January 2017

Maggi seasoning is possibly the number one ingredient in every West African household used by generations as a cooking companion. You probably couldn’t imagine life without it. I mean you’ve grown up cooking with it all your life so how bad can it really be? Maggi cubes are added as an ingredient to almost every dish and there’s no denying that it contains all the flavour that make your dishes taste amazing! I decided to explore each of the ingredients in Maggi cube. Let’s dive in and see what’s it comprises of: • Iodised Salt • Sugar • Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium     Glutamate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium   Guanylate) • Maize Starch • Vegetable Fat (Palm) • Hydrolysed Soya Beans • Water • Colour (Ammonia Caramel) • Onion • Ferric Pyrophosphate • Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin) • Spice Extracts (White Pepper, Chilli, Clove) • Flavouring • Yeast Extract Use of Maggi as a flavor enhancer is widely used across Africa for many different African recipes. These cubes which have no nutritive value have grossly taken the place of many fermented seeds and products that once added much variety, flavor, and nutritive value to our African foods. Fermentation of seeds like ogiri (sesame seeds) and iru(african locust bean) though still done, may soon be a lost art. Using fermented seeds as food flavoring in soups and other recipes has many more benefits than use of your typical Maggi cube. Research shows that fermentation of these seeds increases the protein content, mineral and vitamin content, and increases the digestibility of the carbohydrates found in the seeds. Thus, addition of these fermented products into our food, would increase the nutritive value of our foods. In contrast, Maggi cubes and similar products, add no nutritive value to our foods, but also actually decreased the healthfulness of our foods. Three primary ingredients in these products are salt, monosodium glutamate(MSG), and hydrogenated oil (trans fat). All three of these ingredients have been found to negatively effect health. TV and Radio adverts have also made stars out of the users of these products without taking cognizance to health risks of their consumption. Of the above list, three ingredients are major. These are Salt, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Hydrogenated palm oil or Trans fat. It is no longer news that excess salt in a diet is one of the major causes of high blood pressure. This is the reason why patients that are diagnosed of the disease are made to refrain from salt. Can Maggi cube lead to high blood pressure, the answer is simply yes. Since it has been established that one of the major ingredients of Maggi cube is salt, and to make the matter worse, many women usually add several cubes to their cooking with additional salt. It is therefore an established fact that most high blood pressure in the country can be traced to consumption of excess salt derived partly from Maggi cubes. Also, it should be noted that medical research has linked MSG the occurrence of asthma, obesity, cancer among many others. It is also believed that MSG can cause headache, tingling, numbness, general weakness, and muscle tightness when consumed in excess. This is the reason why so many people feel weak and worn out when they consume a meal with excess cubes of Maggi. Although the exact amount of MSG in one packet of Maggi is not known, MSG is known to cause neurological problems, headache and inflammation in the liver. It also increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and obesity and also lowers your appetite. Finally, Trans fat is a sure way to develop coronary heart disease, which is a hardening and narrowing of arteries that supply blood to the heart. This become possible due to the ability of trans fats to increase LDL(bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL(good) cholesterol in our blood stream. The aftermath of the increase in bad cholesterol is an eventual narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart thereby leading to stroke or heart attack. How do you control this potential health risk? It all boils down to proportion. Use a little proportion. It’s a Little tricky but its likely the best solution. You can eat Maggi occasionally – once in 15 days (in the case of adults) but avoid eating it daily as it doesn’t have any health benefits. You can alternatively use natural and local seasoning. Dry and grind garlic , ginger , crayfish and yere (a substance used for making locust beans ) together. Use a little bit of the grinded substance in food instead of maggi coupled with a little salt. Try this and you will surely enjoy your meal .  

As much as we always make resolutions at the beginning of the year, there is an aspect of your life you must not forget. It is your HEALTH LIFE. Probably you think all you could do is eat and eat and eat till the end of the year. Many might definitely overeat during this New Year jamboree. Overeating leads to various diseases. There are various effects of overeating. Some of which are : 1) Weight gain and obesity

Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and killed animals for meat since prehistoric times. The advent of civilization allowed the domestication of animals such as chickens, sheep, pigs and cattle, and eventually their use in meat production on an industrial scale. Meat is a great source of vitamin B12, selenium, phosphorus , tiamin , biotin , pantothelic , niacin, folacin, riboflavin, iron, copper, zinc and manganese. Red meat, for instance, contains vitamin B6 , which is vital for immune function and help to regulate blood sugar level and B12, a building block for red blood cells and the DNA inside the cells. It is also rich in iron and the body cell can’t survive without iron .  However, caution must be taken when consuming meat. High consumption of red meat in particular can lead to a high production of uric acid, which causes gout (a metabolic disease marked by a painful inflammation). Red meat carries the highest risks of heart disease and cancer, so eating more poultry and pork can help lower your risk . It is advisable to eat meat moderately for the sake of our health .