This is my first blog in the month of February. The second month of the year 2022, happy new month. The year is going by so fast my God!!!!! February is also known as the heart month. Before you all go running to Valentine’s Day being the basis for this month being the heart month, it was a month designated to advocate for cardiovascular health and raise awareness about heart diseases. Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) has over the decades been too common and as you already know, it is also dangerously life threatening.
High blood pressure is also known as a silent killer. It is very possible and also common for one not to have symptoms but still suffer a heart disease or stroke.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide accounting for one-third of deaths in 2019 and the death toll continues to rise, China is in the lead with the highest number of heart disease deaths, followed by India, Russia, the United States and Indonesia according to the latest WHO data published in 2018. Coronary Heart Disease Deaths in Uganda reached 10,442 or 4.02% of total deaths. The age-adjusted Death Rate is 89.59 per 100,000 of population ranks Uganda #134 in the world.
In a report published by WebMD, it was mentioned that heart disease cases nearly doubled over the period from 271 million in 1990 to 523 million in 2019, and the number of heart disease deaths rose from 12.1 million to 18.6 million which is very absurd. In 2019 alone, the majority of heart disease deaths were attributed to ischemic heart disease and stroke, with a steady increase from 1990 according to the same report.
With all this, it is our duty as health care professionals, public health professionals and individuals to change the narrative. If someone tells you high blood pressure is not a big deal, lose them; high blood pressure can affect anyone at any age but the good news is that it can be prevented. For the whole of this month, this space will be dedicated to spreading awareness about hypertension and the best way to take care of our hearts as they are busy taking care of us.
Kindly share these articles with a friend and let us save one more heart this month. I will be back next Wednesday to share some information that you may not be paying attention to yet it is very crucial to the health status of your heart. Things you and I can do for ourselves or loved ones to make sure that we prevent heart diseases.
Feel free to tell me what you would also want me to enlighten you on during this month about your heart health.
One thing that we have had to learn brutally is that illness knows no friend, everyone is a potential target. Not with the way COVID 19 has been changing face time and again, but I am not here to talk about COVID 19, it is illness in general.
According to the dictionary, illness is a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind. If you have been ill before which is most of us if not all of us, you know how this thing messes up your appetite. It is a very frustrating period and the time varies among individuals as well as the type of disease one is battling.
During an illness, the brain chemistry changes as the production of chemicals called cytokines increases. These chemicals drive down appetite in a bid of conserving energy for fighting off illnesses. (1)
When illness robs you of your appetite, it can be sad. Photo; Pixabay.com
Are you wondering what to do for your appetite when illness robs you of it? Here it is;
Go slow on foods of strong odours.
Foods high in fat and sugar are known to induce nausea. Illnesses affect not only a person’s sense of taste but also their sense of smell. When trying to return your appetite following an illness or surgery, try consuming bland foods (foods that are soft, not very spicy, not fried, and low in fiber). Click here to find out what a bland diet is, the foods you should include, and those to exclude for that period. (2)
Please note that as your appetite picks up, you will be able to incorporate more food back into your meals.
Prepare yourself bland foods. Photo; Pixabay.com
Use Herbs and Spices
I recently wrote about the top 5 spices everyone needs in their kitchen, stating the benefits these have beyond enhancing taste. Have you read it yet? No? Here it is.
Since time memorial, several naturopathic remedies have been known to stimulate the appetite and these include herbs and spices like garlic, cinnamon, fennel, green tea, ginseng, turmeric, rosemary to mention but a few. Some herbs, spices, and bitters tonics will improve your appetite by aiding digestion and reducing flatulence in turn while making your food more appealing.
These are Bay leaves, rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Photo; Pixabay.com
Eat small meals frequently
Offering smaller frequent meals is one of the easiest ways to return appetite after an illness. Instead of going for 3 main meals, how about you break these into 5 or 6 small meals? Do you know why? If one has a poor appetite, seeing big portions of food can be overwhelming and discouraging, many of us can attest to that. So breaking this into sizeable portions throughout the day will enable one to achieve their nutritional needs throughout the day without the need of forcing food down their throat. As the appetite returns, the portions can increase and the number of meals decreases.
Small meals, many times a day does the magic. Photo; Pixabay.com
Eat a lot of healthy snacks like fruits
Helping maintain adequate nutrition if one has a poor appetite but cannot eat full meals, such as due to an illness is one of the benefits pointed out on ‘The Nutrition Source’ (3). While snacking is important it is key to snack on healthy foods like fruits that are packed with vitamin C that is vital for boosting immunity, protein bars, nuts that will replenish worn out muscle e.t.c
Drink your calories
If you are still finding it hard to eat a plate of food, how about you drink more. We know that sometimes following an illness or surgery, the last thing on your mind is chewing into food but drinking is more tolerable. Your body needs all the nutrients to recover completely and there is no need to wait until you can chew food. You cannot afford that. But here is a trick, you can prepare drinks that are full of vital nutrients like proteins that the body needs. These drinks include smoothies, juices, milkshakes, and yoghurt.
A healthy drink packed with nutrients like a smoothie is good
Start with your favorite foods
When struggling to eat food, you want to look down your plate and find some motivation to eat. Choosing your favourite foods is a good way to get that motivation. This can be paired with foods that are required for the body’s healing that are not necessarily favourites. It is therefore important to plan your meals, take time to think of what you will be taking down your gut. If this does not come easy, try scheduling your meals until the body is strong enough to ask for food through hunger cues.
Pick food that your body will tolerate because you already love it
Stay hydrated
During illness, there is a tendency for the body to lose fluids through vomiting or diarrhea and it is important that one replenishes all the lost fluids to stop one from getting dehydrated. Coldwater is known for averting nausea. Just make sure to sip it slowly.
As a caution, try not to drink water very close to mealtime, you may fail to eat your meals which is our goal here.
Your appetite will return, do not ignore the small changes. They make a huge difference. Now go and try some of these for you or a loved one.
Spices are a holy grail for any kind of food, including tea. A single spice has the capacity to change a boring meal to a finger-licking one, but did you know aside from enhancing the taste and appearance of food, spices have very important and useful benefits that your body will thank you for?
Research has it that there are more than 100 spices in the world that people use unaware of the good therein yet they have proven to have tons of health benefits to whoever consumes them.
Here are the top 5 spices everyone needs in their kitchen and why.
1. Cinnamon
Spice up your tea with some cinnamon.
This is a very common spice that is very versatile, affordable, and locally available. This spice is obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum and if properly stored, can survive for 3 to 4 years, imagine!
Cinnamon is known for keeping blood sugar levels in check by slowing down the breakdown of carbs thereby increasing insulin sensitivity. Many studies have shown its useful effect on diabetic patients for whom it lowers blood sugar levels. It is no wonder that it is dubbed by many, a powerful anti-diabetic spice. Read more about the medicinal properties of cinnamon in this article and thereafter go find yourself some cinnamon.
2. Ginger
Whether you pronounce it as (jin-juh) or (jin-ger), this awesome spice is a must have on your rack, do you know why?
Don’t give nausea a chance, chew on some ginger. This apice will save you
If you have been pregnant before and suffered from nausea or have motion sickness, someone should have whispered to you to chew on this root. This is because ginger is an old-time hack for beating nausea and also has anti-inflammatory properties. In Asian cultures, in addition to nausea, it is also used to treat stomach upsets and diarrhea. So the next time you see anyone struggling with nausea and pain management, you may want to offer them something with ginger or the root itself.
While storing ginger, try to keep out oxygen and moisture, you could make use of an airtight bag and it will keep longer.
3. Tumeric
Back then as a child, there was this lady who was popular for having very tasty ‘yellow’ cassava. It felt like she had a secret recipe to get her cassava yellow only later to find out that she dipped her cassava in tumeric to enhance the color and her trick worked, because she used to always sell out.
Tumeric pronounced as (tuh-muh-ruhk) is the spice that gives curry the yellow color, most popular in Indian curry dishes. The spice has become very popular with many using it to make golden milk, for making face masks, name it. The spice has anti inflammatory properties thanks to a compound contained therein called curcumin that is a powerful anti-oxidant.There are studies that show its powerful effect in reducing swelling and pain among arthritis patients. Do you see the reason why this is a must-have on your spice rack?
Add this spice to anything
4. Garlic
This could have come first but I reserved the last seats for it because it is unlikely that you will find a home that does not use it or have an idea about it at the very least.
This strong smelling bulb is used all the time in cooking but a few may know that garlic is so good for the heart. As we go through the process of aging, our arteries begin to harden (a normal occurrence), something we refer to as atherosclerosis. It also occurs as fatty deposits made up of cholesterol and other substances build up on the inside of your artery walls. As the build up increases, the arteries narrow increasing the occurrences of heart-related diseases like high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks name it.
The smell may not be pleasant but the benefits of this spice are worth it
Garlic has a compound called allicin responsible for the smell that gives it the medicinal effect for reducing cholesterol as well as blood pressure for those with high blood pressure.
5. RoseMary
You are even grow this in your backyard. No need to break the bank to afford this spice.
Do you suffer from allergies and nasal congestion? Rosemary needs to be your friend. These needle-like leaves are commonly used in food but also to make some medicines. Rosemary is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which boost the immune system and improve blood circulation. Rosemary is also thought to be a cognitive stimulant that helps improve memory performance and quality.
If you don’t have these on your spice rack, consider updating it please. Save your body when you still can.
See you next Wednesday. Here is something to keep you company until we next meet.
The new year is a good place to start if one is looking to make some good habits to use throughout the year.
Anyone, absolutely anyone can start 2022 in a healthier way. The new year is all about setting new habits to be one’s best self and this is what we are here to do today.
What are some healthy choices for meal plans?
Planning meals is the best way if not the only way for one considering a healthy meal. It does not matter if the meal is for a weaning baby, adolescent male, lactating mother, or elderly female. When we are talking healthy, we are not referring to a grassy diet, healthy meals can still feature your favorite foods.
A healthy eating plan:
Emphasizes vegetables,
fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
Includes lean meats,
poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
Limits saturated and
trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.
Controls portion sizes.
We eat in a variety of places including home, work, restaurants, name it. As a result we have more control of the food choices available in some places than we have in others. I will tell you the place you will have the most control is home-cooked meals for which you have the most control. It is therefore important to take the time and plan ahead to make sure you have healthy options available.
Do you want start your year in a healthier way? Let us start here;
Have a healthy mindset
It all starts with the mind. A healthy mindset enables you brainstorm your favorite meals, and think of ways to make them healthier: whether by swapping out a less healthy component for a healthier one in your recipe, switching up the cooking process, or incooperating vegetables and healthy fats in your meals, having healthy meals shouldn’t be a problem with the right mindset.
Looking for how to develop this healthy mindset? Read this, it will help.
Organise your kitchen
Things get easier and more enjoyable when better organised. Creating space in the kitchen will make it easy for one to love to cook healthier meals while you can see every ingredient, all the produce as well as foods that are about to go bad so that they can be utilised in time. It is the best way to get excited about a healthier meal and let alone prepare one.
It gets easier if you can see most of what you need to use if your meals are to get healthier
Plan your meals
Meal planning is one knowing what they will eat ahead of time. Planning meals helps one create a healthier routine that become part of one’s life for good. Planning meals also makes it easier for one to incorporate healthier options in food like whole foods, healthier snacks like fruits and nuts as well as healthier cuts of meat to mention but a few.
I made a detailed blog about meal planning and just incase you missed it, find it here and thank me later.
Make time to cook
Having and making time to prepare your own meals or supervise someone cook will guarantee you a healthier meal for you and your family. You will successfully cut out the convenient food options which are far from healthy many of the time because they have a lot carbs and oils. Try to use as much previous preparation as possible to save as much time as possible. We live in a busy world.
Do not forget to use those kitchen tools, get some quality ones if you can because one thing for sure is that it will make cooking easier and more enjoyable.
An air fryer is a good quality cooking tool for you to start 2022 in a healthier way.
Look for inspiration
We are in an era of social media where everything is handed down easy in exchange for your data. Once in a while look up healthy interesting cooking options and look for inspiration. Get your inspiration ready and move your way up the healthier ladder.
Explore
Do you have some ways you are making sure you start and stay healthier in the new year? Share with us and who knows, we could learn a thing or two from you.
The last time I was here was last year and the feeling of flipping to 2022 is very surreal. I welcome you to 2022, Happy new year everybody. I cannot thank God enough because I was one of those who couldn’t wait to let 2021 go, but nevertheless, here is another opportunity to reset, restrategize and win with a bang.
How was the festive for you? Did you catch up with your loved ones? Did you have the well-deserved rest you needed? I hope you did because I did. I refilled my cup and you are not ready for what I have for you this year. Be ready for an awesome ride, there is a lot I have in store for you and I am really excited about it.
You are reading this on Wednesday, five days into the new year. It is not by accident because 2022 is coming with a beautiful twist. Every Wednesday will be our content date, we will light the candles, get cosy and read away. I will do everything in my power to deliver this promise.
This will be us every Wednesday. :Internet Image
As we write in our first chapter of this new book (2022), I wish that all of you are filled with hope, May the Lord be by your side all year through, and when the cracks cave, may you have the strength to fix them and move forward.
Gifts for you – Happy New year
I will leave you with 5 gifts to carry with you into the new year. Here we go;
📌 Be grateful for the little things, you may not have hit the big ones in 2021 but you surely did something, I am clapping for you.
📌 Was 2021 a tough year? Okay, don’t wallow in your sorrow, the world is moving, push through and pray that 2022 is a better year.
📌 Your resolutions don’t go past the 15th day of January? Be kind to self, make 1, it is okay.
📌 You learnt some lessons in 2021 right? Don’t let that go to waste.
📌 Lastly pray to the one you believe in for your stars to align in the new year.
Best of Luck in 2022
Happy new year everyone and thank you for coming back again this year. Here are some articles to keep you company till we next meet.
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