Amazing uses for banana peels

I hate to take food from goats, pigs and cows but I have to. PS, am not the kind of person who uses the whole goat after slaughter, including the voice and hooves, but I have to be that person when it comes to banana peels for the following reasons;

They whiten teeth

Are your teeth stained from drinking too much coffee? Or have they just lost their luster and shine? The potassium in banana peels helps in whitening teeth. For best results, choose a banana that looks just ripe which is when the potassium levels are highest.  Wash the banana thoroughly and wipe it before you peel it. Rub the inside of the banana on your teeth until they are completely coated in banana paste. Take time to rub it to make sure your teeth are well coated and leave it for about ten minutes. Brush your teeth with toothpaste and save money you could have used to whiten teeth.

Soothe skin irritations

Rubbing fresh banana peels on bug bites, stings and other skin irritations helps ease the pain and the irritation. The minerals, vitamins and fruit acids are super great for your skin too so go all out.

Remove warts

Tired of warts that won’t go away? Don’t worry, nature has your back. Just rub a piece of ripe banana on the warts every night before bed and watch them fade.

Add it to your juice blend

Banana peels are full of vitamins and minerals and adding them to your juice means boosting your vitamins and minerals intake. To do that, make sure you choose bananas with fresh looking skin and wash them well preferably with water that has some vinegar in it.

Polish your shoes and silverware

To do this, simply rub the banana peel on the shoes or the silverware the n rub with a soft cloth.

Treat acne and improve your complexion

Just like with all the above fixes, rub the inside of the banana peel to help improve the appearance of acne and to give your skin a glow.

Feed your flowers and plants

If all the above is not for you, you could always let your flowers and house plants soak in all the minerals and vitamins from the banana peels  but maybe shred the peels into small pieces to make it look good and intentional and not like you just littered your flower bed.

 lastly, if you are starving, and your neighbor wants to throw banana peels away, volunteer to help throw them for him/her then go to your house and eat them. They are totally edible so don't worry

Simple Secrets for Healthy and Fast Breakfasts

Have you ever wondered about those doctors and nutritionists who insist on preaching the breakfast gospel? As in, do they have normal lives with kids to get ready in the morning, missing/undone homework, last minute wardrobe malfunctions, traffic and the like? Do they know what time I have to wake up and what time I went to bed? Well, I am one of those people who preach the breakfast gospel and I do because food is the fuel for the body.  For adults it gives us energy to do everything from blinking to lifting heavy objects. For children, food provides energy, helps them grow, gives them the ability to learn and pay attention etc.

For anyone who is trying to manage their weight, eating breakfast helps you prevent having a sugar crush at around mid morning which would cause you to crave unhealthy food and devour the first thing you see which is not good because the first thing you see is almost always unhealthy.

Some people are willing to try the whole regular breakfast thing but they just don’t know where to start; if you are one of those people, don’t worry because we got you. Below are ways to make breakfast making simple and less time consuming.

The secret to simple and fast breakfasts is early planning. This saves you time and a headache.

For example;

Ø  The next time you make chapatis, make extra for two breakfasts

Ø  Make enough pancakes for two breakfasts and keep them in the fridge

Ø  Boil root tubers e.g. nduma (arrow roots) and ngwaci (Sweet potatoes) as you watch TV in the evening or as you help your kids with their homework.

Ø  Make your own cereal. During the weekend or when you have time, make your own granola. It is simple and the best part is you decide what goes into it. Check out this link for a simple granola recipe. http://kabubaaa.blogspot.co.ke/2016/05/simple-granola-recipe.html

Other simple breakfast ides include:

Ø  Store bought cereal with milk and a fruit. When buying cereal, make sure it’s the kind that is full of fiber and not the kind that is all sugar and color.

Ø  Bread. When buying bread, I recommend whole grain bread. Whole grain bread is superior to white bread in that it has fiber which is associated with many health benefits. Whole grain bread also is high in Vitamin B6 and E, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, copper and manganese. It also helps you stay full for longer which is good especially if you are trying to manage your weight.

Ø  Oatmeal

Ø  Leftover food. Other than saving you time, it also helps you prevent food wastage.

Ø  Sandwiches. These are especially good for kids because they find them fun and you can add fillings to make them super healthy. E.g. nut butter, banana and sesame (simsim) toast. 

  Eggs. Good thing with eggs is that you can prepare them in numerous ways and most of the various ways to make them are not time consuming.

Simple Granola Recipe

Breakfast is a tricky meal especially for working mothers. All nutritionists and doctors will tell you to make this meal the heaviest and the healthiest and you want to give the best to your family; but who has time to make all that with the morning hustle?! If you are in a situation where the heart is willing but time is not on your side don’t worry, we got you!

Ever heard of granola? This is a breakfast cereal made of very healthy and nutritious ingredients and all you have to do is add milk to it and you have a healthy, nutritious breakfast. Good news is that you can buy granola from most major supermarkets. Bad news is that it will cost you a small fortune! Before you get sad, remember that we got you! So, below is a simple granola recipe. What I love most about granola is it you get to use the fruits and nuts you love. It also saves lots of time and energy as it keeps for long.

Ingredients

ü  3 cups rolled oats (not instant)

ü  3 tablespoons brown sugar

ü  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

ü  1/4 teaspoon salt

ü  1/3 cup honey

ü  1/4 cup vegetable oil

ü  1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

ü  1/2 cup dried fruit (use any fruit but make sure it is diced or in small pieces)

ü  1/2 cup coarsely crushed groundnuts.

Tip

To coarsely crush groundnuts put them on a clean chopping board and roll with a rolling pin. You get best results if you use roasted groundnuts and if possible use them with the skin on.

Directions

ü  Pre heat the oven at 180°C

ü  Place the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine; set aside. 

ü  Place the honey, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over the oat mixture and mix until the oats are thoroughly coated. 

ü  Spread the mixture on a thin, even layer baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir and continue baking until the granola is very light golden brown, about 5 to 15 minutes more. 

ü  Cool the granola to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Note: It will harden as it cools.) 

ü  Add the fruit and nuts or seeds to the baking sheet and toss to combine.

ü  Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

 ENJOY

Simple Meal Planning Techniques

Is it just me or are evenings getting shorter?

Short evenings are bad news for working parents who have to get home, make sure homework is done, meals are made and eaten, dishes are done after the meal, baths are taken etc! All this has to be done between 6pm and 10pm. As if that wasn’t tough enough, we now have permanent traffic to worry about. Thanks to traffic, some days you will get home at around 8PM or 9PM. So what should we cut from the evening and what should we keep? Surely we can’t cut baths or homework! Good news is we can do something to reduce the time it takes to prepare meals and that is where meal planning comes in.

Basically, meal planning is the planning of the menu for the next few days or even an entire month. It involves meals to be prepared as well as the items needed to be purchased in order to prepare that food.

Benefits of meal planning

ü  Saves you the time you would need to run to the shop everyday to grab items to cook

ü  Saves you the headache of thinking what dish could be made with the one tomato and three potatoes you  have in your pantry. (Ever gone home and tried making a meal from what you have and the only thing you have is dania? SMH!)

ü  You plan for healthy and delicious meals

ü  You can plan for variety (Has your son ever asked you why school food is better than yours? Heartbreaking right?)

ü  It is cheaper in the long run

ü  You only buy the foods you plan to cook so food is not wasted

For how long should one plan?

This depends on the time it takes for you to go shopping. If you shop weekly especially for vegetables you can make weekly meal plans or make a two week plan then replenish what you run out of after a week.

Steps to meal planning;

Making a menu for a week or two

When making your menu, remember to pick foods that require equipment you already own.

Make a shopping list

Use the menu you made in step one to determine the items you need to buy. Check what you have in the house and add the items you don’t have to the list.

Make your list flexible enough to be able to substitute items just in case you don’t get what you planned for and to take advantage of any bargains you find at the shop/market.

Actual Shopping

Choose a shop or market where you can get all the items on your list. If possible, do your shopping on a market day. That way you get the freshest items and you also get variety.

Another tip is to eat before you go shopping. Going shopping on an empty stomach makes you buy a lot of unhealthy junk food and you also don’t stick to your shopping list.

If possible, buy foods you consume frequently in bulk because it is cheaper that way. Another trend I have noticed coming up is food chamas. This is where a few, say eight people, make a budget to buy food in bulk then divide it amongst themselves. This makes it a lot cheaper because when you buy sugar in a bag you get a better price.

Pre prepare

When you get home, chop the foods that can be stored chopped e.g. meat, sort items that need sorting and boil whatever that can be boiled e.g. beans and githeri.

When storing food in the fridge, divide it into portions your family consumes in a meal. E.g. if your family eats around ½ kg of meat in a meal, freeze meat in ½ kg portions.

Cook perishables first

Some foods don’t keep for long even when put in the fridge. Cook those foods first. Later on, you can use the freezable foods and other foods that are not perishable.

Detox diet to start your year

Although the human body is perfectly capable of detoxifying itself, sometimes we throw so much at it, especially during the festive season; that we need to change our routine for a while to help it get back to normal.

This article is not about the kind of detox that models and extreme weight watchers do. This is about helping your body get back to normal (aka to stop feeling bloated all the time and general laziness) after the awesome festive season where we took a break and ate all the mbuzis in the village.

Healthy detox is real simple; the body eliminates waste and toxins through the kidneys, the liver, the skin and lungs. To help your body get back to normal after two weeks of holiday food, you just have to eat foods with nutrients that are helpful to the above organs.

Up your water intake

Your urinary system is one of the ways the body gets rid of all the toxins in your body and water is the carrier. Enough water for a normal adult will range from about 1200Ml to 1500Ml of water a day. The easiest way to make sure your intake is up to this level is to get a container with a capacity you know and drink from it throughout the day. Another thing to remember when you are trying to drink enough water is to drink even when you are not thirsty.

Move your body

This might sound like am making stuff up just to make your life hard but believe it or not, when you feel so tired you just want to lie down is the time you need to exercise ASAP.  Regular exercise enhances circulation and leaves you feeling re-energized. 

Fruits and vegetables

These provide you with the fiber that your body needs to take care of sluggish digestion. They also provide the vitamins and minerals needed to rejuvenate your body. Cucumbers are good at reducing swelling especially around the eyes. Foods rich in potassium like bananas, avocados, oranges and kiwis help with water retention and salt induced bloating by regulating sodium levels in your body.

Natural Enzymes

The enzyme contained in pawpaw (papain) is very good at helping break down the protein in your digestive system making digestion easier and faster which in turn makes you feel lighter. Pineapples also have the same effect on your digestive system. You don’t have to go on a juice fast for your body to feel cleansed. Eat foods that ease digestion and encourage digestive tract health and you will be good. Other foods that are good for your digestive system include; yogurt, asparagus, ginger and chamomile tea.

Whole grains and foods

Whole grains like wheat, sorghum, millet, rice, maize and oats give you vitamins including Vitamin B which helps convert food into energy which in turn helps you feel more alive and energetic.

Time to get rid of all the junk food

Junk food makes you bloated and tired all the time. It is also not the best food for the brain meaning that if you eat junk food all the time, your brain might feel slow. Most junk food is high in salt which makes you retain water hence the bloating. Junk food that is not salty is very high in refined sugar which causes you to feel so tired and hungry after the sugar is cleared from your blood.  Swap all the junk food/ snacks with healthy ones and watch your body feel better in no time.

Exfoliate

The skin is one of the organs that get rid of all the waste products/toxins. The health of our skin depends on the kind of food that we eat. All the holiday foods (foods high in salt, sugar and fat) make your skin look sad. While you are eating healthy foods and getting your body back in shape, help it show on your face by giving it a good scrub.

Resolution to be healthier in 2016 made easy

A new year is like a blank book. You get a new start and a chance to be a different person. It all sounds good and achievable but we forget that we cannot change who we are in a day just because it’s a new year. We all want quick results but change takes time and lots of work. To be healthier is one of the most made resolution year in year out. This goes to show that it is not easy but difficult does not mean impossible. Most of us vow to be healthier and we mostly fail because healthy is very broad. If being healthy was one of your resolutions, this might help.

Do not overwhelm yourself. Sometimes we make more resolutions than there are days in a year and when we feel overwhelmed we give up. Make attainable goals and when you hit a bump readjust and keep going.

Make a clear plan to get to a healthy weight. “Exercise more” and “stay fit and healthy” is something that over a third of the population wishes to achieve. To achieve this, you must have a clear plan.

      If you want to exercise more, enroll into a gym. If you can’t afford a gym or you do not have the time to go to the gym, make a clear plan to work out at home. This means setting apart half an hour to an hour daily. It helps when the work out time is the same everyday because it helps create a routine.

      Plan the exercises in advance. This saves the time it takes to decide what to do for the training session. I recommend making a two week plan with rest days in between the workout days. Planning in advance also helps you plan which parts of the body and muscle groups you will be exercising.

      Invest in workout clothes and equipment. This doesn’t have to break your bank account. All you need is a good workout bra if you are a woman, comfortable shoes and tights. It helps to have weights and other home equipment but if you do not have the money all at once, you can fill bottles with water and use them as weights. Fitness is a lifestyle and not an event. Buy equipment slowly and with time you will have all the equipment you need to stay healthy. Your house does not have to look like a commercial gym for you to be fit. All you need is; a yoga mat, some weights, a rope, resistance bands and good music to keep you going.

Eat healthier foods and in the right proportions. If you are having a hard time figuring out what healthy foods means try this; avoid processed foods (this means ready to eat microwavable meals, ready to eat meat products and high sugar cereals), avoid all junk food, eat whole foods like brown breads, lentils, beans, green grams and high fiber cereal.

Get regular checkups. The African culture is simple… if the body is not in pain; don’t let the doctors poke around looking for problems because you might just find some. Thing is, we forget that we are no longer dealing with malaria and typhoid where you don’t need a doctor to tell you that there is a problem. We are dealing with diseases that show symptoms when its already too late and early detection is critical.

Get more sleep. It’s ok to go to bed before checking your Facebook notifications; they will still be there when you wake up in the morning. Quality sleep is the first step to good health and the best thing is that it is the easiest part.

Drink more water. Water really is life. To make this easy, get a water bottle and keep it close throughout the day. A water bottle helps you keep track of the amount of water you drink and adjust accordingly.

Move more. Do more non exercise physical activity like walking more, taking the stairs and walking around when you are on a long phone call.

Stress less. Don’t wait for perfect conditions for you to be happy. Play more, spend more time in nature, enjoy the little things, meet new people, be kinder to yourself and laugh out loud.

All you need is a Monday. Ever made a resolution only to break it on the 3^rd of January? The feeling sucks! Sometimes we give up and go like “well, I will do better next year”. You do not need a new year; all you need is a Monday. Mondays are universally loathed but they are great ways to start a fresh… so don’t fret the five missed workouts; a Monday is always around the corner.

Take advantage of all the motivation around you.  Join Facebook pages and follow people on Instagram who are also trying to keep fit.

Give it time. Rome was not built in a day and all the change you want will not be seen in a day. Keep going even when you feel like it is taking forever.

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.