By Mary Agidi

The need to eat right and consume mostly natural foods  regarded as the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle and tackle the recent upsurge of various diseases that are shortening life expectancy.

Mrs. Chinwe Aganekwu, a herbal medicine practitioner and Executive Director of the Esther Thelfid Foundation, shared this advice during a Zoom seminar organized by Heritage Crew ’91, a group of gentlemen and ladies who graduated from Annunciation School and St Louis Grammar School Ikere-Ekiti in 1991.

Speaking on the topic “Healthy Diet as Your Medicine,” she emphasized the importance of eating herbs, nuts, and vegetables.

She recounted how she was able to reverse diabetes, arthritis, and ulcers by incorporating natural meals into her diet, noting that while this might lead to weight loss, it promotes overall health.

According to Mrs. Aganekwu, the concept of food as medicine is not new. She pointed out that many early HIV positive people survived through specific diets in the absence of conventional medicine.

She also advised using probiotics immediately after taking antibiotics.

Her dietary recommendations include eating lots of vegetables and drinking warm water in the morning to aid bowel movement.

She highlighted the benefits of cayenne pepper, grass-fed red meats, okra, water leaves, bitter leaves, scent leaves, beetroot, papaya, and certain fruits like oranges, which stabilize the immune system.

However, she cautioned that pineapple is not ideal for diabetic patients. “Eat right or die fast,” she said, emphasizing that many people have beaten cancer by consuming natural foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish.

Rice, a staple food in Nigeria, is best eaten with vegetables or beans, and no meal should be consumed without vegetables, she advised.

Mrs. Aganekwu suggested that garri and eba, being fermented, are better choices than processed foods like semo. She advised people managing diseases like diabetes to be mindful of what they eat, particularly pounded yam.

Mrs. Aganekwu recommended black-eyed beans for their nutritional value, advising to pour hot water over them before cooking to remove preservative chemicals.

She suggested baking bread at home with nutritious ingredients like coconut or opting for wheat bread. Nuts and seeds, rich in antioxidants and micronutrients, should be consumed in moderation—about one ounce per day. She warned that turmeric, if not mixed with black pepper, can cause gallstones. Almond seeds and rosemary seeds are beneficial, she noted.

Exercise is also crucial for health, Mrs. Aganekwu emphasized, recommending regular walking and massages.

She advised taking digestive enzymes for indigestion and highlighted the health benefits of walnuts, coconut, hazelnuts, and peanuts, but cautioned against consuming them in excess.

While Nigerian meat is generally good due to grass feeding, she warned against consuming too much beef and recommended alternatives like mutton, ram, chicken, and water-fed fish.

Cayenne pepper is very powerful, and okra can help reduce blood sugar. Spinach leaves, moringa, and avocado are also highly recommended. Zobo helps cleanse the body, and teas are also good, noting that one can make teas from leaves in their compounds like moringa, mango leaves, lemon, ginger, garlic, turmeric, black pepper, and coriander leaves saying they’re beneficial.

Mrs. Aganekwu addressed the consumption of cow skin, popularly known as “ponmo,” highlighting its benefits for cartilage but cautioning about its source and preparation method.

” Ponmo is good if properly roasted with firewood but harmful if prepared with petrol, tires, or kerosene.”

For natural calcium, she suggested eating brisket bones.

Water, she advised, is very powerful for cleansing the system. Drinking a cup of warm water first thing in the morning is beneficial. “Drink water as food,” she urged.

In her welcome address, Prof. Olubunmi Ashimolowo, Executive Director of Gender Development Initiative, emphasized the importance of prioritizing health and healing through our food choices.

The Professor of Agrivoltaics, echoed Hippocrates’ timeless wisdom, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” underscoring the power of a healthy diet in preventing and managing illnesses.

Credit: Mary Agidi (Publisher, JATS ONLINE NEWS)