Category: TD

What is all this ado about whole wheat being dangerous and in fact bad? I thought whole wheat classifies as whole grain/fibre which is good for gut health? So why am I hearing rumours and postulations about whole wheat having been blacklisted as ‘dangerous’ food? In fact the other day someone posted a loooong article on a whatsapp group portal warning people to steer clear of whole wheat which the writer said ‘is killing people in their millions’. Wow! Really? Any particular statistical data to back that up or did someone just cook that up? Is it not becoming exacerbating that there appears to be a global conspiracy to oust everything that humans have called and used for food!! Arrrrrgh!!

So much out there for and against whole wheat and whole grains but then I chose to find out for myself and here are my findings:

A Whole Grain is defined as the cereal grain that contains the germ, endosperm and bran. In other words any cereal grain that still has its original (natural) make up of germ, endosperm and bran qualifies as a whole grain. Whereas refined grains are made up of cereal grains that have been mechanically processed. The processing modifies the nature of the grain such that the bran and germ are removed and only the endosperm is retained. Processed or refined grains are classified as lower quality grains as against ‘whole grains’ because they are of lower nutritional value. I’ll tell you why.

The three components of whole grains have different nutritional values. The Bran contains fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and 50-80% of the minerals in grains like iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium. The Germ contains healthy fats, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants like vitamin E whilst the Endosperm is made up and contains more of carbohydrates, protein, and small amounts of some B vitamins and minerals.

So when you choose processed grains you are leaving out antioxidants, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and 50-80% of the minerals in grains like iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, healthy fats, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants like vitamin E. Processed grains only offer carbohydrates, protein, and small amounts of some B vitamins and minerals. No wonder whole grains are always a better and higher quality choice of grain consumption. Phytochemicals help fight disease and can protect the body from diseases like cardiovascular (heart) disease, diabetes and cancer.

Here are some of the refined grains that find their ways into our daily food intake: White flour products like White bread, White sandwich rolls and buns, Cornbread, couscous, White Flour Tortillas, Noodles, Spaghetti, Macaroni, Crackers, White rice.

And here are some whole grain foods: Oats, Oat bread, Oat cereal, Oat meal, Rolled Oats, Popcorn, Brown rice, Barley, Muesli, Millet, Quinoa, Rye, Sorghum, Wild Rice, Whole Wheat products like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat cereals.

We can clearly now declare that refined wheat or any refined grain are lower in nutritional value as they do not contain most of the vital nutrients the body needs to stay healthy and some of them actually contain added sugar and other chemical additives that could be dangerous to health. Question now is, if whole wheat and whole wheat products fall within the whole grain range why are some people advocating that wheat whether whole or refined is bad for health?

Here’s the thing: Unrefined or whole wheat as a grain is very nutritious but wheat either refined or whole contains and is quite high in ‘gluten’ which is a binding (elastic) substance. Gluten is a mixture of 2 proteins ‘gliadin’ and ‘glutenin’ and which may cause digestive problems as they are difficult for some people’s stomach to break down and can cause inflammation. Some people’s digestive systems cannot tolerate gluten especially people who have known Gastro Intestinal problems like Celiac Disease.

There is also a lot of information on studies done to prove that a high consumption of gluten can create digestive disorders in people who never had them. My take on this is, rather than classify any food as not good for you, find out how your body reacts to different foods by keeping a food diary; try to take note of the particular food that appears to always cause you discomfort each time you eat it, try to avoid that particular food and find a replacement for it which your body tolerates.

Our bodies respond differently and individually to food and environmental conditions. If you suspect that any particular food may be causing you discomfort in any way no matter how small, seek professional help before this develops into a more serious health problem; it is better safe than sorry.

Wheat allergy is the immune system responding negatively to the protein in wheat.  Here are some of the symptoms associated with wheat and or gluten allergy: Gastro Intestinal Disturbances, Infections, Fatigue, Bloating, Asthma, Eczema, Acne, Migraine, Joint pains and many more. If you feel that you might be allergic to wheat then find other alternatives and seek help from a professional.

There is a lot being done presently by Food Regulatory bodies in the developed world (and some developing countries) to ensure sincerity, openness and accuracy in food labelling so as to assist consumers in making informed choices when purchasing. So another tip is: ‘check the pack’; read the nutritional information before buying.

Till I come your way again, I do hope and pray the manufacturers of your chosen ‘whole grain(s)’ have put the right information on the pack that we pick. Ciao!

Funke Fasanya
Funke Fasanya, an authority on healthy living writes from the United Kingdom.

I am back and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous 2016.  I can guess you indulged in all the different ‘sorts’ like I did over the Christmas holidays and with a few more days of rollicking and celebrating the end of one year and the birth of another, we all would be busy with more ‘sorts’ like cakes, ice-cream, chocolates and lots of other varieties to eat and drink from morning till night and overnight.

So here’s the balance: A little indulgence now and again does not get you into too much trouble but a constant habit of consuming processed foods and drinks (which tend to be high in sugar and salt) is definitely going to have a negative effect on your health.

The other day, I let you into what my ‘former’ typical daily food plan (or lack of it) looked like. Part of that if you remember was that with a very busy work schedule it seemed difficult to get a meal during the day and so the tendency to compensate with a large meal at night. So what is it (really) with eating late at night, any problems, who is complaining? Does it matter if I eat late at night?

I found out and it turns out that it does not matter what time of the day you eat, you will most definitely put on weight if you eat larger portions and take in more than your fair share of calories per day. Does that now indicate a freedom of ‘fooding’ all night? Most people who eat only one meal a day (at night) tend to eat larger portions because of the psychological belief that they have missed out on their fair share of good food for the day. On the other hand a constant habit of overeating will most definitely lead to excessive weight gain which in turn can cause a lot of health risks.

Here are some overweight related health problems: Coronary Heart Disease where excess body mass causes a build of up waxy substance that the doctors say clogs up the arteries disturbing the supply of blood to the heart. It can also cause heart failure when the heart is unable to pump enough blood round the body. Other health risks are Osteoarthritis (stiffness and pain in body joints like the wrists, knees, hips, ankles making it difficult for you to move that joint or perform certain activities), High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and some types of cancers. I actually have friends who had to lose a bit of weight to successfully deal with joint pains and there are lots of records out there of different people who were already experiencing symptoms of some weight-related health problems whose symptoms vanished after they heeded the advice to lose some weight.

Apart from the tendency to overeat there are other likely problems with eating late at night. Eating shortly before going to bed can cause acid reflux and heartburn. Our stomachs produce acid to help in breaking down the foods that we eat and food normally stays in the stomach from between 2-4 hours depending on the individual, the quantity of food and the type of food eaten. Foods that are high in protein and fat take a longer time to digest than most other foods and some people produce more acid than others.

The acid produced in the stomach can come back up the oesophagus causing acid reflux which could also be present with or without heartburn but with other symptoms like hoarseness, chronic throat clearing, post-nasal dripping and even asthma. A little lifestyle change may be necessary to avoid any of these symptoms; instead of eating dinner and going to bed immediately, choose to eat your last meal for the day at least two to three hours before bed time and select smaller portions of easier to digest food.

Okay, so I am getting a lot smarter with my eating habits now and this is what my new meal plan for the day looks like: I have decided to eat a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours with a combo of high quality protein and fiber at every meal or snack. Now don’t get carried away with my choice of the word snack which to an average mind means a helping of a pack of over-salted crisps, a few biscuits or a slice of cake all topped with carbonated drinks. When I say snack, I mean a healthy snack like Tuna or Mackerel sandwich made with brown bread slices and some green and purple vegetables.

A good mix of protein and fibre gives me the needed daily portion of food nutrients. Here are some of the food items that make my list for protein: Chicken, Turkey, Guinea Fowl, Oily and other types of Fish and Sea Foods, Beans, Nuts, Eggs, Cottage Cheese, and Semi-skimmed Milk. For fibre: Fruits and vegetables, Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, Brown Rice, Brown Pasta, Oats, Potatoes eaten with the skin.

The next time you see me I should have dumped all the ‘additionals’ gained from all the ‘sorts’ over this festive season. Until I return with the story of ‘Whole wheat’ for and against, I am going to try my hands on some healthy snack. Bye for now!

Funke Fasanya
Funke Fasanya, an authority on healthy living writes from the United Kingdom.

I like my fried beef and steak, especially the ones with interlocking torso meat, hmmm yummy! How about a bottle or can of chilled sprite to top it up and of course I cannot resist nicely baked Nigerian ‘Meat-Pie’ and sausage roll with crusty pastry! My day is made already! Just that I could do with some nicely baked Victoria cup-cakes and then a little bit more of my favourite chilled sprite.  Oh I forgot (How could I?), some nicely fried puff-puff and sugared doughnuts would be nice to nibble at whilst I work as I am too busy to go and get a proper meal at lunchtime. Now we are getting there. Its 9pm and for my main meal after a long day at work (my only meal for the day—-same day), I will have a full plate of white rice with four large sized pieces of beef and top it up with my favorite bottle of sprite or better still a pack of ‘Juice’ from concentrate. There! You have it; my typical daily meal plan or should I say meal day!

I decided to take a second look at the contents of my ‘meal plan’ or typical ‘meal day’; Interlocking Torso Beef, grilled or fried, are you thinking what I’m thinking? RED Lights FLASHING!! Did I hear you think ‘Red Meat’? Or is anyone complaining about my choice of carbonated drinks, but what is wrong with Fruit Juice from concentrate? After all I only ate one meal for the day.

Now here’s the reality: Red meat contains a high level of saturated fat. Studies have shown that regular consumption of saturated fat raises the level of bad cholesterol in the blood that clogs up your arteries and increases the risk of heart disease which is a major cause of death in today’s world. So want to avoid a heart attack? Reduce your intake of red meat to less than once a week and choose the lean beef which contains lesser saturated fat. Oh No! Did you just say that? Yes I did but I’m not done yet.

Recent studies are also beginning to associate three extra servings of red meat per day to increased risk of ‘Type 2 Diabetes’. Researchers have also produced findings linking high consumption of Red meat especially processed red meat (e.g. Bacon, Sausages, and Salamis) to high risk of Colon Cancer; whilst more research is ongoing and pointing at high consumption of red meat as a major cause or encourager of different forms of cancer.

So in my new meal plan I have decided to totally avoid Red Meat. I have now replaced it with Chicken and Fish to meet my need for meat in my daily food intake.

So much about red meat and back to my earlier ‘typical meal day’; Puff-puff (fried dough mixed with yeast and lots of refined sugar), ‘Meat pie’ (minced beef baked in pastry), Sausage Roll (processed beef in pastry). These are all ‘delightable’ snacks made with white flour and our already ‘red flagged’ red meat, they are also high in salt and sugar.

Simply put, white flour is refined carbohydrate meaning it has been stripped of its original nutritious content leaving you with pure starch which the human body processes as pure sugar resulting in high blood sugar and then low. So a daily intake of all the above and other white flour products means you keep having sugar high and then low or here we go again,  a health condition referred to as ‘Type 2 Diabetes’.

Now my typical meal appears to be going down the drain so what do I eat then? Replace white flour products with whole wheat products which still contain the natural fiber components that the body needs. Ok looks like I heard another whisper flagging ‘Gluten’. Some day very soon, we will talk about choice between White flour (refined wheat), Whole-Wheat and wheat products, and alternative grains. For now let me just cling to the ‘healthy’ bit of my typical daily meal plan, Yes!….My full pack of fruit juice from concentrate.

This is a dicey one now; all fruits contain sugar. What???? Yes you read and heard me right. To fill a small glass with orange juice you would have to juice several oranges and in getting the juice you dispose of the fibre content which is the balance in fruit intake.  American researchers are already coming up with live studies to show that some children who were found to have been taking 3 to 5 glasses of fruit juice per day had high blood sugar and were obese

Fruit juices from concentrate means the fruit juice was squeezed, the water extracted to produce a concentrated (or frozen) form. The process of extracting the water automatically removes some of the nutritional value in the juice. Also some manufacturers of fruit juices (including the not from concentrates) are not sincere and nice enough to tell you that they have added other refined sugar components to their packs. So then skip the purchase of those packs of juice from or not from concentrate and make your own fruit juices at home. Also keep your consumption of fruit juices low and eat the whole fruit instead, it is healthier. (Topic for another day).

For now I better go and ‘re-plan’ my typical ‘Meal day’ See you soon.

Funke Fasanya
Funke Fasanya, an authority on healthy living writes from the United Kingdom.

Christmas is truly “the most wonderful time of the year.” That song blaring on most television and radio channels at this time captures the mood of the season. I hope it does the reason for the season.

It’s the end of the year when everyone could do with a well-deserved holiday or visit friends and family, give their homes a make-over, display beautiful Christmas lights, exchange greeting cards and give gifts to loved ones as well as the needy as a gesture of “goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV).

God loves all that because love is his nature. The scripture says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1John 4:8 NIV). In fact it was the love of God for mankind that propelled Him to send his only begotten Son to the world as propitiation for our sins, that He might redeem us, for we lost it big time with the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. What the scripture says is, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).

However, it’s not our gesture of goodwill that gives us right standing before God. It’s our intimate relationship with him. The scripture likens all our righteousness to “filthy rags” before God if we fail to take advantage of the redemption from sin for which Jesus Christ came into the world (Isaiah 64:6 KJV). The significance of his birth lies in his mission. That’s what makes Christmas Christmas.

The eating and drinking and general Christmas merry making is good, no doubt. But is Christmas an opportunity to sleep around and drink to stupor? Far from it. In fact, that contradicts everything Christmas stands for. The kingdom of God is not about that, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17 KJV). Righteousness is of the Lord, his peace is beyond human understanding and it is he who gives joy that keeps flowing like a river (Isaiah 54:17; Philippians 4:7; Psalm 46:4). Let’s remember this as we sing, “Joy to the world…”

In case you’ve been seeing your goodwill as a passport to heaven, think again. That mindset is what the scripture describes as  “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”, a characteristic of the last days (2Timothy 3:5 KJV). The word of God says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV). You can’t possibly please him without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Your faith in God is consummated when you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10 KJV). That’s how to be saved. It’s as simple as that.

The world may laugh at you as you do this. Let them laugh. It’s because the only means of reconciliation to God which he himself approves looks foolish to the world: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1Corinthians 1:18 KJV).

Accepting Christ is the best decision you will ever make and you have no reason to be ashamed of the gospel. Apostle Paul boldly declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” (Romans 1:16 KJV). This admonition comes with a stern warning from Jesus though: “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33 NIV).

One more thing that Christmas is not. It’s not about ghost stories or supernatural tales. There’s only one story which the scripture captures so vividly:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV).

What Christmas then without Christ? Let’s bear in mind the reason for the season as we celebrate. Merry Christmas!

Deacon Abiodun Adebisi
Deacon Abiodun Adebisi, a National Officer with The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) writes from the United Kingdom.