Why you need extra pineapples this festive season

Festive season might as well be a synonym for eat until you cannot button you pants because that is how we do it and am not judging because I do it too. Most of the meals are planned around a meaty dish and if you are Kenyan this is the time for nyama choma, mutura and all the chicken that you can eat. We tend to eat a lot at this time of the year mostly because we eat in groups and social settings. It’s all fun and games until you can’t breathe or move but what if you can do all that and not feel like you swallowed a stone that cannot be digested?

Happy Holidays

The answer is in an enzyme found in pineapples known as bromelain. Protein takes a while to digest and from all the meat that comes with the festive season it might feel like your stomach went on holiday before it digested your last meal. Our digestive systems are designed to produce digestive enzymes but with all the meat we eat during the festive season our enzymes are not enough. The bromelain in pineapples helps break down the protein in the meat meaning that your digestive system does not feel sluggish or like it stopped all together. Bromelain also helps with indigestion which is also a common problem with all the eating.

Incorporating pineapples into your Christmas menu is a good way of getting all the bromelain into your body. If you soaked meat in pineapple juice for about two days it would be too mushy to eat but when used a few hours before cooking it softens it without destroying the shape of the meat. The enzymes are killed when you cook the meat so using pineapples to marinate your meat will make it soft but for smooth digestion; you need to eat pineapples soon after your nyama choma.

Most of the bromelain in a pineapple is found in the stem of the pineapple which is the part we mostly throw away. If you think that the stem is too tough to chew, you can blend it with the rest of the pineapple to make juice.

Pineapples are also very good sources of fiber which is good for your digestive system and sluggish digestion.

 Other uses of bromelain include:

Reduction of inflammation

Bromelain significantly reduces inflammation (when an area of your body gets sore, red, swollen and painful due to an injury or infection) and speeds up healing time for wounds and cuts.  You don’t have to apply pineapples on your cuts because eating the pineapples works just fine.

When applied topically on insect bites and stings, it reduces inflammation and discomfort from the skin bites and stings.

Colds

Bromelain is a common supplement for sinus discomfort. This can be brought about by common cold and allergies. The vitamins in the pineapples are also very good at treating colds and boosting your immune system.

Osteoarthritis

Bromelain is also a common ingredient in natural supplements for sore joints and muscles.

In addition to all that, pineapples are good for the skin, prevents hair loss and helps you age gracefully. 

Cry me a river but am worth it.

Did you know that the ancient Egyptians used onions as currency to pay people who built the pyramids? The Greeks used onions to get their athletes ready for the Olympics and one of the foods that the children of Israel missed most was onions? ("We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic." Numbers 11:5)

Ancient civilizations used onions for both culinary and medicinal properties and maybe we can learn something from them.

Good for bones and connective tissues

Research shows that frequent consumption of onions prevent bone loss. This is very beneficial especially for women of menopausal age as it could reduce the incidences of bone and hip fractures.

Many of the components of the connective tissues require sulfur for their formation and onions are very good sources of sulfur.

Good for Asthma and allergies

The sulfurs and the quercetin (an antioxidant) in onions prevent immune cells from releasing chemicals that cause allergic reactions known as histamines. This makes onions good antihistamines (help reduce symptoms of allergies). The next time you have a bad cold, runny nose, watery eyes etc, try some onion soup.

Cancer prevention

Onions have shown to protect against some cancers including; colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer. For one to get those benefits, half of an onion should be consumed 5-6 times a week. However, you cannot just eat onions to protect yourself from cancer and other diseases. At the end of the day, a well balanced diet goes a long way in protecting your body from disease.

Immune system

Any food that has antioxidants helps your body fight infections better and strengthens your immune system.

Digestion

The fiber in onions plays a part in ensuring smooth digestion. Onions also have a special type of fiber called oligofructose which promotes good intestinal bacteria growth.

Most people consume considerable amounts of onions a day but most of the times we fry the onions till they become golden brown then add the other food ingredients. For medicinal benefits, raw onions are recommended. Because it is hard to just chew and swallow raw onions, I tell my clients to cook them in soup or bake them.

Soups are an ideal way to consume onions because you get to add other vegetables to the soup making it even healthier. To get the best out of onions, don’t over peel them. The flavonoids (plant pigments with protective properties) in onion tend to be more concentrated in the outer layers of the flesh. For example, a red onion can lose about 20% of its quercetin and almost 75% of its anthocyanins (an antioxidant) if it is over peeled.

Also, avoid frying onions. Add the onions to the soup after you have added water. That way, if the nutrients leave the onions they seep into the soup and are not lost.

9 Things that will definitely make you smarter

As we grow older, we lose some brain cells which means we get less smart with age and our children will most probably have more brain cells than we do. With good nutrition and brain exercises, we can lose fewer brain cells and keep the ones we have in optimum healthy conditions.

To be smart, you have to be able to learn easily, remember things you learn, solve problems with ease and think fast. The foods below feed the brain cells with what they need but you have to do tasks that strengthen the parts of the brain you want to improve. For example, when you were learning to read, you had to look at one word at a time and try to remember the sounds the letters make then put them together and pronounce the word. With lots of practice, you can now read words without having to think what letter makes what sound; it just comes naturally. The brain has the ability to be faster and better but you have to work it out and there are so many programs designed to help with that.

Fish

Growing up people said that communities from the lake region produce most doctors and engineers. These lake region communities shared their secret and if you did not get the memo it is not too late for you. The brain’s super food is omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Most people get enough Omega 6 from vegetable oils but to get Omega 3 you need to embrace fish and by embrace I mean eat and not hug. Flax nuts, walnuts and hazel nuts are also sources of Omega 3 fatty acids but fish is an even better source

PS, research shows that women who consume enough Omega 3 fatty acids during their second and third trimesters have smarter babies.

Sugar

Before you add another teaspoon of sugar to your tea please read to the end. It is true that the preferred fuel for the brain is glucose and the brain only uses other substances for energy under extreme conditions of glucose deprivation. However, you need to eat complex carbohydrates for optimum brain function.  Complex carbohydrates (those packed with fiber) provide slow release of glucose to the brain. This ensures the brain of a constant supply of glucose meaning that your brain stays alert all the time.

Avocados

The high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados help with blood circulation and keep the brain cells in the brain healthy. In addition, the vitamin E in avocados neutralizes free radicals (see about free radicals below) that are formed as part of normal body processes.

Antioxidants

Free radicals are molecules lacking an electron. They are formed by normal body processes and they steal the electrons they lack from other stable molecules which is not good.  Antioxidants sacrifice their electrons making sure that the molecules in your body stay stable. If none of that made sense, remember that free radicals are bad and antioxidants are good. Examples of antioxidants include; Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and lycopene. In terms of real food, these include; oranges, carrots, pumpkins, mangoes, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, tomatoes, capsicum, sweet potatoes, watermelon, blueberries, pawpaw and any fruits and vegetables you could think of.

Nuts

Nuts are full of vitamin E which helps with age related brain function decline. Many nuts are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids which is good for the brain. The Vitamin B6 in most nuts also helps make chemicals that transmit signals in the brain. Nuts are good, but walnuts are the king of nuts for the brain.

Black beans

With a perfect blend of protein and carbohydrates, beans make sure that the brain has a consistent supply of energy. What I love about beans is that they are very affordable and can be prepared in so many ways.

Water

The rest of your body benefits from enough water so your brain should too. The brain is made up of approximately 75% water and keeping it hydrated keeps you alert meaning you learn and think faster.

Sleep

We learn new things every day. As we sleep, our memories are consolidated. This is an easy but an important part of getting our brains in shape.

Exercise

Both physical and mental exercises are very good for the brain. Cognitive brain training exercises are exercises that train your brain to learn. The saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks could not be more wrong. We can change and strengthen the way we think by working out our brains. There are brain exercises for all kinds of functions from thinking fast to focusing on particular tasks.