Food Archives - Lutgard Musiime

Has illness robbed you of your appetite?

January 26, 2022

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.

See you next Wednesday

Culture, Nutrition

What is culture without food?

June 21, 2021

Would you agree with me that among many things, culture plays a big part on what features on your menu many a time? Probably we all know that the primary role of food is survival but beyond that food has a very significant role that it plays in the lives of human beings. Food is a pivot for unification across cultures and generations. Have you ever sat down and wondered what the food you eat everyday can tell you about where you come from? Have you ever wondered why people from different parts of the world eat different types of food? Or do you ever ask yourself why certain foods or culinary traditions are so important to your culture? These questions should by now indicate to you how there is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. Food is considered to be multidimensional, something that shapes us, our identities, and our cultures and in the end, our society. Just as different clothes signify different things, for example the white coat for a doctor, the uniform of a police officer or army personnel, food too transmits a meaning.

Growing up, our mother used to always cook on special days, and by special days I mean the Christmas and Easter celebrations of this world. She was the main chef that day and no amount of convincing would make her relent no matter how tired she would be. Everyone who knew our home knew that the menu when she cooked would not miss to have millet bread (kalo) and boiled meat with mushrooms (always cooked in a special pot). This is something that was handed over generations down and this is one of the major foods in my culture (I am a munyoro from the Western part of Uganda), so there is no celebration without this. Be sure I will also pass it down, generations to come.

Food is often used as a means of retaining cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods with the areas in which families live and where their ancestors originated influencing food likes and dislikes. It is these food preferences that result in patterns of food choices within a cultural or regional group. In many countries, a case we see in Uganda too where rural urban migration is the order of the day, people find a way of maintaining and preserving culture by opening up native food business in the major towns. Here in Kampala there are specific places you will be directed to if you are looking for your cultural food. For example; Those that are coming from the Northern part of this country can find their ethnic food in places like Namayiba bus park and those from the central region can find theirs in places like Luwombo restaurant. People drive miles and miles looking for a connection to their origin through food. We also witness that during celebrations like traditional weddings, it becomes a showcase of culture not only in the wedding rituals but through the food served as well.

The meaning of food is an exploration of culture through food. What we consume, how we acquire it, who prepares it, who’s at the table, and who eats first is a form of communication that it has a rich cultural base. Beyond merely nourishing the body, what we eat and with whom we eat can inspire and strengthen the bonds between individuals, communities, and even countries, so we cannot talk culture without talking about food. This week I will attempt to highlight these and more aspects about food and cultures. I hope to interact with you and learn from you as well.

Nutrition

Can food replace traditional medicine?

March 25, 2021

Although it has been argued for so long that food is medicine, I am sorry to disappoint. (Wait Wait before you shoot!) It is true that dietary habits influence disease risk however diet alone cannot and should not replace traditional medicine in all circumstances. You need to be ware of misleading advertisements of ‘wonder’ foods because although many illnesses are capable of being prevented, treated, or even cured by dietary and lifestyle changes, many others cannot.

Diet and nutrition can be used to promote health and decrease risk of disease or illness and health practitioners from ancient times have used diet as an integral component of their holistic health approach. Many nutrients in food are known to promote health, protect the body from disease, reduce the risk of reoccurrence of a disease or even reverse chronic disease. While certain foods offer strong medicinal and protective qualities, others may trigger chronic health conditions.

How does food influence health

Food has properties called nutrients that are necessary for the proper functioning of the body. From the time food interacts with the body through the mouth, it begins to undergo a number of changes through a process known as digestion. The body being a complex system, it relies on accurate ‘information’ to function as it should. This ‘information’ I am referring to in regards to food or nutrition are the nutrients. If the food eaten lacks this good information, has the wrong information or even provides too much information, there is bound to be a problem and the body will malfunction.

If there are one or two small glitches of misinformation in the system here and there, your body can most likely handle that. However, a constant overload of the body with poor food information is a recipe for disaster and will end up in negative health consequences. On the other hand, if the body is fed with the kind of information that it is designed to digest, absorb, and metabolize, you have the opportunity to prevent, manage, and even treat chronic diseases.

This “good information” is found in nutrient-dense foods; foods containing a large quantity of nutrients relative to their weight in the right proportions. These disease-fighting foods are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, fiber, proteins, healthy fats, and water as these nutrients nourish your body, help it function efficiently, and protect against chronic illnesses.

Nutrients in food that influence health

Vitamins: these are essential, organic compounds found in a variety of foods that promote metabolic and structural processes. Deficiencies in these vitamins can substantially increase risk of disease for example insufficient intakes of vitamins C, D, and folate may harm your heart, cause immune dysfunction, and also increase risk of certain cancers, respectively
- Water-soluble vitamins (require water to be properly absorbed and utilized in the body): thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, pyridoxine, folic acid, cobalamin, Vitamin C
- Fat-soluble vitamins (require fat to be properly absorbed and utilized in the body): Vitamins A, D, E, and K
Minerals: these too are essential but inorganic compounds found in foods that as well promote metabolic and structural processes
- Major minerals include: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, sulfur
- Trace minerals include: iodine, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, chromium, selenium, fluoride, molybdenum
Phytochemicals: these are natural compounds that give plants color and provide health benefits beyond basic nutritional contributions. For example:
- Lycopene (red pigment) – watermelon, tomatoes, etc. These inhibit cancer cell growth, reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and boost immunity
- Carotenoids (orange/yellow pigment) – sweet potatoes, mangoes, carrots, etc. These have a similar function like the lycopenes.
- Lutein (green pigment) – dark leafy greens like nakati, dodo, broccoli, spinach, etc. These promote eye health
- Anthocyanin and Isothiocyanates (red/purple/blue pigment) – purple cabbage, blueberries, red onion, etc. These lower blood pressure and protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Fiber: these are non-digestible complex carbohydrates found in a wide variety of whole foods and their major role is to stabilize blood sugar, regulate bowel movements, benefit healthy gut bacteria, increase satiety, and promote healthy cholesterol.
Healthy Fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (specifically omega-3 fatty acids) essential for brain and heart health and absorption of certain vitamins and phytochemicals
Protein: create antibodies, maintain blood pH, provide structure, create enzymes, act as hormones, aid cellular growth, balance fluids, transport nutrients, and provide energy
Water: the fluid in which all metabolic processes take place; a normal-weight adult is made up of 60% water

How food can be ‘poison’

Remember how we talked about food being a source of harm to the body when it is fed with ‘wrong or not enough information’ thereby leading to the onset of life threatening diseases? The foods that increase the risk of disease that you need to be ware of include;

Unhealthy fats and oils; these promote chronic inflammation and are linked to many physical and mental disorders. You need to limit their consumption
Fried foods; these foods are high in unhealthy oils and salt as well as carcinogenic compounds hence the need to limit their consumption. They are correlated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases
Processed & red meats; these are correlated with increased risk of colorectal cancer, gout as well as cardiovascular diseases. Limit their consumption
Refined grains; are low in fiber, vitamins and increase blood sugar thereby diminishing gut function . For these it is advisable to consume less than 50% and consume more of the whole grains.
Fast foods; just like the fried foods and processed meats, they contain unhealthy fats, increased levels of salt because it is used alot in preservation and associated with increased disease risk so limit their consumption
Refined sugars; these increase insulin levels, fat storage in the body and cause inflammation often associated to increasing the risk of kidney failure and liver malfunction

In conclusion, food can be an vital solution to disease prevention, reoccurrence and even potential cure to some ailments. Research has shown a nutrient-dense diet of whole organic foods to prevent and even treat or reverse many chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases but it is important to keep in mind that you should not rely on food to replace traditional medicine. Diet and traditional medicine compliment each other

Nutrition

Meal planning

November 12, 2020

Meal planning, in simple terms is planning ahead the foods that will be eaten for the next few days

We are in a world that is fast paced, where mummy and daddy are both busy, our household managers also have a lot to deal with in the home and the choice of meals to prepare can become such a hard paper. Amidst hectic weekday schedules, meal prep or meal planning is a great tool to help keep the family on a healthy eating track. Although any type of meal prep requires planning, there is no one correct method, as it can differ based on food preferences, cooking ability, schedules, and personal/family goals. The most I will give in this is a guide and you can take it on from there.

Ever left work late with a growling stomach but little energy to shop and cook? Or even stomachs waiting on you at home? A busy schedule is one of the top reasons why people choose convenient or quick takeout meals, which are often calorie-laden and a contributor to unhealthy eating.

Now, imagine a different scenario where within a few minutes of walking through the door you have a delicious healthy home-cooked dinner for yourself and or family, and perhaps even lunch packed-up for the next day to take with you to work. Amidst hectic weekday schedules, meal prep as many call it or meal planning is such a great tool to help keep us on a healthy eating track. Although any type of meal prep requires planning, there is no one correct method, as it can differ based on food preferences, cooking ability, schedules, and personal/family goals as earlier mentioned.

The benefit of meal planning are immense but I will point the most obvious;

Save money
Save time
Help with weight control, as you decide the ingredients and portions served
Contribute to an overall more nutritionally balanced diet
Reduce stress as you avoid last minute decisions about what to eat, or rushed preparation

Beginning to prep the meals here are some of the things to possibly consider

Discuss with your family what types of foods and favorite meals they like to eat.
Start a monthly calendar (you can do this on a spreadsheet or just a book) to record your meal ideas, favorite recipe sites, and food shopping lists.
Collect healthy recipes. Clip recipes from print magazines and newspapers and save in a binder, copy links of recipes onto an online spreadsheet or better yet you can download a recipe app.
Consider specific meals or foods for different days of the week. Remember Wednesday as Boiled food Day? Some families enjoy the consistency of knowing what to expect, and it can help to ease your meal planning. Examples are Meatless Mondays, Whole Grain Wednesdays, Stir-Fry Fridays, etc.
Start small: Aim to create enough dinners for 2-3 days of the week.

How Meal Planning Saved My Sanity: Lessons (and Recipes) From a Reluctant Meal Planner

Having taken these considerations, let us get started;

Choose a specific day of the week to: 1) plan the menu, whether week by week or for the whole month, and write out your grocery list 2) food shop, 3) do meal prep, or most of your cooking. Some of these days may overlap if you choose, but breaking up these tasks may help keep meal planning manageable.
As you find favorite ‘prep-able’ meals, or your menus become more familiar and consistent, watch for sales and coupons to stock up on frequently used shelf-stable ingredients like pasta, rice, and other whole grains, peas, beans, jarred sauces, healthy oils, and spices.
On your meal prep day, focus first on foods that take the longest to cook: proteins like beans and peas, chicken and fish; whole grains like brown rice, dried beans and legumes; and, roasted vegetables.
Also consider preparing staple foods that everyone in the family enjoys and which you can easily add to a weekday meal or grab for a snack: washed greens for a salad, hardboiled eggs, a bowl of chopped fruit, cooked beans.
If you prefer not to pre-cook proteins, consider marinating poultry, fish, or even beef on your prep day so that you can quickly pop them into the oven or stir-fry later in the week.
Multi-task! While foods are baking or bubbling on the stovetop, chop vegetables and fresh fruit, or wash and dry salad greens for later in the week.
When you cook a recipe, make extra portions for another day or two of meals, or to freeze for a different week. Be sure to date and label what goes in the freezer so you know what you have on hand.
For lunches, get a head-start and use individual meal containers. Divide cooked food into the containers on prep day.

So you may be wondering how to keep produce and precooked food that is to be frozen fresh and tasting as natural as possible? This segment will answer you?

Refrigeration and freezing are an important step to successful meal planning. However, forgotten food such as produce hiding in a drawer or a stew stored on a back shelf in an opaque container for too long can spoil and lead to food waste. The trick is to label all prepped items with a date so that you can track when to use them by. Rotate stored items so that the oldest foods/meals are kept up front. Store highly perishable items like greens, herbs, and chopped fruits front-and-center at eye-level so you remember to use them.

When it comes to freezing, some foods work better than others. Cooked meals tend to freeze well in airtight containers. Foods with high moisture content, such as salad greens, tomatoes, or watermelon, are not recommended as they tend to become mushy when frozen and thawed. Blanching vegetables for a few minutes before freezing can help. However, if the texture of a frozen food becomes undesirable after thawing, they might still be used in cooked recipes such as soups and stews.

The following are the recommended times for various cooked foods that offer the best flavors, maximum nutrients, and food safety.

Refrigeration at 40°F or lower
1-2 days: Cooked ground poultry or ground beef
3-4 days: Cooked whole meats, fish and poultry; soups and stews
5 days: Cooked beans; hummus
1 week: Hard boiled eggs; chopped vegetables if stored in air-tight container
2 weeks: Soft cheese, opened
5-6 weeks: Hard cheese, opened

Freezing at 0°F or lower
2-3 months: Soups and stews; cooked beans
3-6 months: Cooked or ground meat and poultry
6-8 months: Berries and chopped fruit (banana, apples, pears, plums, mango) stored in a freezer bag
8-12 months: Vegetables, if blanched first for about 3-5 minutes (depending on the vegetable)

Meal planning could be an ultimate tool to offset time scarcity and therefore encourage home meal preparation, which has been linked with an improved diet quality and good health status overall.

Are you ready to give it a try?

Nutrition

What happens to food when it goes to the mouth?

September 16, 2020

Just the other day I came across an article written by a one professor who was telling his readers how eating fruit on an empty stomach is a wonder relief or say cure to cancer. Many things in there I could relate to and agree given my nutrition experience but when I reached the part that he indicated that food at a certain point rots in the stomach there by turning into acid, I was taken a back and thought I should write about what happens to food from the point we put it in the mouth and where it goes there after. For some reason I thought it was obvious until I have come across different theories from different people.

I am going to try to make this as simple as possible for everyone reading this.

Our bodies have a system that is responsible for dealing with the food and make meaning of it for the benefit of the body. This is what we call the digestive system. This system has different parts or components if I may use the term and each of them has it’s own purpose. So when food leaves your plate into your mouth, the system begins work. Once food enters the mouth, it is broken down into smaller pieces by chewing. The teeth cut and crush the food, while mixing it with saliva. This process helps to make the food soft and easy to swallow. After swallowing, the food goes down a ‘tube’ we call the esophagus and into the stomach. To keep food and liquids moving in the right direction, this tube has special muscles along its course which we call sphincters. Sphincters act like one-way valves so they relax to let food and liquid pass into your stomach and then tighten to prevent back flow, called reflux.

Does a bolus of food move through the esophagus by peristalsis, segmentation, regurgitation, or hydrolysis? | Socratic — Peristalsis is the way food goes down the ‘tube’
Internet picture

At this point food is now in the stomach. Imagine an enlarged pouch, that is what the stomach looks like although it’s shape and size varies from person to person depending on things like people’s sex and build, but also on how much they eat. At the point where the ‘tube’ coming from the mouth (esophagus) leads into the stomach, the digestive tube is usually kept shut by muscles of the esophagus and diaphragm. When you swallow, these muscles relax and the lower end of the esophagus opens, allowing food to enter the stomach. Once the food is in the stomach, it’s muscles help to mix and break the food down further by churning it around. As this is happening, it mixes this with a strong acid that the stomach produces. This kills many harmful microorganisms that might have been swallowed along with the food. It also has special chemicals we call enzymes that are important for breaking down the food so it can be absorbed by the body. You see food has nutrients in it and it is the role of these enzymes to break up this food to release these nutrients so that they can be absorbed into the body and taken to the different parts where it is needed. So what am I trying to say, food does not end in the stomach for it to ‘rot’ as some theory has it.

The Stomach (Human Anatomy): Picture, Function, Definition, Conditions, and More — Internet picture

I think it is important to note that the absorption of these nutrients that the enzymes have released from the food (digested food) does not happen in the stomach but rather in the place where the food goes next once it leaves the stomach which is the intestines.

Intestines are divided into two parts which are the small and large intestines. Digested food is absorbed in the small intestine. What this means is that it passes through the wall of the small intestine and into the bloodstream. The blood then carries the useful substances around the body to where they are needed. Can you imagine how genius our God is! By the time the remaining contents reach the large intestine, most of the digested food has been absorbed leaving waste material that the body doesn’t need or can’t digest. This is what makes up faeces or poo, which we get rid of when we go to the toilet.

Internet picture

So briefly that is the fate of the food we eat from the time we put it in the mouth. So the next time you eat food, remember this is what happens to it or at least this what we expect to happen to it although we have instances when the system might malfunction at a point and we see something different for example; when someone has a heartburn, constipation or diarrhea, something has interrupted the system. That will be a story for another day though.