Nutrition
Bitter leaf soup (Ofe Onugbu)
Bitter leaf soup is a savoury Nigerian soup, commonly eaten with fufu. It has a slightly bitter taste. This soup is made with a leafy green, native to parts of Africa, known as bitter leaf. This nutritious African soup is commonly eaten with fufu, eba or pounded yam, but you can eat it also with rice.
Ingredients
- 500 grammes of meat precooked
- 800 grammes of cow/beef foot precooked
- 500 grammes of stock fish precooked
- 1-2 of dry fish
Other ingredients
- 250 grammes of bitter leaves (vegetable)
- 3 Uziza leaves
- 1-½ tablespoonfuls of mkpuru ofo powder
- 2 tablespoonfuls of cameroon pepper
- 2 table spoonfuls of ogiri
- 200 grammes of palmnut paste
- ¼ cup of coarsely ground crayfish
Preparation (bitter leaf)
-Wash the bitter leaf thoroughly with lot of water to remove sand and other particles.
-Boil in large pot for 30 minutes. (leave the pot open while cooking otherwise it would bubble over).
-Turn off heat, pour the bitter leaf into a sieve and run it over with cold water. -rinse a few times.
-Transfer back to pot and add half a tablespoonful of potash or baking soda. Bring to boil again and allow to boil for another 30mins.
-Store or use immediately.
Preparation ( bitter leaf soup)
- Put about eight cups of water in a pot. Add salt and bring to slow boil.
- Add the ground crayfish and ground cameroon pepper.
- Add the precooked meats, Turn down the heat to low. ( Don’t cook meats for too long remember they are already precooked)
- Add in the palmnut paste or palm oil and stir.
- Mix Ogiri with a little water and add to the pot. Then take a cooking spoon of hot liquid from the pot to dissolve the mkpuru ofo powder.
- Pour the dissolved mixture into the soup and stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- As the soup thickens, add onugbu leaves followed by the uziza leaves.
- Stir properly and allow soup to simmer for about a minute.
- Turn off heat. Do not cover pot immediately
Source: chefspencil.com
Health benefits of bitter leaf
Aids in Weight Loss
The components in bitter leaf juice make it great therapy for burning off that extra fat you have been looking at getting rid of.
Reduces Cancer Risks
Bitter leaf contains numerous anti-cancer properties like andrographolide compound which has been scientifically found to be effective in treating prostate cancers, gastric cancers, and colon.
Lowers high blood pressure
The same bitterness in bitter leaf that makes it unappetising is also one of its strongest best benefits. The bitterness of bitter leaf juice helps to lower your sugar level and controls blood pressure.
Aids in treatment of abdominal issues
Bitter leaf comes in handy in the treatment of abdominal issues like stomach upset, diarrhea, dysentery and other gastrointestinal tract diseases. Drinking a cup of bitter leaf juice twice daily helps bring relief from stomach problems.
Enhances fertility
Bitter leaf is very impressive when it comes to its benefit to the reproductive system of women. Drinking bitter leaf juice can help a woman get pregnant as the chemical compounds present in bitter leaf extracts like edotides promotes hormonal balance and boosts your immune system to help fight against toxification.
Source: guardian.ng/life
Nutrition
Nourishing Ghana Starts with Us: The role of citizens
The success of Ghana’s fight against malnutrition does not rest solely in the hands of the government or donors. It depends on us, the citizens. Nutrition is not just a technical issue. It is a societal one, and every Ghanaian has a role to play in ensuring that no child goes hungry, no mother is left unsupported, and no community is forgotten.
As citizens, we must shift how we see nutrition: not as a private family concern, but as a collective national responsibility. Here’s how we can act:
1. Demand accountability
Every citizen has the right and responsibility to ask how public funds are being used to support nutrition. Are local clinics stocked with supplements? Are school feeding programmes working in your district? Are maternal health services adequately funded? Ask questions. Engage assembly members. Attend town hall meetings. Make your voice count.
2. Speak up, Speak out
Silence has a cost. When we fail to speak out against malnutrition, we normalise it. Use your platform, whether it is WhatsApp group, a radio show, a church gathering, or social media, to raise awareness. Normalise conversations about child feeding, food quality, and maternal health. Silence keeps systems broken. Voices drive change.
3. Support local solutions
Support or join community nutrition initiatives. Volunteer. Share what you know. Help spread accurate information about breastfeeding, healthy diets, and hygiene. If you are a farmer, teacher, trader, or youth leader, your knowledge and effort can make a difference. Change starts in our homes and neighbourhoods.
4. Protect the first 1,000 days
Whether you are a father, grandmother, neighbor, or employer, support pregnant women and caregivers during this crucial period. Encourage antenatal care. Help with child care. Prioritise nutritious foods. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life lay the foundation for everything that follows.
When citizens care, ask questions, take action, and show solidarity, we create the conditions for lasting change. Malnutrition is not inevitable. It is a symptom of neglect, and neglect ends when citizens choose to act.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition Project
Nutrition
Ga Kenkey
Ga kenkey, a staple in Ghanaian cuisine, is prepared with fermenting corn dough, then cooking a portion of it to create ‘aflata’ or ‘banku’. It is a popular food in the southern part of Ghana.
Ingredients:
-8 cups of dried corn
-Dried corn leaves (for wrapping)
-2 tablespoonful of stew
Preparation
-Soak corn in water overnight
-Grind corn into a powder form
-Mix the ground corn with water (dough)
-Mix part of the dough with water and put it on fire to cook
-Take the pot off the fire and mix in the remaining dough .
– When ready shape mixture into balls and set every prepared ball on a corn leaf.
– Cover each ball by wrapping the corn leaf around it
– Put water on fire. Add wrapped kenkey to boil for 45 minutes.
– When ready take them out carefully and serve them along with shito, ground pepper and fish.
