Fatty Liver Disease. Top Foods to Help Reverse it

Introduction

In my view, Fatty liver disease as it is often called  is not really a disease but is a condition where there is much  that is stored around the liver usually common among those who take lots of alcohols.  Fatty liver  is quite common as it usually does not present with troubling symptoms until it has advanced, apart from alcoholics. it can also be found amongst healthy persons, talking of people who are not indulging in alcohol known as non alcoholic liver disease.  The disease is  also more common amongst those who are fat and heavyweights who  have extra body weight and fat.  Apart from this category of people,  I  have  also  seen amongst very slim people surprisingly with very fat liver when test was carried out on them,  though  fatty liver disease may not be felt by most individuals as in like feeling symptoms such as headache but when it is there,  the immune system will be low and the person will usually be sick because the liver is not functioning at its best.  The metabolic  rate will not always be fine with such  individual so it is important to deal with it.   Fortunately it is reversible .   Once you suspect or you are diagnosed with fatty liver it's important to follow or begin to include these foods and stop the causative factor the thing that caused the fatty liver should be stopped  immediately.  

Common Causes of Fatty Liver

 1.  Fried Foods

So many things could also be responsible especially consuming fried foods.  Apart from alcohol. Another fast way to gather unwanted fat around the liver is frying your food.   

2.  Fatty foods especially Animal Protein 

If you are consuming too much cow meat. Goat meat, milk and such foods regularly and in large amount, Fatty liver  may begin to accumulate.

3.  Soyabeans Extract ( whey protein)

If you look around the supermarket and some shops you will notice some proteins extract from soya beans known as whey  protein, a lot of people consume it even in large amount without knowing its effect on the liver soyabeans  is a very high protein food and  nutritious too but it also naturally comes with lecithin and isoflavones this nutrients are said to  support the Liver detoxification and cleansing of fat when they are consumed naturally as the real soyabeans comes with nature and not taken in excess.   it is also  a great addition but because of the high amount of protein in soya beans when the whey  protein extract is taken, some of the naturally occurring ingredients in soya beans that supports removal of liver fat to avoid fatty liver which mother nature may have put there may have been removed and that is why I often advise and suggest that food should be consumed the way they come in nature instead of removing it as an extract whatever is taken as an extract I do not recommend or suggest or see as healthy because something may be missing in that extract, example is coffee beans when caffeine is taken away.

4.  Too much Cholesterol:  

Cholesterol comes from many  foods we eat such as  vegetable oil,  red palm oil and several other oils that come with cholesterol so we should beaware of too much oil in our diet especially the artificially manipulated oils known as vegetable oil or transfats.  we should be careful with them because too much can also lead to extra fat around the liver if you are suspecting fatty liver or you have been diagnosed with fatty liver , it is not something to beat your heart, All you need do is just for you to determine and make slight dietary modifications and the fatty liver will go back or reverse to healthy liver.  I have also personally experienced fatty liver,  several years ago and it was reversed then,  Here are the top  common foods to include in your diet if you suspect fatty liver and before we move to the top foods if you are indulging in alcohol you have to stay away because it can also cause fatty liver.  Other causes of fatty liver includes too much Processed foods and foods with flavours. Colourings and preservatives, like bread, wheat gluten, transfats from vegetable oils, biscuits, cakes, pastas too. Avoiding  healthy fats and not getting enough protein in the diet can also trigger fatty liver.

It is one of the most common cause of fatty liver, if you are  also consuming fatty foods like fried foods,  frying your eggs and other stuff you need also to stop.   Another observation is that  someone may  also look fat physically but when the test is run, the liver may not be as fat as expected. but in most cases those who are fat  most  commonly also have fatty liver but there are few exceptions to this.  

Common Foods to Help Restore Fatty Liver

Tumeric:

Tumeric contains naturally occurring anti-inflammatory and ingredients that not only burns fat but fight inflammations around the liver.   it is one food you should consume if you suspect fatty liver and remember to always add a little ginger or black pepper to your turmeric to help it absorb properly you can take it as tea or add it to your meals but taken as tea may deliver more and faster result.

Ginger : 

This spice either taken as tea or soup ingredients is great for those dealing with fatty liver.  It is also good to chew some fresh ginger just before breakfast to help aid digestion and support the liver in gradually offloading fats around it.  Ginger tea taken several times a week will help reduce liver fat too.  Remember to include sufficient protein especially plant based while consuming  ginger because ginger is quite hot.

Papaya Seeds:  

The fresh or dried seeds from pawpaw fruit chewed on empty stomach is a great liver support, as itù helps in killing off some intestinal parasites, reducing bad cholesterol,  support heart health and reducing inflammations generally in the body. Chew about 9 seeds depending on your body weight.  You may start with less and gradually increase it to half tablespoon.  But never take too much because it has its own side effect just like every other food when taken in excess.  Moderation is our rule.

Garlic:

 We know that garlic is a powerful antibacterial antifungal and antibiotic spice that helps destroy bacteria.  It is known for its Allicin and sulphur content which is a super food for the liver and not only the liver but also the heart. if you suspect fatty liver you can begin to chew garlic like two large  cloves in the morning or include more of it in your meals or even use it as your own taste enhancer as it also helps bring out the natural taste in our meals.

Cloves

 Cloves is an antibacterial antifungal and anti-inflammatory powerful Spice that has so many nutrients especially those that support liver health and destroys bacteria so if you suspect that you have a fatty liver you can begin to chew some cloves like two or three cloves 30 minutes after having your main  meals to help to reduce the load and the stress on the Liver as it will also kill bacterias that may want to cause complications.  It aids digestion too and reduces blood sugar, warding off inflammations at all levels.  Never take too much.

Green tea:

Green tea is known for its polyphenols and other powerful nutrients that helps to burn fat not only around the body but also liver fat, it is effective if you take it moderately remembering that it  is a source of caffeine and caffeine is not good for our liver so when you are consuming it do not take it too frequently or much but when you take it more lately it's a great addition for those with liver fat and will not allow that extra fat any  around the liver.

Cabbage:

Cabbage and  other cruciferous vegetables like onions broccoli cauliflower, kale  and all such vegetables are also good for the liver health you can ferment your cabbage or just let it hit a little it's okay that way  but I do not recommend too much of raw cabbage because it has effect also on the thyroid, so putting it a little or fermenting it as some do is okay because it helps to remove fat, it  is a fat burning food and all other cruciferous vegetables are also in that family you can include them moderately to reduce liver fat. if you suspect or think that you are diagnosed with liver fat.

Green Vegetables:

 All green vegetables should be  consumed regularly  and infact daily as this may prevent liver fat too especially as the last meal of the day.  if you suspect that you have liver issues then include more green vegetables in your diet you can take some raw, but do not take much raw vegetables. 

Beetroot:

Beetroot taken as tea or as a juice is also a super food for the Liver if you suspect fatty liver and you can find beetroot you can make juice out of it because it's quite sweet you can add cinnamon or other insulin helping spices to reduce its effect on your blood sugar also but it's great for liver especially those who are dealing with fatty liver.  Beetroot is an oxygenating food making it a great addition too for those with high blood pressure 

Apple Cider Vinegar

 Apple cider vinegar is also great to add, one tablespoon to your water therapy I do not suggest too much of this apple cider because it's not a bone supporting drink so you need to take it moderately, I like to suggest 2 or 3  days in a week, it  is okay not daily because it does not support bone strength judging from my own observations usage and such food should be taken cautiously so that you do not start feeling symptoms of reduced bone mass.

Cayenne pepper 🌶 :

 This  is  also another super food for the Liver that can be included in moderation in our meals to help the liver remove fat we already know a lot about it,  you can  use dried Cayenne powder or fresh cayenne  pepper should be added to you our meal while cooking  or taken as tea to improve blood  circulation generally.

Lemon Juice 🍋 

Lemon juice in our warm water therapy in the morning is another great way to support liver detox and remove fat but again we should also take it moderately.  Like it  shouldn't be everyday as some people do suggest. Though if you feel okay taking it daily, no problems.  Just remember that too much of everything is bad. and even too much of lemon juice is also a stressor  to our liver so let's not overdo anything.  Just  include about half a lemon juice to your warm water therapy in the morning to help continue removing fat from the liver and avoid fatty liver.

Omega 3 Food Sources like Sardines:

Omega 3 in fatty fishes like sardines are great for reducing fatty liver.  Include fish oil or sardines in moderation  to your meals.

Cold Pressed Coconut oil or olive oil

There is also an important aspect or belief that people who are avoiding fat for instance will not get liver fat.   No, I do not agree with this standpoint avoiding all kinds of fat may even lead to liver fat what may reduce liver fat is including healthy fats like cold pressed coconut oil which does not clog arteries, cold pressed olive oil and other such fats but it is a mistake or an error for you to begin to avoid all kinds of fat because you want to throw out fat from the liver that will give a reverse effect because you will be surprised to notice that your liver fat may be  increasing and the reason is because, the healthy fats in coconut oil helps the liver produce bile to help detoxify the body and does not clog arteries like other oils.  It does not also get stored in the liver like other oils. Cold pressed olive oil is also the oil of choice when dealing with fatty liver but because of too many adulteration, you may also use peanut oil which is the closest to olive oil because it is usually more organic here in Nigeria.

Summary:

Being diagnosed with fatty liver should not give you much worries because it is easily reversible if you are willing to make the necessary dietary or lifestyle changes.  Remember to loose weight if you are overweight.

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Stop Eliminating Foods, Do this instead

 Introduction

Food elimination is simply a practice of taking out of your diet, foods you consider offensive for health or other reasons.  This is my simple definition.  This practice is common amongst seniors who are managing some age related ailments or trying to stop the early onset of such ailments or diseases.  E.g, eliminating carbohydrates, sugars, high protein and others for heallth reasons.

The truth is that as we age, our body is changing internally and most times before we realize it, our health is already at risk, so to avoid or prevent such, certain foods are eliminated and in real sence, or initially, it seems to give solution but overtime, we are advised to eliminate other healthy foods and before you know it, we are lacking some essential minerals. Though these minerals are not needed in large amount in our body,  minerals like zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus. and others, but their deficiency can cause serious health issues like insomnia, joint issues, heart problems and uncontrolled diabetes.

The Truth about Food Elimination

Initially, it does seem to provide solution, but in the long run, it does more harm than good.  I was a victim of dont eat this, dont eat that for a couple of years, I also suffered things like insomnia, low energy and some kind of depression, and the most recent was night time urination which I traced one of the causes to low potassium, and it seemed to be responsible for my low blood sugar then, however, all these disappeared the moment potassium rich foods were returned to my diet.  

The major changes I made to my diet was the return of foods like, unriped plantain, some kind of leafy greens like ugu as it is called in south east Nigeria. Returned okra, sweet potatoes and occasional coconut water and the issue was resolved.

Eliminating foods is not the solution,

Taking out food is something endless because the older you get, the more your body is not able to cope with certain foods, the best option is to find out foods that cancels out the negative effect of one food and there are several foods like that.

The best foods to eliminate

While in pursuit of healthy body naturally, there are certain foods that are  worth eliminating out of our diet completely and these are the highly processed foods like breads and biscuits, ready to eat breakfast cereals, some canned foods and drinks, alcoholic drinks, transfats from vegetable oils and magarines, these and several others like bouilion cubes, flavoured drinks, high sugary drinks and artificial taste enhancers. These are worth eliminating due high salt and other preservatives.

The way out it

Food elimination is not the solution, the solution is in finding complementary foods to cancel the negative effect of one food. For instance, add cinnamon, cloves, ginger thyme and other blood sugar reducing foods to the one that elevates sugar or take drinks that lower sugar like hibiscus tea, guava leaves tea. Add protein to some spicy foods and add healthy fats to most foods like vegetable to support digestion and several other pairings that helps reduce inflammation, add spices occadionally to some fermented foods 

Summary:

In doing all of these, we must remember that moderation should be the rule or you will get another result.  

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Signs we need Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Top Food Sources

 

Introduction 

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential nutrients need by our body for optimal health, there are other fatty acids such as omega-6 Omega 9 and others that are still being researched but what is special about the omega-3 is that our body cannot produce omega-3 you must have to consume foods that contains omega-3 in order to have it and that is why it is very very important also to know the foods where you can find them as I shall be disclosing some of the common ones in this post omega-3 is so important especially as we are aging  in a lot of bodily functions ranging from, but not limited to the following:

Bone health

 A lot of bone related issues could be avoided or the onset of bone issues could be delayed if we knew the importance of omega-3 and include them in our diet moderately but because of this ignorance a lot of older adults come up with  series of bone related problems which could be avoided just by consuming Omega-3 fatty acids rich foods in our diet in the right amount the absence of this fatty acid makes a lot of us suffer due to the ignorance of their function  and where to find them, it is not only calcium that makes bones strong as  some of us have been made to believe,  there are  other trace minerals and nutrients that are not even common in our daily foods such as omega-3 and we need to be careful especially as we eat to ensure we consume omega-3 rich foods for stronger bones.

Better Joint:

It  is one thing to have stronger bones it is also a different thing to have very good joints and tendons where the bones meet.  That is the joints the bones meet and there are very few minerals that are not needed in large amount that help with this connective points and Omega-3 fatty acids is one of such nutrients that help with this connecting points in various parts of our body like the joints  wondering why you are experienced too many joint pains even when you were taking medications, it  doesn't seem to even be reaching it most times it may be likely due to absence of Omega-3 fatty acids and if not addressed they developed to go out and all the more painful conditions inflammatory, conditions around the joints if it is not attended to as the body is degenerating the joints are degenerating the bones and a lot of other parts of the body so we need important nutrients like omega-3 in the small amount that they are needed to help this connecting points in our joints so we do not develop joint problems joint pains and similar conditions.

3.  Reduce Inflammations

On a daily basis inflammations occur in our body, and is caused by many factors some are caused by excess sugar some by excess body weight some  may be caused by infections,  some are caused by high blood pressure and just continue on like that.  Most of these inflammations are not seen with the visible eyes they are happening internally and some of them are even the cause of heart atta, k heart failure,  stroke and several other complications that happens but the presence of Omega-3 fatty acids in the foods we eat may  reduce such occurrences.   Remember that this particular fatty acid cannot be manufactured by our body like some other fatty acid omega-6 for instance can be found in most of the vegetable oils and one of the leading cause of inflammations today may be related to  too much of omega-6 without the presence of omega-3 because when we consume vegetable oils and most of the processed foods they are prepared and most times   preserved with this oil and all of them contain omega-6 so sometimes when the  omega-6 becomes too much in the body and there is no omega-3 , it  creates an imbalance in the body and that imbalance leads to inflammation that is to say the body responds to the imbalance by creating inflammation so if we need to reduce inflammation in the body generally.    We must endeavour to include Omega-3 fatty acids rich foods so as to reduce too many inflammations. 

Reduce Autoimmune Disease

When the body begins to attack  itself as a result of certain imbalance or health issues that have not been addressed then we refer to such attack on as autoimmune and  most times it is even difficult to manage medically but when there is Omega-3 fat in the body it may reduce such incidences where the body turns again and attacks its own self for various reasons this happens,  though we may not be aware of what will be going on internally but it's only when we begin to manifest symptoms physically, symptoms that such diagnosis could be made that this is an autoimmune disease and this is usually   difficult to manage or even diagnose but if we consume with Omega-3 fatty acids in the right amount it could delay or  stop such occurrences.

Support Heart Health

I personally have no doubt in believing the effect or importance of this rare fatty acids in supporting a healthy heart when we are aging especially women we are often faced with cases of heart attack, heart failure and other   heart-related issues,  the heart is a delicate organ and we must take care of it by taking the foods that will support the heart muscles we must avoid too much of fat especially bad fats , unhealthy fat is one of the worst enemies of the heart, I have personally experienced it if you take too much of fatty  foods even though the fact may be a healthy one.  Omega-3 can help to strengthen the heart and then make it to be able to be resilient in case of such occurrences.  We have to make efforts in maintaining  a strong heart with good muscles,  omega-3 is one of nutrients that helps to support the heart health and  may reduce incidences of heart attack stroke or other  heart failure.

Reduce Depression 

Consuming Omega-3 fatty acids which foods may also reduce severe cases of depression even if we  are already managing depression.   The case of depression is difficult for some people to really understand, many people are going through it unknown to them but if you have not been taking this seriously it's important to understand that most older adults,  and youth go through one form of depression or the other and in order to manage some of these things we can include such foods with omega-3  in our diet so as to reduce or delay such occurrences and avoid complications.

Support brain Health

 This is also one of the few brain supporting foods which we should include in moderation here are some of the common food sources since it is not so common in our local market we can supplement with occasional fish oil to meet the requirement of this important nutrient that must come from what we eat.

Common food sources of omega 3 fats.

African walnut

Sardines

Mackerel

Soyabeans 

African bread fruit

Some fatty fish

ChIa seeds

flaxseeds

Spinach

Moringa leaves 

Kale

Eggs

Hemp Seeds

and other foods including some green  vegetables too

Moderation remains our rule

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4 Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Introduction

Fermentation in my own definition is an ancient  method of preserving some foods and getting more of their nutrients and other benefits. Before the advent of refrigerators and other modern ways of preserving some edibles, it was one of the cheapest and most trusted ways to preserve foods. These foods are kept under certain conditions which vary depending on what you are fermenting however, something common among the ones I am familiar with is covering it, though without covering, it will ferment but tend to do more when covered.

It seems to me that research has opened our eyes on more ways that fermentation benefits our health.

Common Fermented Foods.

Each region ferments different foods for its benefits, however let us talk on the familiar ones known around here that are also part of my diet.

The grains like corn, sorghurm, millet, soyabeans. 

The root vegeyables like the cassava root used in making our local swallow popularly called foo foo and sometimes used in making tapioca powder known as garri. Plantain is also fermented, Only watched it from a channel but will give a try too.

Yoghurt made from milk either low fat or full fat, using starter culture.

Seeds used mostly as local soup conditiments like ogiri, dawadaw, iru, okpei, ugba, and several other seeds, which enhances taste, flavour and nutrition. For example ogiri made from fermented castor oil is known to add protein and flavour especially used by those in Eastern Nigeria to make soups like bitterleaf soup.

Fruits like apples which give us the already popular Apple Cider Vinegar, which supports healthy digestion and boost health in a lot of ways. Pineapples could be fermented too.

Nuts like coconut are also fermented and the water taken instead of the nut. 

Vegetables like cabbage are also fermented.

Drinks like palmwine are among fermented foods which is tapped from the palm tree

The bottomline is fermentation cuts accross grains and the common seeds known to us, far away regions have common foods they fermentef like tempe from soyabeans. Kimchi and many others, the reason for its popularity accros regions is due to the health benefits. 

Here are 5 Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

1.  Improves Digestion:  If you are having problem digesting certain foods, you will notice that the moment you ferment or consume a fermented version of same food, you will notice the difference.

2.  Reduces constipation:  Some chronic constipation tends to respond to nothing except fermented foods.  For instance, the fermented millet is my To Go food when ever such constipatiom strikes. It worst if you take frequent antibiotics because I was taking all kinds of antibiotics to help kill of parasites in the years of ignorance, and they tend to have  contributed in depleting my healthy gut bacteria which exposed me to several gut problems, until God showed me mercy and I came to discover the truth about my health and began to incorporate fermented foods modetately in my diet.

3.  Reduces gut problems:  Gut problems is often worsen by the destruction of healthy gut bactera, inclusion of fermented foods especially fermented grains as in my own case will improve gut health reducing things like, bloating, gas and sometimes bleeding ulcers.

4.  Improves Nutrient Absorption:  It is easier for nutrients to be extracted from fermented foods than when it is not fermented

Summary:.

While it is important to include fermented foods from a variety, moderation must be the rule because too much fermented food, acts as immune suppressor too.

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11 Nutritional and Wellness lessons I learned at 62

 Introduction:

Truly, we keep learning as we live. Borrowing from the words of Wale Adenuga of "Wale Adenuga Productions"  The more we live, the more we learn", These lessons include life lessons, nutrition and wellness.  Whether we know it or not, believe it or not, our body is changing by the day as we get older, if we  must continue to enjoy a healthy body, then we must follow up with dietary adjustments and modifications to meet up with our current age.

After surviving a lot of ailments and chosen the part of living my live solely using food as my medicine. Over the years I have learned and continued learning lessons on wellness and nutrition without a physical teacher, yet with so much learned and still learning about wellness and human nutrition at 62.

Here are 11 of Wellness and Nutrition lessons I have learned living this long:

1.  You can eat healthy and still look lean and hungry until you fix the emotional aspect,  If you are in a place where you are always unhappy, it does not matter you eat, your health may still be failing.

2.  All natural foods are healthy, only when taken in moderation and at the right time.  The bottomline is that no matter how healthy a food may be, if taken in excess, will surely give you trouble.

3.  As you age, prioritize protein and healthy fats in your diet. This may help reduce risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and similar conditions like weight gain.

4.  We combine most foods wrongly:  I learnt this truth much later in my life but wish I knew it earlier. Foods like beans and yam was among my favourite combinations without egg because I felt that with egg protein may be too much leading to things like gas. but not  so today. Egg should actually replace the yam making the meal more complete.  So we have been combining many foods wrongly but our body was accomodating because we were younger but not anymore.

5.  Protect your bones as you age:

We must focus on foods that supports bone health particularly, though all other organs needs to be protected, however. If the bone is fine, most of them will be fine too.  Foods like chia seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, oats, green vegetables.

6. No hard and fast rule about breakfast:

It is Gods Will that we maintain healthy body all through, Some cannot go out without a light breakfast, they have trained their body to function that way and it is working for them, today so much campaign against breakfast. Do not follow, follow, as I do not eat much again  as the year passes, metabolim is slowing down, one or two meals a day with a few raw foods and nuts is okay.  Sometimes the breakfast is bit earlier and at other times later.

7.  No disease is irreversible: If only you  can supply the body with what it needs to heal, in the form of natural foods,  it can heal itself and reverse any disease.

8. Listen to your body:  Not ignoring symptoms and responding with necessary actions to what your body is saying is one of the best ways to heal naturally.  You provide the materials in form of healing foods and your body heals itself. 

9. You can enjoy healthy body all through the year:

It is best to focus on natural foods as this helps your body fight dieases. Reduce processed foods and live a healthy life, avoiding unhealthy habits like alcohol, smoking and inactivity can help you enjoy a healthy body all through the year .

10.  Nothing like disease: All what we call disease could be sumed  up in these:  

1. Too much toxins in the body,

 2 Nutritional deficiency

3. Excess body acidity

4. Excess of one nutrient over another.  If we can fix these and help the body stay equilibrum or just a balance.  What we call disease most times may be gone.

11. Dont try all remedies you see online:  Never try all the online remedies you see, some may place your life at risk. You see some they say take 3 times in a day wheras, you can manage to take 2 times.  Follow your body instinct, its my way.

Summary:

I have lived here for 62 years and learned these lessons and still learning.

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How to Treat Toe fungus Naturally

 Introduction:

Toe fungus can simply be described as a fungal infection of the feet, affecting any of the area such as the toes, or in between the toes or the walking surface of the feet.  The infection is not so common as I may describe it but when it strikes, the remedy that works are also not so common. 

Symptoms:

The only serious and disturbing symptom is the intence itching and sadly, before it begins to itch, the fungal has done much harm.  Fungus are not bacterias, neither are they germs, making it difficult to treat. Using antibiotics may reduce its trouble for a few days but neither kills nor destroys the fungus.  Fungi can affect other parts of the body and sometimes, depending on the affected area, the name could change, sometimes affecting the female private part, it is called candida or candidiasis, irrespective of the name, the agent is the same. It seems to affect people with less care for their body,  though some people with certain habit and or lifestyle are easily susceptible to the infection, for instance those walking with water like washing dishes or clothes or other such jobs must  dry the areas before bed to avoid fungal infection of either the hands or toes.

It seems not to be life threatening initially, simply  seen as just  affecting the feet. However, there is nothing left unchecked that wont threaten life.  If you have even been through the experience of toe fungus, you will agree that if not treated will treaten life especially when it begins to interfere with your sleep at night, remember that anything that interferes with your sleep is threatening your life already.  Toe fungus has ability to do that.  The best bet is to prevent it  for prevention is always better than cure.

Common Causes:

1. Dampness and wetness of the feet area:  The most common causes are: Wetness and Dampness, they love wet and damp aress, if you expose your feet or other parts of the body, they can start growing in the area without you knowing, since they take time a little without pains or other discomfort until the itching starts which is usually gradual.

2. Tight shoes or socks for a long time without       air: 

Very tight shoes and sucks that packs the toes tightly without allowing air also creates a suitable environment for their growth, especially if worn frequently without changing to another shape, this habit was actually one of the things that sponsored what I often refer to as the most challenging and stubborn ailment since I began this journey, next was toothache.  Why it came first is that, in case of toothache, once the affected tooth is removed, the recovery is fast and within days, toe infection is not so.

3.  Consuming certain foods or nuts that encouages mold: 

 Consuming certain nuts in large amount regularly like peanuts, and or roasted african breadfruit known as (Ukwa) can contribute to its growth and much sugars and carbohydrate whether processed or natural makes it worse. 

4.   Poor hygiene of the feet  :

 If the feet is often dirty and unchecked especially at night or wearing tight or damp sucks at bedtime can encourage its growth. Foot hygiene is important whether you are trying to heal or prevent it.

Here are the exact things I did in order to heal

The healing lasted for almost 11months to 12 months with consistency. The first was foot soaking:

1. Foot soaking:  

After trying foot powders and antifungal creams and no result, it dawn on me that this requires more seriousness than I was thinking.  Using about 4 tablespoons of sea salt and some white salt ( because of economic reason I added white salt) in a basin and add freshly boiled water, add few drops of antifungal essential oil, tried lemon, no much result, tried mint, not much then used tea tree oil which gave the first sign of relief from itching so I stayed with it, every evening I soaked my feet in diluted boiled water, with sea salt and drops of tea tree oil and allow both feet to stay soaked for about 35 to 40 minutes. This I continued daily for weeks until result started showing gradually by the reduced itching especially at bedtime.

2. Change slippers and some shoes:

Another major step was to identify some regularly worn footwears that packs my feet tight and put them away and went for skippers which allows free air in and out of the toes.

3. Change diet

Looking into my diet was the next major change. Since I do not take simple sugars, I dropped honey noticing it to be fake and contributing to elevated blood sugar which can feed disease such as that. Peanut was feeding it, so also was the African breadfruit (Ukwa)which I was consuming frequently then with cashews and other seeds, I stopped some temporarily and reduced my carbohydrates to reduce sugar too. 

4. Checking and keeping my feet dry especially at bedtime.

 Till date, it has become one of my bedtime habits to check the feet and occasionally soak the feet with salt like every 2 months or as need arises.

Summary

The above steps are what helped me heal and have remained healed of this sturbborn ailment called toe fungus. Never at any time did I try over the counter antibiotics but raw garlic and ginger, peppers were regular in my diet.

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One of your Hearts Best friends.

 Introduction

It is my view that every part of the human body has a "Best Friend" By best friend I mean the food that possesses the nutrients that it loves and uses most, I mean the food that can help it solve problems it often encounter, there was an earlier post on your guts best friend, however, its the turn of our heart. We shall know the best friend and why the choice. 

Almond Nut is among the best friend of our heart

Almond was not as popular 25 years ago as it is today.  Common and popular nuts are peanuts, cashews, walnut and in some other regions,  macademia nuts and other nuts.  However, due to awareness from internet and other information sources, majority of us have come to know almond nut and enjoying it as part of our diet,

It would have been okay to call it the best friend but there are other heart friendly foods like garlic, tamarind seeds, oats and even fatty fish, but amongst all these, the almond seems to stand out because of its unique nutrients, though it must be take at the right time and the right quantity or else you wont get the expected result.

Here are 4 unique nutrients that make me choose almond nut today, though it has long existed before now.

1.  Magnesium

2.  Calcium

3.  Vitamin E 

4.  Monounsaturated fat

I come to understand through studies that the mineral magnesium works hand in hand in helping the heart to  contract and relax. The ability to contract and relax keeps our heart working, these two minerals work together to give our heart this result in our breathing mechanism, it is important to get enough of this minerals if our heart must continue to work well.  

Common food sources of magnesium are:

Pumpkin seeds

Most leafy greens

Cocoa

Grains like oats, millet, soghurm bicolour, wheat, soyabeans, almonds, peanuts, cashews.

Common food sources of calcium are:

Milk

Almond

Tigernut

Chia seeds

Leafy greens like moringa leaves, okra, soyabeans, grains like unpolished rice, seeds like sesame seeds, coconut and some other nuts

Vitamin E Food sources

This powerful antioxidant vitamin E is great for heart health, it is  fat soluble, but unfortunately not many foods are good sources:

Commons food  sources are:

Almond nut, peanuts, sunflower seeds and most other nuts

It is found in fatty fish or fish oil, avocados, walnut, some seeds like sunflower seeds

Monounsaturated fat

Why this type of fat is important is because it helps handle bad cholesterol wbich is one of our hearts worst enemies. You can find it in almonds, foods like cold pressed olive oil, avocadoes too.  Due to its unsaturated nature,it does not stress the heart but supports it against unhealthy fats especially those with bad cholesterol, the heart needs monounsaturated fat and it is found in almond nut.

Summary

Remember to soak your almond for a few hours remove the peels, I prefer it at bedtime, though you can have it anytime of the day.  It is dense in nutrition and supports blood sugar and blood pressure. In addition to supporting heart health, it helps with healthy weight loss.  All the benefits comes only when taken in moderation and at the right time.  4 to 6 nuts in a day is okay, those who ate lots of  it in a day have reported with some ugly side effects like itching.  It is also said to contain cyanic acid, which is also found in cassava. Watch 👇to learn more.

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No lemon juice in warm water and this happened

The health benefits of adding lemon juice to warm water therapy in the morning is nolonger in doubt especially for seniors, these benefits ranges from tackling and controlling bad cholesterol, reducing excess body acidity. However, over the years we under rate these benefits probably  due to familiarity or so many other herbs and remedies available to try.  Thinking the later was my case, so I decided to ignore the benefits of  lemon juice in morning water therapy for about 4 months and continued with other herbs in the morning such as lemon grass, lime juice, ginger and herbs like guava leaves tea occasionally,  The availabiliy of these and several other herbs took my eyes away from lemon juice, ignored and believed that there is no much need to worry.

Remember that no 2 foods does exactly the same job in our body, even if they look alike, like lemon and lime. If you have been thinking of  substituting lime for lemon, do not try it.  It did not work for me, I made a video previously calling our attention to the difference between lemon and lime in how they behave inside our body using myself, however all these lecture were quickly forgotten and I continued without lemon juice in my warm water therapy in the morning:

Here are 4 things that began to happen following the removal of lemon juice for ab4 months:

1.  Weight Gain.

Lemon juice in warm water in the morning had been quietly keeping weight gain under control and I took it for granted.  Please do not welcome weight gain after menopause because it will open door for other ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis to come in. There was noticeable increase in my body weight which was becoming difficult to manage.  

2.  Poor Sleep

While taking lemon juice in the daily warm water on empty stomach, little did I know that it was contributing silently to sleep quality and quantity.  Do not forget that vitamin C acts like a calminative, it was calming my nerves, aiding digestion and all these were contributing to sleep quality and quantity yet I did not notice it until it was ignored im the diet.

3.  Constipation became more frequent

With the absence of lemon juice, though with lime juice, it could not do the job of lemon juice which tend to go deeper to the cellular level as against the lime juice which tend to work more on the surface.  When there is toxic build up, the colon becomes more sluggish and this tend to affect everything including aiding inflammations and suppressing immunity generally.

4.  Joint Inflammations

Now someone may ask, how do you detect this?  As for me, this was noticed when my joints especially the hands and palms started getting more stiff sometimes, becoming increasingly difficult to fold, initially I thought it was the frequent holding of phone and did not take it much serious except occasional massage with tumeric oil at bedtime which gives a little relief at bedtime, however, as soon as lemon juice was returned, there was noticeable improvement and it became clear that,  the hand stiffness and joint worsened because lemon juice was out of the diet, despite oranges, limes, apples and sometimes pineapples. This experience really taught me many lessons about nutrition, especially the fact that no 2 foods does exactly the same job in our body even if they look alike.  

Summary:

If you are a senior and already including lemon juice in your warm water in the morning, this is to assure you that it is supporting your health in ways unkown or not noticed by you, though there could be one or two off days but do not stay off for months like I did until these effects of its absence began to show up. These are just few effects, there were others too like slower digestion because of smaller amount of hydrochloric acid or digestive juice as I choose to call it.  These smaller stomach acids for digestion is common with seniors, although there are several spices that helps too such as ginger, cloves, peppers but lemon is unique in some special properties to support seniors health. Watch the video to learn more👇

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Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes leaves

Introduction 

If you have been avoiding sweet potatoes due to its starchy nature, here is good news for you. Did you know that the leaves of sweet potatoes are not only edible but also rich in nutrients, I have been eyeing some fresh leaves in my compound and just been thinking that it should be edible, merely seeing and smelling the leaves of most edible veggies tells you  if it is toxic or not. 

After few research and studie on it, decided to try it with garlic, onions and seasonings It turned out that, I had been missing out all these while. then, decided to make a full meal with African oil bean seed (ogbono) and bitter leaf, onions, garlic, fish,turkey and other condiments and it was a wao. 

 Now sweet potatoes leaves has become part of the veggies in my eating list. Not only is it tasty, you can feel the effects if you are gifted with knowing what goes on within you when you eat certain foods,particularly new ones. 

 Here are some of the health benefits of sweet potatoes leaves, I notice each time I consume it.

 Healthy Gut

 Promote a healthy gut, being a green food. You know all greens are good for your gut and heart health. Helps promote a healthy digestive tract, relieving constipation and also helps prevent colon cancer. Ensure not to overcook the leaves, so as to retain the nutrients.

 Antioxidant properties Sweet potatoes have been found to contain a high amount of antioxidants, making it suitable in combating inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, gout, etc. Also,vitamin C makes it great for fighting off free radicals thus preventing premature aging and disease.

 Reduces inflammation 

 The high beta carotene content in sweet potato is the key anti-inflammatory compound that makes it a natural painkiller. You can eat it steamed, or juiced to benefit from its painkilling properties.these anti inflammatory properties are also found in the roots, which is the Sweet potatoes.

Improves Sleep quality

If you are having sleep problems, try incorporating  sweet potatoes leaves into your didt, I like to add when cooking beans with onions, cayenne pepper, garlic and other spices, it tastes great and good for diabetics too.

 Relieves Insomnia I personally found out that adding the leaves of sweet potatoes, helps promote a sustained and refreshing sleep at night. 

 It is advised then to add it into your soup in the evening, especially if you suffer insomnia. 

 Source of Important Nutrients to help fight disease:

  A source of Potassium, B6 vitamin C, Vitamin A and other nutrients that boosts our immune system. So if you feel you need to boost your blood or fight off disease, then go for non starchy veggies like sweet potatoes leaves.

 Summary: 

Remember to wash your sweet potatoes leaves with plenty of water and salt, since it crawls most times and may have sand and other unwanted agents may be hiding in the leaves. Consume moderately, too much of every thing, even the good ones could be detrimental. Moderation is our rule.

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8 Nutritional Mistake Women over 50 should avoid

 Introduction

As we age, our body is changing though some of us may not notice it, internal messengers called hormones are working hard to meet up with these changes so as to secure our health, because many of us are not aware of what is often going on internally, we continue with our lifestyles and food choices.  Women particularly are affected because of the activity of hormones.   These hormonal activuties affects our health most times negatively, sometimes making us wonder if some strange things are happening to us.  Making lifestyle changes and a few changes to our diet helps resolve most of these uncomfortable feelings instead of resorting to drugs and expensive supplements.  

They should avoid these 8 mistakes nutritionally which most of them  continue to make:

1. Not getting Enough protein: 

 Women over 50 must endeavour to get sufficient daily protein, because protein is the building block. Proteins must include animal protein with plant based coming from beef, chicken, eggs, nuts and seeds, lentils, beans and grains.

2.  Neglecting healthy fats

Healthy fats should form the main energy source to avoid or reduce crashes in energy and blood sugar. Healthy fats helps manage blood sugar and general body weight, they also support heart health.

3.  Relying much on drugs and expensive supplements.

After the age of 50, reliance on drugs and expensive supplements should be reduced to almost nothing because your body is no longer able to process some of the waste like the preservatives, sometimes flavours

4.  Poor hydration

Adults and not just women over 50 should practice Water Therapy, the art of starting your day with lots of water each day for therapeutic purposes.

5. Skipping meals:  

Skipping meals for whatever reason affects the body in many ways. Reflecting on one of my unpleasant experiences when I was skipping meals for weight loss purpose especially dinner,  it began to trigger low blood sugar in the morning to a point that I began to feel it. It was as soon as I discovered and stopped skipping dinner that the low blood sugar stopped with other accompanying symptoms.

6. Insufficient calcium:

Low calcium is very common amongst women over 50 because of changes in diet, low calcium most times carries along with it. other uncomfortable symptoms like insomnia, joint problems, heart related issues and many other symptoms that makes women feel miserable most times at the stage.

7.    Too much processsed foods:

Too much of processed foods and ready to eat supermarket foods should be reduced to the barest miniment. They make blood sugar management difficult and contribute to weight gain and sometimes elivated blood pressure too.

8.  Insufficient fibre in the diet:

Next to protein is fibre in my choice of foods. Fibre helps manage blood sugar, support colon and heart health, it supports gut health too.

Summary

Women and men over 50 should also exercise moderately and avoid negative emotions. This is stage that menopause must have arrived fully and this must be accompanied with changes in diet and lifestyle to reduce frequent visits to the hospital.

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7 Foods that may affect your Sleep

 Introduction:  

Sleep is so important because, it is during sleep we are healed and renewed.  All parts of our body feels better after a good night sleep, it is therefore important to protect this aspect of our health by deliberately avoiding foods, drinks and habits that interferes with our sleep. For a good nights sleep, avoid these 7 foods, listed below:

 Here are 7 foods that may interfere with sleep:

1.  Coffee:

As much as you may love coffee fod its taste, aroma and health benefits, better to avoid it towards bedtime, as it is intended to keep you active and you do not want to engage in any activity at night.  It is also not advised to take coffee to help you stay awake because you want to pray or engage in other activities.  Night time is for sleep and rest and if sleep is not coming, just rest.

2.  Energy Drinks: 

If you are having sleep problems already or you want to avoid keeping awake at night, better avoid all energy drinks whethet sugar free or not.

3.  Spicy hot soups:

Spices are good only in moderation, but the worst time to take spicy food is at night. They are stressors and wont keep you relaxed.  They do not contain vitamin B vitamin which supports relaxation.

4.  Teas

Most leafy teas come with caffein but even when the caffeines are not present. They are mostly deficient in important minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium that may support relaxation.  Though, it is better to take something light and not sticky, I prefer to take teas made from seeds like avocado seeds tea, date seeds tea, cumin seeds, these seeds carries more nutrients that supports heart health health.

5.  Chocolates

Mostly made from cocoa, whether it is sweetened chocolate or not, the main culprit is the caffeine and sometimes comes with added sugars and flavours which all tend to act as stressors during the night time.  Better taken in the morning or mid day, it contains magnesium which will ultimately help the body relax faster at night.

6.  Heavy and fatty meals

Better to drink only way or an orange and go to better till next day than to have heavy meal high in oils and carbohydrates, it will surely spoil your entire night as the body instead of resting will be struggling to digest the food.  Digestion is a big tast for our body, though we are not even aware.

7.  Foods high in Sugar

Too much sugar at bed time will intferfere with sleep. I am particularly conscious of this aspect  as a little elevation in my blood sugar usually spoil my night or somtimes keep me awake till early hours of the morning. However each time I suspect sugar keeping me awake, I go get something to lower it, although carefully as the body is always very sensitive during these hours. Cloves, lowers sugar, so is ginger and cumin.

Summary:

Other foods like alcohol at bed time is bad too. Too much exercise is bad or no exercise at all is bad too. There will be poor blood circulation will  also interfere with sleep.

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Here are 7 ways Coffee benefits diabetics and other seniors

 Introduction

Coffee is a drink made by roasting coffee beans and ground to make the aromatic coffee we are all familiar with.  The ground coffee are brewed in hot water to make a refreshing tea with almost an irrestible aroma.  The tea carries naturally occurring substance called caff0eine which has many benefits when used in moderation.  As a result of the caffein in it, a lot of people who should benefit from it are avoiding it.  I was a victim of this ignorance for many years.

Today, coffee, not decaf or 3 in 1 coffee is part of things I eat occasionally to improve health.

Here are 7 reasons, it is part of my diet and how I take it:

1.  Reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. 

If you have a family history of diabetes, it is important to be careful with what you eat and better still to. include occasional bitter foods like coffee which is naturally bitter and high in antioxixants. Bitter foods in the diet also helps support liver health.

2. Helps Improve Insulin resistance

Insulin is a messenger or hormone that helps our body manage sugar naturally, if you continously consume offensive foods that keeps it too busy, itcould stop working and in that case we depend on external insulin to do its job.  Including occasional bitter foods like coffee can help improve its function reduce type 2 diabetes risk which is insulin dependent.

3.  Improve Energy and Alertness

Most seniors particularly diabetics and prediabetics have moments when there is no alertness,  energy or urge to work.  Coffee is very helpful in this regard.  This reason is even the more reason I take  coffee sometimes more times in a week than I would.

4.  High Antioxidants

High antioxidants in our diet helps reduce oxidative stress. Coffee is naturally high in antioxidants and helps reduce inflammations when taken in moderation.  It will be okay to take coffee on a journey in case there are no antioxidants rich foods in your location, it can help.

5.  Aids Diggestions

As we get older, our digestive health tends to slow down and if you have reasons to avoid coffee, including occasionally for this one reason we resolve a lot of health issues arising from poor or slowed digestion.  We are aware that the longer a food stays in the stomach, the more likely, it will be converted to fat.

6.  Supports Colon Health

Supporting colon to move when it is not ready to,  is one reason this drink is alway around my cupboard, it is and will continue to be part of my diet. A healthy body begins with a healthy colon. 

7.  Reduce weight gain

One thing seniors must avoid is weight gain and the tendency is higher as we age mostly due to sidentary life and  slowed digestiion.  However, if we take exercise serious, weight gain may not be something to worry about.

How and when I take coffee:

Being a source of caffein which can interfere with sleep. I avoid it towards bedtime

I take coffee when experiencing some kind of constipation and in this case, immediately after water therapy in the morning, I take it on empty stomach, sometimes with a little date powder.

If I feel non alert or low energy to work or make videos, as soon as I take coffee, sometimes with a little milk, all the alertness and energy becomes available.

I also take coffee when, I find myself munching on food here and there, when my appetite is not controlled, I make a cup of hot coffee, with a little milk and before finish sipping on it, all the hunger is gone and no urge to have anything until when I am ready. I love coffee in this aspect.

Summary

Like all foods, regular coffee intake is not healthy for seniors and diabetics, it can leach magnesium and make your skin extra dry unless you take 2 times the fluid you ordinarily would need in a day.  Moderation should be the rule, just like all other foods.

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Best foods to eat during pain

 Introduction

We already talked about foods to avoid during pains, it therefore makes sense to talk on what to eat, some questions are already showing up in that regard.

Searching for information on this, it seems some of  the suggestions are different from my experience during pain, some suggestions like oat, beans etc. There are different levels of pain however, the deep rooted pains like my toothache experience allows no oat or grains, 

so I will share here 4 foods that worked best  for me:

1.  Sardines:  

Sardines in olive oil or have the vegetable oil completely drained and replaced with cold pressed olive oil. They provide easily digestible proteins with omega 3 fatty acids that seems to work against inflammations.

2.  Smoothies made with avocadoes, carrots, cucumbers and ginger or tumeric

3.  Fats from walnuts, probably due omega 3 fats

4.  Soups made with lots of onions, garlic. ginger, tumeric, fresh water fish. Dried fish was not working,  only fresh fish  sometimes thickened as paste with oats as a sprinkle and that gives a little energy due to B vitamines and other heart supporting nutrients like potassium and magnesium. This however must be accompanied with other anti inflammatories like cayenne pepper,cinnamon, ginger, garlic too.

Summary

So many healthy foods were avoided like soyabeans powder, which makes pains worse.  so also was peanuts and many other nuts. With the above foods in the diet no sugars or honey. Whatsoever, weightloss will be noticed and with reduction in body weight comes reduction in pains.  Pepper soups with fresh fish, cayenne peppers and lots of onions and garlic   sometimes carrot and slices of cabbage.

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