot be immediately achieved, there may be need for nutritional supplements that are formulated to provide the body with enough nutrients while preventing over-eating.
Apart from being natural and being able to supply the required nutrients, supplements have the added advantage of being cheap.