Your Blood Pressure And Your Health

Your blood pressure has messages for you. At most, three messages affect your overall health in this.

The message may be that your blood pressure is high. 

Your blood pressure can even be low. 

Thirdly, your blood pressure can be normal, which is the idea blood pressure for a healthy life.

Have you ever take the trouble to go and check your blood pressure with a health worker or with your doctor?

I regularly go to check for my blood pressure readings two times in the year.

You should check your blood pressure too.

195 over 100 is a high blood pressure reading. 

But what is a high blood pressure?

When your heart beats, it forces blood all over your body. This movement that forces the blood all over the body is a blood pressure.

In scientific, medical and clinical circles, blood pressure is taken in two readings or numbers. The systolic and the diasystolic.

The systolic is the higher reading, while the diasystolic is the lower reading. When a health worker takes the readings, the systolic is always over the diasystolic. 

If the upper or systolic reading of your blood pressure is 100 and the lower or diasystolic reading is 80, your blood pressure is 100 over 80 milimeter of mecury.

So, your blood pressure will be expressed as 100/80 mm Hg.

A 190/120 reading is a high blood pressure. 100/75 is normal and safe. 80/65 is low blood pressure and calls for medical attention or medication.

A blood pressure that is low is fatal as a blood pressure that is high.

It has to be raise to a normal and safe level.

Likewise, a blood pressure that is high and extremely high is a sign of ill health. 

You should go for regular check up to determine if your blood pressure is low, high or normal.

A good diet along with good medication will make it normal.

Blood Pressure Challenges: Every person has a blood pressure. All adults, youths, kids and babes have a blood pressure. Even an animal has a blood pressure. But we are here concern with human beings.

Cause Of High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure can be caused by many factor.

1.      Food And Nutrition: The food a person eat is a factor in raising the blood pressure above the acceptable normal level.

Too much carbohydrate, too much fat and too much protein will raise the blood pressure to a higher level.

Refined carbohydrate like white sugar is a primary cause. All refined carbohydrates will raise the blood pressure. White flour for making bread, biscuits and cakes are examples. But white flour is available to be mix with brown flour to strength the low gluten content in brown flour.

Whole food carbs like ripe mangoes, red oranges, and red potatoes can likewise raise your blood pressure.

This is because the food has a high Glycemic index (GI).

The rate at which they are oxidized to released energy is high in the blood stream is very fast. So, these should be eaten sparsely. 

In contrast, eating them half in raw state will not raise the blood pressure.

In other words, one should not over cooked potatoes. All refined carbs that are over cooked will raise the blood pressure.

To be on a safer side, check the GI of your favorite fruits and vegetables. You can have a fairly good idea as how to take good care of your blood pressure.

The so called white refined carbohydrates should be used as minimal as possible. These white biscuits, white breads, white rice are still necessary but plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts had to go with them to make a much healthy meal.

2.      Lack Of Regular Exercise: Exercise will burn fat in the body. Lack of regular exercise means more fats along with certain wastes is being regularly deposited in our body. This will increase a person weight. Thus, the gain in weight will raise the blood pressure.

A short brisk walk round a football field is a good outdoor exercise. Swimming the open water or in a swimming pool if you can swim is a good physical activity that will help reduced your weigh and lower your blood pressure if it is high.

Indoor exercises like the press-ups and down, push and pull, and the jumping jack can be done just for only 10 minutes on certain fix days and those can be fit your health.

Other Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure

·         You should half your intake of red meat, beef and all solid fats as margarine.

·         Eggs are good foods. The solid in eggs is good. Too much will raise the blood pressure. Reduced eating of eggs to two, two or three times in the week.

·         Reduced your drinking of alcoholic beverages or have it with lemon slice.

·         Increased your consumption of sardines, mullets and salmons. All fish that has the omega fatty acid -3 and -6 are good. These fatty acids are factors in reducing your blood pressure.

·         You can enjoy lean meat freely like sardines.

·         Vegetable proteins in the form of pulse should be a regular feature in our meals. Fresh corn is a good source. So, is lentils and whole wheat.

·         You can substitute vegetable oil and fats to animal fats and oils.

·         Eat a healthy diet always that is rich in natural minerals, vitamin and photochemical.

For example, here is a recipe for a potato fries that will help reduced your blood pressure.

·         4 fresh medium size mullets.

·         4 fresh sardines.

·         1 medium size fresh potato (sweet, Irish, or any potato of your choice).

·         3 big onions.

·         6 lobes of garlic bulbs.

·         3 piece green chili or green cayenne pepper.

·         ½ teaspoon ginger powder.

·         ¼ teaspoon dry chili powder.

·         ½ cup fresh peanuts.

·         ½ cup breadfruit (Parkinson).

·         ¼ teaspoon salt.

·         Fresh curry leaves.

·         1 semi ripe mango.

·         4 tablespoonful peanut oil.

Instructions:

·         Descale the mullet and sardines (use canned substitute if fresh items is not available).

·         Removed the dirty inside.

·         Wash fish well in clean water.

·         Salt the fish with two pinch of salt.

·         Light stove or cooker and turn to low heat.

·         Put on clean frying pan.

·         Put 3 tablespoonful peanut oil and warm.

·         Put the fishes into the frying pan and fry for 7 minutes. Turn the other side and fry again for 5 minutes. If using canned sardines, put fish in frying pan and warm without oil; and use the sardine oil to cook the other items.

·         While the fish is cooking, wash the potato with sponge. Use knife to scoop and remove any hard surface. Do not peel. The skin of the fresh potato has factors in bringing down your weight and controlling your blood pressure.

·         Slice potato into thin chips

·         Salted this with two pinch of salt.

·         Removed the fish and add 1 table spoon of peanut oil.

·         Peel the onions and garlic and cut into small chunks.

·         Wash the chili and cut into piece.

·         Pour the potato chips into the frying pan. Add three tablespoon peanut or olive oil with same amount of water and cook for three minutes stir all the time.

·         Add the nuts, onions, garlic, chili and curry leaves and cook for 3 minutes.

·         Add 1 table spoonful of peanut or olive oil again.

·         Cut semi ripe mango with skin into small piece and add to the cook stir well for2 minutes.

·         It is done.

·         Put into eating pan with fish.

·         Serves 2 persons.

·         You take it with a cup of black tea plus a cube of sugar and milk for breakfast or lunch.

Health Benefits Of Recipe: The health benefit to get from this recipe are

·         Lower your body weight since your calorie intake is low.

·         Your blood pressure is reduced since your weigh is reduced.

·         Regular taking of such a meal either as a breakfast, or lunch or supper will regulate the blood pressure.

·         Thus, high blood pressure is prevented.

·         The meal is full of natural goodness.

·         It will prevent diabetes mellitus.

·         It will increase and sustain your energy due to the numerous combinations of the various natural synergy items.

Alkaline Foods: food groups, fruits and vegetables, including nuts, herbs and spices that keeps the blood stream are called alkaline foods.

·         The list will include all fresh or dried fruits.

·         All green leafy or greens when half cooked in raw state.

·         Spices like green chili, fresh curry, onions, garlic and chive.

·         Peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts and cashew nuts.

·         Tubers like yams, potatoes and cocoyam in their skin.

·         Cereals such as brown rice, bean, pea, bread fruit and lenticels.

Taking some of these food items in a meal will lower your blood pressure.

Food Items: Most of the food we eat are classified into carbohydrates, fats and oils; and proteins.

1.      Carbohydrates or carbs for short, when cooked and eaten with their skin like cocoyam, yams and potatoes, gives an alkaline effect in the blood stream. Without their skin, they form a highly  acidic platform that brings in ill health like headache, diabetes mellitus, and thus, unnecessary gain in weight with flabby body tissue that shows prominently well on the waistline, belly and check.

·         Yams, potatoes, cocoyam should never be peel. Just discard the outermost brittle layer. The fresh outer skin contained the mineral matters, vitamins, some fats and proteins. Doing away with all these leaves the carb or starch in an unbalanced state that breeds disease and ill health in the human body.

·         Rice is another carb food group that is always eaten in many house hold. Brown or unpolished rice is much better. It improves good health. Partially polished rice retained most of its natural nutrients.

·         Process wheat that has been turn into white flour, pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, has all its essential nutrients removed, and additives added. Chemical additives and preservatives added. These are in the same class as white bread. Recently, some nutrition expert opinioned that due to the chemical additives in these foods, they dare not eat even a bite of these products! Not even an instant meat roll or hot dog!

·         Those who advocates that the skin of any carb, fruits, roots should be discard completely because they are hard or tough has yet to realize the place fiber or bulk plays in human digestion. It help the movement of digested foods in the bowel.

2.      Fats help maintain good body heat.

·         Animal fats: Meat or beef is my best animal fat. I enjoy it like any other person.

·         Vegetables fats: Peanuts, breadfruit, cashew nuts and pine nuts, beans, particularly brown soya bean are good sources. All nuts have fats.

·         Oils also provide body heat. Olive and peanut oils are good vegetable oils. So is sun flower oil. Peanuts, bean and rice are good food synergy make ups. Potatoes, bean, fish and eggs are another. Taken with some fresh fruits, it made a balance meal not until herbs like garlic, onions and ginger were add.

3.      Proteins: Our bodies are made up of protein so to speak. All bodily cells are protein.

·         Animal protein: All animal protein like lean meat, poultry, milk and egg white is good. An egg gives the most essential protein the body needs. Combine with vegetable protein like soya, or any bean and peanuts, makes a good food synergy. Add your favorite fruits, herbs and greens. Marine foods especially, fish are the only best source of animal protein. Sardines and mullets contain the essential omega fatty acids -3 and -6. So are salmons. These wades off heart related disease and this in turn controls your blood pressure, and keeps your heart in good condition.

·         Birds like poultry and turkey are good sources of protein. These lack the essential fatty acid found in sardines and mullets. But they fat content is solid. Limit it to two times a week in diet.

·         Vegetable proteins. Bean, peanuts, corn, lenticel and bread fruit. Bean, peanut and bread fruit when combine can give you all the protein and essential amino acid your body need for good health. But as we are use to many animal products, adding a glass of milk or fresh fish to the meal is okay.
·         Fruits: apples, mangoes, guavas, melons and cucumbers should be eaten with their skin. Oranges when peel, the small opening cut out to suck the juicy out, should be chew and swallow. It contains pectin, a sub part of the vitamin C group. While sucking an orange, I have eaten half the white skin as I suck. It made my body resistant to cold and catarrh.

 To your good health!

  Miebakagh57 (Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copy right 2014 -2015
http://greens4food.blogspot.com

Fruits And Vegetables

I hold that fruits and vegetables (FAV) are man’s first food.

Now a day too, there is certain persons that has made fruits and veggies their sustainable living or meal. They do not add any bird, meat or fish. They selected their FAV wisely.

The various combinations of the items give all the carbohydrates, fats and oils and proteins their need.
Remember nuts and seeds are also fruits.

Combining peanuts, green bean or soya bean with lentils or corn will give you as much protein as an egg or a complete protein of first class status. What is more, the carbs, fats and proteins combination are good source of energy.

But our fear is that if we do not take a piece of flesh, we get sick or hungrier.

Okay have some sardine or mullet which is safer with essential omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.

I recall while growing up and experimenting with these various FAV foods. I also regret to say that the energy release from combinations such as above sent me to a doctor because the temperature of my body surge higher.

I do not know then that 2/3 of a meal should contain only FAV as you should have. I was just a boy of 24 years back then. Now I know better.

 Our western diets depends more on how high a food is processed. We believe the more processed a food is, the more it is healthy and much safer.

Unknown to us, as we have realized later to our regret, we end up sick.

Now, scientists especially nutritionist, dietician and medical personnel are telling us we need to increase our eating of fresh fruits and vegetables, from the relatively five servings a day to the recent thirteen servings a day and much more.

This was not based on a theory but on closer observation of common rural dwelling people eating nature’s products and staying free of diseases. They saw individuals like you and me who take more and more of these natures goodness are relatively free of the common ill health associated with advanced years like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stroke, certain prostate cancer risks in men and especially breast and cervical cancer in women.

These studies where undertaken over a period of fourteen years.

Take a look at the animals. They depend much on natural vegetation. I have not seen a domestic pet owner cook a meal for his hen or goat or sheep.

Fodders and grains or concentrates is what was provide to these beings. We should eat more and more fruits and vegetables always.

The reason being:

1. Fruits and vegetables are full of natural goodness. They contain water in its purest form. Take a cucumber fruit or water melon for example. 95-96 % of the fruit is water. Cucumbers and melons are the only fruits that have more water than any other fruits. Are you tasty for a cool drink of water? Instead chew a cup of cucumber fruit.

2. Mineral matters and vitamins. Fruit contains much vitamins and mineral salts. It is reasoned that you take your supplements of vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies and not from over the counter drugs (OTC). I am inclined to opine so because why are doctors encouraging us to eat more and more fruits and veggies? They have realized that despite the fine medication given to patients on certain vitamin deficiency diseases, eating much of the natural diets does better than medication. An exception can be made here.
Pregnant mothers need supplements of folates in capsule or tablet form.

3. Fruit and veggies more natters is one of the natural ways to stay in optimum health. Your ingestion of these goodies wards of diseases and helps retard old age.

4. Fruits and veggies (FAV) more matter are free of animal fats and oils and so prevent the formation of cholesterols in the blood.

Animal fat and oils are essential parts of our digestive process. They contain saturate fats. These fats insulate our vital internal organs. Too much is bad and excess had to find out an outlet in building cholesterol. These saturated and poly-saturated fats need the essential fatty acids in FAV to prevent bad cholesterol building up in the blood stream.

Formation of bad cholesterol in the blood is one of the major causes of heart disease and stroke.
This is what puzzled doctors for a long time. They though the availability of drugs will solve problems.

 5. FAV more matters is more satisfying. By combing various assort types of fruits in salad form as per the 13 cup serving, will produce the energy you need even for some extra activities.

Remember to add some nuts to your salads and not only greens. Peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts and cashew nuts are fruits and can count up to the 13 cup serving. This is because of their fiber content. Certain fibers are not digestible. They just stay sleeping in the stomach and at times delay the digestion of other food items in the stomach.

This ensures you do not get hungry soon. After the carbs, fats and oils and proteins are properly digested, provide the bulk movement that is very important to keep our bowels clean.

6. Most importantly, FAV will help you prevent cold symptoms and issues when eaten regularly. Not only this, it helps wounds to heal fast and strengthen the blood capillaries and veins and other tissues in the body. In this case, it is much better to include citrus and alkaline fruits in the diet always.

These keep the blood stream in an alkaline medium which is the base of our blood. Any acidic state in the blood is a signal for disease to show up.

But eating FAV regularly will prevent this from happening. I wrote a hub on “how to prevent a cold all season.”

The subject matter was on eating fruits instead of resorting to drugs because of their long time side effect.

 A fruit juice is not a substitute for fruits. But if you want a juice, blend an orange with a lime and lemon or tangerine.

Do not discard the seeds, though it may give the juice a slightly bitter taste or flavor. You get all the vitamin C your body need. You should also add a cup of tomatoes and pineapple to the blend to thicken it.

Most commercial fruit juice sold under the brand names of super fruits are either chemically laden with additives. But ensure you get 100% juice if if you want the commercial type.

To your good health!

Miebakagh57 (Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copyright 2014-2015.
http://greens4food.blogspot.com

Fruits Are Man's First Food

Fruits are man's first food.


A fruit is any product of plants that contain a seed or nut but is edible and succulent.


This means it can be eaten raw,  ripe or semi-ripe.


Fruits come from different types of plants. Some authorities consider nuts and seeds like beans and peanuts as fruits.


Fruits being man’s first food before the addition of birds, fish and meat has vital protective role to play in the defense of the body against ill health. They can be eaten as breakfast, lunch and super too. Fruits and vegetables are also made a good snacks.


Next time you are hungry after a breakfast or lunch, have some mix fruits and vegetables as a snack. A good mix can be made from papaya, guava, cucumber and pineapple.


I do not mean you should subscribe to becoming a fruitarian or a vegetarian. But the minus side of becoming such out weights the plus side.


A fruitarian or vegetarian subsists only on fruits and nuts. They is nothing wrong in this provide various fruits and high quality legumes, nuts and seeds forms a major combination in the diet.


Some authority have suggested that fruitarians and vegetarians should regularly add a glass of milk to their diet since their do not eat flesh meat of any kind. This has its merit too.


 The Parts Play By Fruit And Vegetable In Our body: Fruits play a very vital role in our bodies especially in the digestion of carbohydrates, fats and oils, and proteins.


They also have the function of protection and preventing disease in our body.


They have the vitamins and mineral matters to help in releasing energies in the foods we eat. I do not mean carbs, fats and oils, and proteins do not contain these essential nutrients. They do.


They help in bowel movement and much more.


 These carbs, fats and oils and proteins leave to themselves in the stomach are at times useless. They could not help themselves in the digestive processes. Their need the help of fruits and vegetables to released their energies into our body.


They movement in the bowel by peristalsis actions becomes possible because of the presence of fruits and veggies. Otherwise, the result will be constipation.


 Here some will suggested you should take a purgative to evacuate the waste matters in the bowels. That sounds good, and can result in side effects in some cases.


But a plate of fresh vegetables with fruits will work much better.


 Again, fruits and vegetables also contain phytochemicals, which serves to promote the health of the body.


The five servings of a fruit
 
 The rule of the thumb that you take five servings of a fruit each day is getting outdated.


Nevertheless, it is still important.


The rule that you make half of your chop plate fruits and vegetables is out dated by the 7-13 cups or more servings each day.


Moreover, it has a vital role to play in diet and nutrition. The 7-13 cups is now the norm.


You should eat as much fruits and vegetables as much as you can each day. This will give your body an extra edge over colds issues, cancer risks, heart related diseases, type2 diabetes and fortify your body against certain ill health.


One serving of a fruit is 15 g. Therefore for 15 servings maximum 15x15x3.6 calories=810 calories. This is a plus to the carbohydrates, fats and protein content that goes with the plate of chop.


Normally, a plate of a meal should contain 284g of carbohydrate (two differing sources say brown rice and bread fruit 85g), 57g fats and oils, 227g of protein; the remainder being green leafy vegetables 113g and non-leafy vegetables for example sweet potatoes 170g and fruits 57g. The computed calorific value from all this is 2600 calories for a person weighting 60kg.


I am not a fruitarian or a vegetarian. I do at times take differing mixed fruits and veggies including nuts and green bean plus some fried sardines and mullets for my breakfast or lunch. The presence of sardines and mullets ensures I have the essential omega fatty acids -3 and -6 in my diet period.
On a certain day which I call My Fruit Friday, I eat only fruit and veggies nothing more. Not even nuts are include.This serves to cleanse and rejuvenate not only my digestive system, but my entire body as a whole.


Now, how do you see to it that you get 13 cups of a fruit serving each day? Fruits are very plentiful during the harvesting periods. This is the best time to get them cheap.


You can buy up to 15 different fruits or more each week in their semi ripe state. A semi-ripe fruit has much nutritional content and value than a fully ripe fruit. That is why an unripe mango can prevent diabetes mellitus, but a ripe mango will cause your blood sugar to rise including your blood pressure to rise to some extends.


 You should take as much fruits and vegetables as you can include some fishes and nuts for breakfast, lunch or supper. After every meal, a handful of nuts should me munch. Your normal meal should contain 2/3 of its contents as fruits and veggies alone.


But get beyond the 7-13 cups level or servings each day.


All said, whether you take the traditional five servings or the present 13 servings a day, put much weight on greener fruits and vegetables.


They are very low in starch and have no sugar. Cucumbers, water melon, brussel sprout, all fruits that has a green coloring are low in carbs.


As in a traffic signal, red is a stop. You stop for a moment and then go. All fruits in red colors should be eaten occasionally. This is because they are very high in sugar. These will raise your blood pressure high above normal at certain times.


Nevertheless, mixed your greens with a tomato (tomatoes are fruits too) and any of your major greens is harmless. You can eat red fruits and vegetables daily with caution. This means you should take a piece of say red tomatoes or beets with other greens.


Amber or purple colored fruits like egg plant and pears as well as yellow colored ones like banana and apples should be taken with caution and a few at a time. Some bananas and apples are red skin and much thicker.


Fruits and vegetables should be washed clean before preparing for eating.


They can be contaminated with diseases right from the farmland or from the market. A fruit buyer or seller with a cold flu can transmit the cold virus to the skin of the fruit or vegetable with just a touch. So wash all fruits and vegetables well. For example, a banana should be wash first in clean fresh water. Than immersed in a saline solution for just a minute or two before eating.


You should not soak it for over ten minutes, since the skin of a banana is not wax like a cucumber fruit.


It is only fruits that are wax that should be soaked for ten to fifteen minutes in saline water or solution before eating.


Vegetables should be wash well but do not soak them. Doing so will leach out their vitamin and mineral salt. Even their trace elements and phytochemicals are endangered in soaking them

overtime in water.


Chew your food properly before swallowing. This will prevent indigestion.


To your good health!


Miebakagh57 (Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copy right 2014-2015http://greens4food,blogspot.com

Eating Good Foods To Live Healthy

I eat to live. I eat good foods to live.


I have never seen a healthy person eat bad food. Exception is those mental ill persons who pick throw aways in waste bins.


Foods are precious items that we take every care to secure them. What I and you eat is what we take into our body, and is what we become. This is a fact. The more we eat, the more we increase in size and weight; and the more we either get older or younger.


I do not mean we are getting old as an old age person. It can imply so.


 Either we get older or stay younger than our looks. This is what I infer. But we become use to inactive like not able to take a short walk.


We cannot stretch ourselves out. We looked tired and older than our age, and consider about dietary supplements in the form of capsules to bail us out. Those dietary supplements in the form of vitamin A, B-Complex, BI, B2, B6, B12 and folates are not much beneficial than those natural occurring vitamin in fruits and vegetables, and in fats and proteins in most food items like eggs, fish, meat and milk.


That will make the issue more deep for a doctor or health professional to handle.
I have see a person aged by eating more food than is good for him/her in the first place. This over-eating cause diseases.


It cause your body temperature to rise. Your feel feverish thinking you have a fever, when in the first place, you purposefully over eat.


Walking becomes like pursuing the heart. So, it is good that you eat enough for your enjoyment.


Food Security And Feeding The Future


Many thousand years ago, history record that in ancient civilizations of Ancient Egypt and China, there were instances of government storing up foods for the unforeseen future. This is an evidence of food security on a national or local level. In times of adverse conditions, the stored foods in the granaries were later released for the citizens on some small sum of money as seen in Egypt.


The Bible records this in the book of Genesis chapter 41 :35-36.


Notwithstanding this, in favorable conditions of plenty, some house hold and persons has not adequate “access to the physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life” according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.


In the plenty condition, sufficient food is available, but very few it seems have access to it due to low income for instance; or not enough was harvest for distribution.


Those who have access to the foods are not utilizing it to fulfill their dietary needs like the bare minimum of making half of the chop plate fruits and vegetables or the five servings of fruits and vegetables a day along with the normal meal.


Now, they is this newly formulate policy of taking 7-13 cups of fruits and vegetables each day besides ones diet. All these are serious issues to face in food and nutrition of each individual as it affect the health of a person. And in spite of the plenty harvest of sufficient foods, 842 persons were reported to suffer from chronic hunger in the years 2011-2013 alone.


Yes, every person has the right to a good food. This is not something reserved for a very few in a million. How can this be over come? How will every person sees to the fact that in the present state of plenty being available, safe and nutritional foods is assured?


 Much depends on the individual preference for preparing a rich nutritious diet at home. If the preference is always for convenience foods or take-away, they is no doubt the health of such a person is compromise to diseases.


There are some food outlets where one can get a well nutritious prepared meal as in a home. Thus, the quality and quantity of such a meal can receive the pass mark. Increased investment in the agriculture industry is likely to feed the future if all things are equal. But why invested more in agriculture in the midst of the plenty were all are not getting enough?


The picture is that the raw food produced is not going to the various house-holds in the first place. They were directed to food processing industries. Here the raw foods turn into conveniences canned breakfast, lunch or supper. During the preparation process, lost of natural nutrients were replaced by chemical additives and preservatives. One can hardly blame those industries which were primary supported even by government agencies.


Convenient foods are not bad in themselves. I do at times hurray up to work with a buttered white bread, when I do not have the time to bake a brown bread. But I supplement this with enough nuts, fruit, vegetables because the white is low in nutrition.


Servings of foodstuff


There is no agreed standard of serving foods like fruits. But we can learn a lesson or two from the rule of the thumb as for how fruits are to be served. Five servings of a fruit per day is a rule of authority. We can use this rule to make five servings of vegetables, nuts and carbohydrates.


 Mixed foods


when foods of each class is mixed from more than one source, the health derived is much beneficial than when a single item of the food is eaten alone. For example, much can be gained from eating peanuts, bean and lentils and sweet corn. Each of the food has a carb, fats, protein and mineral salts and vitamins that supplement one another. Add protein and servings of fruits to this and you have a good and well balance meal.


From this, we get maximum health benefits from eating a very good diet.


Having a good food like this is not even enough. Foods should be chew thoroughly before being swallowed.


This action made the food to undergo a much easier breakdown for the stomach to churn the masticated foods in the belly. This process will make it much easier for glucose to be released from carbohydrates and complex sugars for example.


Actions such as this also break down fats, oils and proteins into smaller units, including dietary fibers. Mineral matters and vitamins are readily absorbed in the intestine. All these by products are assimilated by cells in our body.


 Eating habit


eating three times a day plus two snakes is good eating habit. Provide five small chops were all that is eaten in the day.


Three big meals morning, noon or afternoon and evening is bad.


Take your meal in small proportion. This is a health guide.


 In the morning, breakfast should not be skipped. When I was in college, one of my teachers said to me and my mates on authority that a cup of warm tea, two slice of buttered bread, an egg, an orange or banana is much better than to start the day on an empty stomach, except one is fasting for a purpose.


A good breakfast is a good thing to start the day off on a bright note. A snack of fruit should follow before lunch when you are spent. In other words, energy that you use up is to be replaced. This ensures that our body and health is at an optimum level.


Water should form part of a good meal. Water is need to dissolve the food and to absorb the nutrients like minerals and vitamins.


The human body consisted of 60% water. We need to sip some water during eating and not much. An alternate to this is to drink teas or juicy at meal time. Drinking of much water at meal time is to be discouraged in most cases except one is trying to lose weigh.


This means the more water you drink during meal time, the less food you will eat. This also means, you should began to loss weight. They is no need to drink a glass or two of water during mean as said.
A sip here and there will really help matters. It ensures the churned food is not over diluted and that no improper absorption takes place.


Another minus sign in drinking too much water is to call the kidney into an over working condition. The kidneys control and help remove excess water in the body. By drinking too much water, it means that the working capacity of the kidney is being strained.


 To your good health!


 Miebakagh57 (Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copyright 2014-2015.http://greens4food.blogspot.com

Good Food For The Body

Introduction : There is nothing much better than a person to eat some good food.
When I say good food, I mean natural food items in their natural form and unprocessed state. Convenience foods packed in readily forms like spaghetti and oats thought

good, need to be supplement with adequate natural ingredients to compensate for the loss of vitamins, minerals and fibers during the milling processing. Processed foods has much of their vitamin A, B-Complex, B1, B2, B6, B12 and folate removed. Vitamin C, D, K and E are also removed and chemical forms of the same vitamin added.


Good eating is fueling the body with good natural and wholesome foods; and with all these vitamins including plant photochemical as we can note later.


The body use fuel or energy from the foods we eat to carry out some of its internal activities, as well as physical actions like walking, breathing and sleeping.


An activity like talking, singing, running and swimming required some energy.


To drive a car for over five kilo meters, you need to expend some energy too. A noted African scientist has said “good food is the greatest single factor in securing good health.”


I subscribe to this opinion. Refine foods need to be supplement with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables has many and varied vitamin, minerals and fibers that help to release the energy in processed refined foods. For example, an oat meal should go with at least seven assort fruits including a vegetable green such as pea. The many foods we eat come from various food groups.


These were scientifically classified.


Food Groups


A closer observation shows different animals, birds, insects, reptile feeds on different foods. You cannot find an animal or a bird feed on one specific food or a grain. The food items they eat varied significantly. Even as human beings, we eat assort types of foods. In this regard, our scientists classified foods into two main groups.


 1. According to chemical composition; and, 2. According to special functions in the internal metabolism.


Chemical classification of foods: Scientists divide the foodstuffs we eat into six groups. Carbohydrates or carbs for short. These are starch and sugar products. They are usually formed by green plants.


 Examples are: Brown rice, whole wheat flour, potatoes with their skins and similar root vegetables like yams and cocoyams. Stems like sugar cane and beet root.


Carbs are again sub-group into starches, sugars and celluloses.


The carbs are further divide into simple and complex starches, sugars and celluloses.


Carbohydrates, specifically glucose or simple sugars when eaten will release the energy in the foodstuff quickly into the body cells. The body needs glucose or sugar. It is one of the simple sugars that we use every day. All internal cells, systems, and organs in the body need sugar to do their work well. Your brain needs sugar. Your muscles need sugar as primary fuel before anything else. Sugar is readily oxidized to release the much need energy.


Starch has to be break down into simple sugar like glucose. Excess is stored as glycogen, in the muscles and tissues. This is where I and you gain extra weight quickly.


 Here we need to be cautious that eating much sugar has its down side. It can cause teeth decay. Ordinary household sugars (white sugar) you put in your tea or custard has no food value. It is just a sweeter. Use it sparsely. Or substitute it brown sugar which has much nutritional ingredient like vitamins and mineral salts. All the vitamin A, B, C, and mineral matter in the sugar cane has been removed during the milling and refine process.


Carbs are very important foods for our body. Some are good and some bad. I have mentioned at least six foods that are good carbohydrates above. Any carb that is unprocessed like brown flour for making brown bread is a good carbohydrate.


The bad ones are in the form of convenience food products like white sugar, white rice, white breads and biscuits made with white flours. It is these white products that has its much health beneficial matters removed.


View and download a large listings of many carbohydrate foods here with this link http://iuhealth.org/images/ril-doc/carbohydrate Counting Food LIST.pdf.
Copy and paste the link into your internet browser.


Other sources of carbs are:


Fruits: apples, mangoes, pineapples, tomatoes and peach. Boys berry, raspberry, oranges, limes and lemons.


With the exception of limes and lemons,these are sources of complex sugars. After being properly digested, they changed to simple sugars.


Nuts: almonds, walnuts, tiger and grass nuts, and peanuts are complex carbohydrates.


Legumes: all types of beans especially green bean and soya bean. These are another source of complex carbohydrate.


Spices: especially green pepper, red pepper, garlic, ginger and onions. Sage and celery.


All these are natural sources of starch and sugars.


When eaten in their natural states, they seem to be filling; and at the same time make us not to over eat. This is because of their fiber content.


A 1g of carb. will provide you with 3.6 calories. As fruits now are being measured in cups rather than grams, one cup of a fruit is the same as the size of one big banana fruit. Hence, one cup of any fruit is equal to one gram.


Fats and oils: Fats and oils have a special role to play in good eating. These are like the grease a machine used for lubricating parts of the component. But they provide more energy than carbs. A 1g fat will give out twice the energy value of a 1g of a carb diet. In other words, you get at most 7.2 calories from a gram of fat.


Fats come from meat, beef, egg yolk, all nuts, butter and margarine.
Palm oil and peanut oils are fats but are liquids at room temperature and pressure; whereas, egg yolk and margarine are solids at the same temperature and pressure.


Specifically, fats and oils are derived from two sources:
1. Animal fats: pork meat, beef, red meat and turkey. Cod liver oil and shark liver oil are good fish oils. Mullets, sandiness and salmon fish oils contain essential omega fatty acids -3 and -6 that sustain the health of the heart.
2. Plant source or vegetable fats: all nuts for example, walnuts and peanuts. Palm oil, pears and beans. Others are olive oil and coconut oil.
In colder regions, oils can be solids. Fats and oils are reserve foods stored in the body that are readily available when the body needs extra energy.
Eating fats and oils is very important for good health, fueling the body for heat, work and protecting the internal organs of the body.


Again, we need extra fats when the weather is very cold to maintain our body temperature at the optimum level.


Protein: A protein will give the same energy output as in a gram of a carb. Proteins build the body. Our body is at least 16% protein. Like fats, they come from both animal and plant source.
1. Animal protein: fish and poultry. Egg white, milk, chicken and turkey.
A protein like an egg is very much useful in a meal. So is a fish. These are builds the body. They provide all the nutrients the body need to grow, develop and replaced dead cells.
2. Vegetable protein: from seeds, nuts, roots, stem and leaves of plants.


Seeds: sun flower, black berry, tomatoes, guavas and cucumbers.


Nuts:  Peanuts, walnuts and cashews. Tiger nuts and grass nuts. Pine nut is a good nut.


Legume: green beans, soya bean, black eye bean, lima bean and all beans. Green pea is a delight.


Root crops or tubers: fresh potatoes, cocoyams and yams in their skins. Green vegetable yam that grows on flowering stalk is another.


 Leaves (foliage): all green leafy vegetables or greens: pumpkin leaves, sage, brussel sprout, broccoli and basil or scented leaves.
http://greens4food.blogspot.com


Water is another but vital source of food. It is need for dissolving food that is properly chewed for absorption into the body cells. Water is to be sip sparely during meal time. Food should be eaten regularly and at regular times.


Do not skip your breakfast except that you are fasting.


Always start the day with a good breakfast of fresh leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and nuts including fats and proteins.


To your good health!


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