Some Foods We Neglect But Are Packed With Nutrients

1.       Egg Yolk

Some of us especially the elderly ones believe that the egg yolk is nothing but a mass of fat which will increase the cholesterol level in the body leading to heart problems. That is false. More than 80% of the nutrients in egg are found in the yolk. One egg per day is good especially the yolk. It is very good for both the young and old. Eating only the egg white is not even good for the body because what helps the egg white to be properly digested is found in the yolk. So, papa and mama, when next you want to eat egg, don’t throw away the yolk. Eat them all for your health’s sake.

2.       Water Melon Seeds

Water melon is a very sweet and refreshing fruit. While we enjoy it, we often discard the tiny seeds scattered in it without knowing that these seeds are loaded with nutrients which includes fatty acids, essential proteins and lots of minerals. Water melon seeds are rich in vitamin B like thiamine, niacin, folate and minerals like magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and copper. They contain lycopene which is good for your face and also helps in improving male fertility. The seeds are also great source of calories and many other good things your body needs. Stop throwing away the seeds next time. Consume both the red fruit and its seeds.

3.       Soup After Eating Eba

              

Eba, amala, fufu, pounded yam and so on are nothing but carbohydrates. It is in the soup that you will find the other classes of food namely, protein, minerals, vitamins, fats and oils. Many of us are fond of not licking the soup after we have finished swallowing all the eba, pounded yam, fufu, amala, semo etc. Most times you avoid it because you are shy to do so especially when eating in public place. You want to form ‘big boy’ or ‘big girl’ and you rejected something that contained the most nutritious part.  ‘Me I no dey shame so I dey lick all the soup and the plate join’ whenever I am through with my fufu even if Obama and his two daughters are there. Finish your soup guys it is good for your health.

4.       Unripe Plantain

I have seen a man slap his wife for cooking unripe plantain for him as breakfast. Many of us are fond of leaving our unripe plantain to ripe before preparing them for food. This is a wrong practice. Unripe plantain is very rich in iron which is a component of red blood cells (hemoglobin) and muscle cells (myoglobin). Both are essential in the supply of oxygen to all body cells. So when you are low in iron, your body may not be getting the oxygen it needs. The result is that you may feel tired, sluggish and worn out. Your body does not produce iron but gets iron from what you eat. Therefore, eat more unripe plantain than ripe ones for your blood’s sake.

5.       Ripe banana with dark patches on yellow skin

Are you a fan of bananas with spotless skin? What you are about to read now will surprise you. One of the health benefits of ripe banana is the induction of the secretion of TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) by the blood cells. TNF has the ability to combat abnormal tumor/cancer cells in the body. Research done on ripening bananas has proved that the levels of TNF induction increased markedly with dark spots on banana skin before the entire banana peel turned brown. Hence the more the dark spots, the more powerful the banana is in fighting cancer. Yellow skin bananas with dark spots on it are 8 times more effective in enhancing the property of white blood cells than the green skin version. So next time you want to buy banana, don’t ignore the ripe/over ripe ones with dark patches. Only avoid over ripe bananas whose skin has turned brown or split open.

6.       Mango skin

             

The mango skin is bitter-tasting, but it contains several healthful chemical compounds, including powerful antioxidants mangiferin, norathyriol, and resveratrol. However, it also contains urushiol, the irritating compound found in poison ivy and poison oak. If you are allergic to poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, you may avoid eating mango skin. But if it does not cause you serious problems, consume the mango with the skin for your health’s sake.