WHAT HAS FOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT?

I have been receiving inquiries on how I maintain my skin. I have been asked what I use, but my secret is mainly diet and exercise and one or two vitamins. I decided to do this write up on healthy skin, diet and exercise and their connection to good health and overall well being.

(Akwaete, worn a different way, suitable for traditional occasions----igbo dancing, ikwa (igba) nkwu, ikuputa nwa et.c)

Having beautiful healthy skin is a quality many people especially women spend a lot of money on. The cosmetics industry spend a bundle on research and advertising of all kinds of products and miracle treatments and in return they make billions annually selling products which sometimes do more harm than good in the end.

The quest for beautiful skin also drive some, in an effort to bleach their skin to make it look better, to buy products which actually strip the natural top layers of the skin and the natural melanin which God Himself put there for good reason. The most serious form of abuse of the natural skin is bad diet. There is a saying----"garbage in, garbage out."

A lot of the foods consumed today are doing a lot of damage to the skin in many ways, be it clogging the pores in the skin, to stripping the skin of natural emollients. Fried fatty foods, which are the mainstay of many fast food diets are disastrous for the skin, yet many children eat them regularly. Fast food is addicting and the habit is hard to break. The size of the servings keep increasing with the super sizing and double whopping and the damage to overall health and the skin is getting super sized also. Most of the time attention has been focused on the cardiovascular damage done by bad food, bad diet, and lack of exercise.

Very little attention is paid to the damaging effects of bad diet on the skin which shows up as pimples, blackeads, dry skin, oily skin and allergies such as eczema ( by the way, ugwo is not eczema, ugwo is a fungal infection). Skin problems may not be life threatening, but they may negatively affect a person's self esteem and sense of well being. A healthy self esteem and self worth leaves no room for envying others which is a major problem in our society.This is quite different from being arrogant and conceited. It is well known that when people hate who they are, it is impossible for them to love anybody else especially so in children and teenagers who grow up and get into relationships. In other words, being content with who we are holds the key to the way we live our lives and how we interact with others.

Genes play some role in having beautiful flawless skin, but not as much as diet and exercise. When I say exercise, I mean putting the body through activities which produce enough heat to result in serious sweating which cleans out the pores and eliminates wastes which will otherwise cause illness and bad skin. Exercise includes working out in the gym or at home, jogging, walking, and work such as farm work and gardening, which in addition to trekking, were the most common forms of exercise for our ancestors. Profuse sweating which results from such vigorous exercise cleans the skin while cooling the body.

Diet is the next. In the days gone by, our people ate very healthy foods. In addition to the starchy yam and cassava, they got protein from legumes---various types of beans, they also ate lots of fruits and vegetables and nuts, and ate everything in moderation. These fruits and vegetables and palm wine which was also consumed in moderation,provided vitamins and minerals for good health. Strong bones and healthy teeth were also benefits of well balanced diets.
Most of these fruits and vegetables provided anti oxidants which kept certain illnesses at bay.

Oranges, papaya, ugiri, for example are loaded with Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) which plays a major role in healthy gums, wound healing, in addition to being an antioxidant which protects the cells from toxins. Papaya (pawpaw) is also loaded with digestive enzymes which facilitate digestion of gassy foods and has a calming effect on the digestive system.

Red meat consumption was very limited in the old days for various reasons---- not being easily available is one of them, but still protein came from beans (akidi, okwe, okpa,) and fowls,fish,bushmeat and other wildlife. Omega 3 fatty acids for cardiovascular health came from fish which was easily available. Today, most of those healthy foods are considered poor man's food and avoided or reserved for the very poor. The very poor look down on the healthy foods and strive for the so called rich people food and drinks.

A wonderful diet regimen which anybody can enjoy weekly without spending much can rotate around these few items---- Beans ( black beans, lentils, soy are best), oatmeal ( quick oats, Quaker oats) and fruits especially Papaya (pawpaw). These can be augmented with rice, fufu,plantains, and other regular food. Some may complain that beans cause gas. That is true but the enzymes in the papaya take care of that problem. Beans are loaded with healthy protein and enough carbohydrate, and also fiber or roughage which is great for colon health and reducing cholesterol.

Oatmeal is a fantastic food.It is loaded with fiber and is very filling. A bowl of oatmeal can keep a person full for several hours and it is not fattening. It also reduces cholesterol levels. Oatmeal can be ground up and made like fufu and eaten with soup just like pounded yam or cassava. Some may prefer to mix ground oatmeal half and half with yam powder, or unripe plantain powder ( for diabetics), still cutting down their carbohydrates and calories.

Vegetables are also very good for maintaining healthy skin. For those in the homeland, growing as much vegetables as one can for personal consumption and as a means of vigorous exercise is an excellent idea. Such work is very beneficial and helps with not only clear skin, but relieving arthritis and improving the mind. Nothing is more rewarding than watching your work flourish and then having your own rather than buying from the market. Papaya is very easy to grow and matures quickly. Papaya should be a must in every compound. It is loaded with health benefits and is very filling. A bowl of papaya for breakfast is a blessing. It calms the digestive tract and provides needed water. If not full after a bowl of papaya, eat a little bit of some regular breakfast. Eating papaya for dessert after a meal of beans takes care of the gas problem. Unripe papaya for those watching their sugar contains less sugar than the ripe.

Good eating habits is something acquired from childhood or learned with great discipline. I picked up good eating habits from childhood probably for two main reasons. I was provided with healthy food because my father was very conscious of that. Secondly, with a houseful of children and wards, he provided what he could afford---- beans, beans and more beans and we ate it with joy, adding yam, vegetables,plantain and occasionally rice to it for variety. Fruits were always there and vegetables and other native foods like ukwa and staples people grew for personal consumption. I never shook the habit. I eat beans up to 5 times a week, different kinds and never use palm oil in it. I will share recipes later for those who may like to introduce their children to beans at a young age.


TO BE CONTINUED--------- more on healthy eating, exercise and------ DENTAL HEALTH AND DIET.