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HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL BENEFIT OF WATER YAMWater yam (Dioscorea alata ) also called wild yam is one of the oldest food c...
25/10/2019

HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL BENEFIT OF WATER YAM

Water yam (Dioscorea alata ) also called wild yam is one of the oldest food crops originate from South-East Asia in Burma precisely. It is a plant that gives tubers similar to potatoes. The plant is grown in the tropical forests of Africa, Asia, and South America where ordinarly, potatoes do not grow because of the level of humidity. It was first introduced to West African countries by the Portuguese and Spanish in the 16th century. Today, water yam is the most widely planted of all the yams grown in all parts of the region. It is different from other yams due to its mucilaginous nature making it not that popular for cooking.

Aside from eating Dioscorea Alata because of its nutritional values, it has also been consumed for more than 2000 years for medicinal purposes as it has been proven to treat different systemic diseases including hypertension a condition which may lead to stroke, heart failure, and heart palpitation. Water yams contain carbohydrates and fibre. Dietary fibre is important in the diet for the healing and health-promoting properties it provides.
The importance of water yam for people who suffer from diabetes can't be underestimated. According to experts, it is rich in fibre, contains a substantial amount of antioxidants and Vitamin C and helps to suppress blood sugar. The antioxidants in water yams help to reduce damage by free radicals in the body and slow down the effects of aging. They also have anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Water yam is digested and absorbed slowly by the body and so do not cause blood sugar spikes. Thus, this makes it perfect for diabetic patients. Water yam is one of the four vegetables that have a high GI. The other three vegetables are beets, corn, and leek. It has 6.6 grams of dietary fiber which helps to stabilize the rate of digestion and lower the blood sugar. Such content of fiber can manage pile (hemorrhage) and constipation.
Dioscorea Alata contains nutrients which have benefits to the body. It contains a lot of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and copper necessary for carbohydrate, protein and enzyme metabolism in the body. This food is known for its ability to regulate sugar levels, even in individuals with type 2 diabetes, despite its glycaemic index. It also contains vitamins E which have antioxidant properties, vitamin A, vitamin B6. It contains carotenoids, so it can increase insulin sensitivity and some level of beta-carotene (beta-carotene is good for vision, immunity and overall health). Another benefit of water yam is its ability to purify the blood from excess accumulated cholesterol.

Some other benefits of consuming water yams are:
• Lowering effect on blood cholesterol levels.
• Decreases blood pressure levels.
• It is a good source of the female hormone, progesterone, thus, it helps to balance female hormones and are good for hormonal imbalance disorders and regulation of me**es.
• They improve digestive health and help with constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
• The antioxidants in water yams help to reduce damage by free radicals in the body and slow down the effects of ageing. They also have anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
• Water yam can slow down the ageing process and boost the immune system.
• The vitamin C in water yam also helps in wound healing and bone growth.
• It is low in calories so perfect for weight reduction and management.

In folk medicine, water yam has been used as a laxative and worm expeller, and as a treatment for fever, gonorrhoea, leprosy, tumours, and inflamed haemorrhoids.

In many states, regions, and tribes, it has formed part of their delicacies. For instance, water yam is used by Yoruba people to make delicacies like Ikokore (water yam porridge) and Ojojo (fried grated water yam balls). Water yam can be eaten boiled, mashed, fried, or mixed with palm oil or groundnut oil and steamed. Flour can also be made from it. Dishes such as ‘Isikolo’, Pounded yam, pottage, and fritters can also be made from it. It can also be cooked with beans. Dishes such as Queen Cakes, Biscuits and pastries can be prepared from water yam flour. It is the main staple food in Ijebu area – Western Nigeria.

Including water yams in your diet can help to boost fibre and beneficial nutrients because they are eaten without processing methods which can remove most of these important nutrients. They are also useful to those who are looking for healthy food items to add to their diet.

24/10/2019

About Nutritional and Health Benefits of Rice

As far as rice is concerned in Nigeria, Africa and some other countries of the world, locally grown rice popularly called “Local Rice”, “Ofada Rice” or “Abakaliki Rice” in Nigeria, and other names in other countries will always be considered the best as it has a lot to offer when it comes to health benefits and contains lots of un-adulterated nutrients which is good for the body and overall health.

Locally grown rice “unpolished or brown rice” contains lots of nutrients than the polished rice and these nutrients includes carbohydrate, protein, contains high fibre, fats, vitamins and minerals such as folic acid, phosphorus, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B3 (niacin), magnesium, selenium, manganese and iron.

Below Are The Health Benefits Of Local Rice:

1. Rich in Carbohydrate
Its carbohydrate content is of high quality and because of that, it is one of the carbohydrate food sources in Nigeria and is also known to provide adequate energy because of its calorie content and can aid in weight gain as well.
The calorie content differs, as brown rice contains fewer calories than white rice.

2. Helps in Digestion
Rice is rich in fibre content which aids in the body’s digestion processes and helps also in the reducing and preventing of digestive disorder and also decreases the level of cholesterol in the body.

The fibre it contains is said to be twice/triple as much as that of polished rice and includes both the soluble and insoluble fibre which acts as roughages improving digestive system health condition such as diarrhoea, constipation etc.
Insoluble fibre has been researched also to help in the prevention of the risk of gallstones in women.

Rice also strengthens or improves the digestive system through its rich digestive enzymes which help alleviate candida infections which affect the digestive system by weakening it.

3. Gluten-Free
Rice contains protein but its protein is considered gluten-free which makes it a good source of food for those who have coeliac disease as well as those suffering from dermatitis herpetiformis as they are considered gluten intolerance.

4. Protects the Heart
The presence of magnesium and selenium can help in protecting the heart from diseases as well as decreases the chances of related heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease respectively.

It might be surprising to know that rice contains fats, though, in low amount, the content of the saturated fats which is very low makes its good for the heart.

5. Reduces the Risk of Diabetes
Brown rice can help to reduce the chances of diabetes, unlike white rice which can trigger or increase the chances of diabetes because of its content of refined carbohydrates which can aid in increasing the level of the blood sugar in the body.

6. Prevents Neurodegenerative Diseases
It has been researched also that whole grain such as brown rice can effectively help to reduce or even better, prevent Alzheimer's disease as well as other neurodegenerative diseases because of its high content of neurotransmitters.

7. Good for the Bones and Heart
Rice contains magnesium which is very vital for bone structures as it helps in the absorption of the calcium, and also helps in the reduction of blood pressure especially when it is high as well as other related symptoms caused by high blood pressure such as migraines, ischemic heart attack and even stroke.

The presence of magnesium in local rice also helps in the maintenance and improvement of the nervous system.

8. Fights Cancer
Local or unpolished rice contains phytonutrient like lignin which is commonly found in plants is converted to enterolactone, thereby eating more of unpolished or local rice increases the enterolactone level in the body which helps in the reduction and fight against the cancer of the breast and even other diseases of the heart.

Also, the mineral selenium which is found in local rice has been discovered to reduce the chances of getting colon cancer. This is so because the dietary rich fibre rice doesn’t only aid in digestion but also helps protect the colon by the removal of chemicals which might be present in the gastrointestinal tract.

9. Helps in Weightloss
In as much as rice is high in calories, it also contains other nutrients such as manganese which help in the synthesizing of fats in the body. Whole grain foods such as local rice also help in the reduction of fats and body mass index (BMI) which leads to weight loss.

10. Reduce Sleep Disorder
Local or brown is said to contain high levels of melatonin making it one of the natural sources of the sleep hormone. Melatonin helps in relieving insomnia and other sleep disorder by making the nerves to be in a relax mood thereby triggering sleep.

11. Has an Anti-Aging Property
Local rice contains an anti-ageing property which is known as ferulic acid which enhances and promotes the skin making it smoother, brighter and softer, and as well reduces wrinkles and eliminates the chances of ageing.

12. Good for Pregnant Women
Local/brown rice is rich in the mineral folate which is a form of folic acid essential for pregnant and (Trying To Conceive) TTC mothers as it promotes healthy development and growth of the baby.

Kinds of Local Rice in Nigeria:
Local rice is in high demand because of the nutrients contained in them as they are not genetically modified. There are so many varieties and brands in the Nigerian market but they can be broken into 2 general groups ; white/polished rice and brown rice.

White rice has the bran and germ removed; and has different nutritional content. During the production of white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process.

A part of these missing nutrients, such as vitamins B1 and B3, and iron are sometimes added back into the white rice. In the US the result is called “enriched rice”, One mineral not added back into white rice is magnesium; one cup (195 g) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium, while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.

This gives Brown rice a higher presentation as more nutritious, but doesn’t leave out the fact that they contain same carbohydrate content.

Brown or local rice such as Abakiliki, Ofada and Lake Rice is considered more beneficial than polished/white rice as it contains more nutrients than its counterparts that have lost most of its nutrients during processing.

Lake Rice is the name given to the locally grown rice in the south-west area, the rice was first grown in Ofada Town in Ogun after it was later cultivated in other towns and villages.
While Abakaliki Rice is the name for the local type of rice which is grown in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria and comes from Abakaliki in Ebonyi State where it is predorice is characterised by its brown colour with robust shape, unique flavour especially when it is cooked.

Conclusion:
Rice is not only a staple food in Nigeria but is the most populous of the available food crops as it is widely eaten by many. Rice is mostly known as a source of carbohydrate and classified as one of the energy giving foods but it is really more than that as it contains some other essential nutrients which the body needs too.

In Nigeria and some other West African countries, it is a common food source and can be used in preparing various delicacies such as plain rice and sauce or stew, jollof rice, coconut rice, Ofada rice, Nigerian fried rice, rice pudding, rice and beans cuisine, rice pancake and lots more.

The major nutrient in Rice is carbohydrates, but with the presence of other nutrients, especially in brown rice which contains natural nutrients, helps to balance the carbohydrate content.

Local rice is a super whole grain with lots of health benefits and is believed not to cause any kind of allergic reaction, unlike the polished rice.

It helps in reducing chronic illnesses such as infertility, accelerated ageing, gastrointestinal problems etc., which is gotten from genetically modified foods due to the chemicals used in the processing which are mostly present in the food.
Local/brown rice contain diverse ranges of nutrients which helps in improving the skin tone, helps in the treatment of many skin and hair conditions such as psoriasis and hair loss. Its content of ferulic acid also makes it an anti-ageing property which is good for the skin.

Source:
https://organic.ng/difference-between-brown-rice-and-ofada-rice/
https://www.finelib.com/about/nigeria-food-produce/about-nutritional-and-health-benefits-of-rice/234

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