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
Every baby deserves a healthy start. But in Ghana, too many children are being born already behind, too small, too fragile, and at far greater risk than their peers. Low birth weight, defined as weighing less than 2.5 kilograms at birth, affects an estimated one in seven newborns in this country.
That is a significant proportion of children beginning life at a disadvantage, often due to preventable causes.
Children born with low birth weight face a steeply uphill journey from their very first breath. They are more susceptible to birth asphyxia, infections, hypothermia, and respiratory complications.
They are more likely to die in their first month of life. Those who survive face higher risks of stunting, impaired cognitive development, and a greater likelihood of developing non-communicable diseases including type two diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease later in life.
Low birth weight does not just harm the child today. It shapes their health for decades.
The most powerful determinant of a baby’s birth weight is what the mother eats, and how healthy she is before and during pregnancy. Research in Ghana has consistently shown that maternal anaemia, poor dietary diversity, and inadequate antenatal care are all strongly linked to low birth weight.
A study in Cape Coast found that mothers with low dietary diversity during pregnancy were significantly more likely to deliver low birth weight babies. In Northern Ghana, maternal anaemia in both the first and third trimesters of pregnancy increased the risk of low birth weight. What a woman eats is what her baby weighs.
Education matters too. Mothers with secondary or higher education have been found to be less likely to deliver a low-birth-weight baby, a difference attributed to better nutrition knowledge, improved antenatal care attendance, and healthier health-seeking behaviour overall.
This points clearly to the need for a whole-of-society response, not just a clinical one.
Ghana has made some progress on low birth weight, but the burden remains unacceptably high and in some parts of the country, it is worsening. Other important risk factors must not be overlooked.
Adolescent pregnancy, which remains prevalent in several regions, is strongly associated with low birth weight because young mothers are often still growing and competing with the fetus for nutrients.
Malaria infection during pregnancy, particularly in endemic areas of Ghana, damages the placenta and restricts nutrient transfer, further increasing the likelihood of a low-birth-weight baby.
These risk factors compound the effects of poor maternal nutrition and limited antenatal care. Leaders in government, health facilities, and communities must prioritise maternal nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy.
Reducing low birth weight is not complicated. It requires feeding mothers well, supporting them through antenatal care, ensuring access to iron-folic acid supplementation and malaria prevention during pregnancy, and treating their health as a national priority, not an afterthought.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
Cabbage may not be the most attractive vegetable, but it is full of nutritional benefits that keeps the body strong and healthy.
This common leafy green vegetable comes in a range of colours, shapes and sizes that you can use for soups, salads, sandwiches and more. It can be eaten raw or stir-fried.
-Fights inflammation
Cabbages contains anthocyanins, which are naturally occurring antioxidants. A research showed that people who eat cabbages have lower inflammation levels than those who do not eat.
– Keeps one strong
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, does a lot of work for the body. It helps make collagen and boosts the immune system. It also helps your body absorb iron from plant-based foods.
– Improves digestion
Cabbages contain phytosterols (plant sterols) and insoluble fibre. These help keeps the digestive system healthy and bowel movements regular. It fuels the good bacteria in your gut that protects your immune system.
– Protects your heart
The anthocyanins found in cabbage helps with more than inflammation. Research suggests they add to the health benefits of cabbage by reducing your risk of heart disease.
Scientists have found 36 different kinds of anthocyanins in cabbage, which could make it an excellent option for cardiovascular health.
– Lowers your blood pressure
Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that helps your body control blood pressure. This could help lower your blood pressure, reducing your risk for heart disease.
-Lowers cholesterol
Cabbage contains two substances — fibre and phytosterols (plant sterols) — that compete with cholesterol to be absorbed by your digestive system. They wind up reducing your bad cholesterol levels and improving your health.
– Maintains bone health and healthy blood clotting
Vitamin K is essential to our well-being. Without it, you’d be at risk of developing bone conditions like osteoporosis, and your blood would not be able to clot properly. According to research, eating cabbage everyday keeps our bones strong and blood cells clotting well. -clevelandclinic.org
