Nutrition
Health benefits of jute leaves (Ademe)
• Jute leaves
Jute leaves is popularly called ewedu among the Yoruba and rama or ayoyo among the Hausa. It is a popular vegetable in West Africa and is not just rich in nutrition but also has a lot of health benefits, including protecting us from various diseases. Nutrition-wise, vegetables are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals.
– Internal Bleeding
Jute plant consists of considerable amount of Vitamin K which is helpful in reducing the threat of bleeding in the liver, poor nutrient absorption, jaundice or the combination of long term use of antibiotics or aspirin. Some of the problems related with the gastrointestinal system due to a decrease of this vitamin include colitis, obstructions, sprue and Crohn’s disease. All these problems are due to a reduced content of Vitamin K.
-Weight loss
The green leaf has been described as a source of weight loss. Serving ayoyo or ademe without meat or fish has 97 calories. So, for those trying to lose some weight, include ewedu in your diet.
The ewedu leaf is an adequate source of fibre, thus making the plant very helpful in dealing with weight management and may also promote intestinal health by helping with bowel movement.
– Good for pregnant
women
This jute leaf has been known to be a remedy for pregnant women experiencing prolonged labour. When a pregnant woman is experiencing prolonged labour, a bunch of ewedu leaves squeezed with the stem can be given to her to drink. It has also been discovered to aid milk secretion in lactating mothers.
– Protects Eye Health
Poor diet or nutrient deficiencies are the fundamental reasons of numerous eye diseases. Research has proven that taking vitamin B6 together with other vitamins, like folate, can help in the prevention of eye disorders and loss of vision. Jute plant consists of 0.496 mg Vitamin B6 which is 38.15percent of the daily recommended value. Regular consumption of Jute plant is believed to help slow the start of certain eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration.
-Fights off colds and flu
Jute plant consists of Vitamin C which is extremely beneficial to the immune system and plays an important role in the body’s ability to fight off colds and viruses. You can take 1,000 mg of Vitamin C to fight off an oncoming cold and 4,000 mg per day to get rid of a cold which is previously in your system.
Vitamin C when taken during colds and flu can help to decrease the risk of developing further complications, like pneumonia and lung infections.
-Reduces cholesterol
Several research studies have shown that copper helps to reduce the levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and to increase beneficial cholesterol (HDL cholesterol). Jute plant consists of 0.222 mg of copper which is 24.67percent of the daily recommended value. This helps to lower the chances of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes.
– Protects healthy hair and skin
Vitamin B2 also known as riboflavin plays an important role in maintaining collagen levels, which helps to make up healthy skin and hair. Collagen is required to maintain the youthful structure of skin and to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, thus a riboflavin deficiency can make us look aged earlier. Some research recommends that riboflavin can decrease the time needed for wound healing, can decrease skin inflammation and cracked lips, and can help naturally slow signs of aging.
Source: Herbal Cure For Disease
Egg stew is a traditional dish from Ghana. It is very healthy and easy to prepare. The dish is traditionally served with rice, plantain and any other meal of one’s choice.
Ingredients
-1 litre of vegetable oil
-2 fresh salmon
-10 large tomatoes
-5 large onions
– 6 eggs
-3 tablespoonful of pepper
-1 tablespoonful of powdered garlic and ginger
-1 tin of mackerel
– I large green pepper
-3 tablespoonful of tomatoes paste
Preparation
-Wash tomatoes, onion, green pepper and blend
-Put oil on fire and add onion and powdered pepper to it
-When onions turn golden brown, add blended tomatoes and tomato paste to it. (Allow it to cook for 3 minutes.)
-Add eggs and salmon to stew and leave it for a minute before stirring.
– Add seasoning to the stew and serve.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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
