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Healthwatch
1 h
37
The holiday season is one of the hardest times of the year to resist salty, fatty, sugary foods. Who doesn't want to enjoy the special dishes and treats that evoke memories and meaning — especially during the pandemic? Physical distancing and canceled gatherings may make you feel that indulging is a way to pull some joy out of the season.
But stay strong. While it's okay to have an occasional bite or two of marbled roast beef, buttery mashed potatoes, or chocolate pie, gorging on them frequently can lead to weight gain, and increased blood pressure, blood sugar, and "bad" LDL cholesterol.
Instead, skip the butter, cream, sugar, and salt, and flavor your foods with herbs and spices.
The bounty of nature's flavor-makers go beyond enticing tastes, scents, and colors. Many herbs and spices contain antioxidants, flavonoids, and other beneficial compounds that may help control blood sugar, mood, and inflammation.
Amp up holiday foods with herbs and spices
Try flavoring your foods with some of the herbs and spices in the list below. Play food chemist and experiment with combinations you haven't tried before. The more herbs and spices you use, the greater the flavor and health rewards. And that's a gift you can enjoy all year through.
Allspice: Use in breads, desserts, and cereals; pairs well with savory dishes, such as soups, sauces, grains, and vegetables.
Basil: Slice into salads, appetizers, and side dishes; enjoy in pesto over pasta and in sandwiches.
Cardamom: Good in breads and baked goods, and in Indian dishes, such as curry.
Cilantro: Use to season Mexican, Southwestern, Thai, and Indian foods.
Cinnamon: Stir into fruit compotes, baked desserts, and breads, as well as Middle Eastern savory dishes.
Clove: Good in baked goods and breads, but also pairs with vegetable and bean dishes.
Cumin: Accents Mexican, Indian, and Middle Eastern dishes, as well as stews and chili.
Dill weed: Include in potato dishes, salads, eggs, appetizers, and dips.
Garlic: Add to soups, pastas, marinades, dressings, grains, and vegetables.
Ginger: Great in Asian and Indian sauces, stews, and stir-fries, as well as beverages and baked goods.
Marjoram: Add to stews, soups, potatoes, beans, grains, salads, and sauces.
Mint: Flavors savory dishes, beverages, salads, marinades, and fruits.
Nutmeg: Stir into fruits, baked goods, and vegetable dishes.
Oregano: Delicious in Italian and Mediterranean dishes; it suits tomato, pasta, grain dishes, and salads.
Parsley: Enjoy in soups, pasta dishes, salads, and sauces.
Pepper (black, white, red): Seasons soups, stews, vegetable dishes, grains, pastas, beans, sauces, and salads.
Rosemary: Try it in vegetables, salads, vinaigrettes, and pasta dishes.
Sage: Enhances grains, breads, dressings, soups, and pastas.
Tarragon: Add to sauces, marinades, salads, and bean dishes.
Thyme: Excellent in soups, tomato dishes, salads, and vegetables.
Turmeric: Essential in Indian foods; pairs well with soups, beans, and vegetables.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Instablog9ja
6 hrs
13
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that Nigeria’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, down from 5.3% in the first quarter (Q1).
According to the NBS, the unemployment rate reflects the percentage of the labour force—comprising both employed and unemployed individuals—who are jobless but actively seeking work and available to take up employment.
According to the report released on Monday, November 25, “The unemployment rate for Q2 2024 was 4.3%, showing an increase of 0.1 percentage point compared to the same period last year.
The unemployment rate among males was 3.4% and 5.1% among females.
By place of residence, the unemployment rate was 5.2% in urban areas and 2.8% in rural areas. Youth unemployment rate was 6.5% in Q2 2024, showing a decrease from 8.4% in Q1 2024.”
#Instablog9jaNews #TrendingStory #Awareness #StayUpdated
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Healthwatch
7 hrs
24
Listeria infection is rare compared to other types of food-borne illness. But outbreaks from deli meats and other foods do occur from time to time.
What is Listeria?
Listeria infection is a food-borne illness caused by bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. A Listeria infection is also called listeriosis. Most people develop listeriosis from eating contaminated foods.
Food poisoning from Listeria can be dangerous, or even deadly. About 1,600 people get a Listeria infection each year in the U.S., and about 260 people die from the disease.
How Listeria causes food poisoning
The bacteria that cause listeriosis can be found in moist environments, including soil, water, and decaying vegetation. Animals can also carry Listeria bacteria in their intestines without getting sick themselves. As a result, tood can become infected with Listeria during harvesting, processing, preparation, or storage.
If contaminated food is eaten, the bacteria can cause food poisoning.
Symptoms of listeriosis
The symptoms of listeriosis vary depending on whether the infection is limited to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or has spread beyond the gut.
People infected with Listeria may feel symptoms within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. Intestinal symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms usually resolve within three days, and most people feel better with rest and drinking plenty of fluids.
Invasive listeriosis, the term for listeriosis that spreads beyond the GI tract, can take several weeks to cause symptoms. Symptoms of invasive Listeria infection include:
A severe Listeria infection may spread to the bloodstream or brain. Severe infections may cause life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis.
Some pregnant women who develop listeriosis have no symptoms or have mild symptoms. However, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or a serious infection in the newborn.
Foods most likely to be contaminated with Listeria
The foods that are most likely to be contaminated with Listeria include:
While these foods have the highest risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, listeriosis can affect almost any improperly handled or prepared food.
How to reduce your risk of food poisoning
Some tips to reduce your risk of food poisoning from listeriosis or other food-borne illnesses, such as Salmonella poisoning, include the following:
Other steps you can take to reduce your risk of food poisoning include washing your hands before and after handling food, and using separate cutting boards and utensils for produce and raw meats or seafood.
A food thermometer can help ensure that meat, poultry, fish, and other foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
Raw pet food is another potential source of Listeria contamination, so take care when preparing your pet's meals.
Who is at greatest risk for severe illness from Listeria?
People at greatest risk for severe illness from Listeria include pregnant women, newborn babies, people ages 65 and older, and people with a weakened immune system, such as those being treated for cancer.
Listeria can harm a fetus even if the mother has mild symptoms. About one in four pregnant women who get listeriosis will miscarry or lose their baby shortly after birth.
What to know about food recalls
When a number of people get sick from eating or drinking the same contaminated food, it's defined as a food-borne disease outbreak. This can lead to a food recall by the U.S. government.
If a food in your home matches the details on a food recall notice, don't open or consume the product. Instead, bring the product to the place where you bought it for a refund, or dispose of it to make sure no one will consume it.
FoodSafety.gov, a U.S. government website, maintains a current list of food recalls and food-borne disease outbreaks, and advises what to do with a recalled product.
Treating food poisoning caused by Listeria
Most people with intestinal symptoms of listeriosis, such as vomiting and diarrhea, recover within a couple of days with rest and fluids.
Women who are pregnant will be prescribed an antibiotic to treat listeriosis. Antibiotics are also prescribed to people who are very ill or who are at risk of becoming very ill with an invasive Listeria infection.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Instablog9ja
14 hrs
30
A fan of actress, Regina Daniels has expressed serious concerns about how much efforts she puts into editing her pictures she posts on social media.
She made emphasis on how the actress goes about editing various aspects of our appearance in order to look perfect with her photos on online , which, according to her doesn’t make her look natural.
Instablog9ja
24 hrs
97
The Federal Government says it has saved $20 billion by removing petrol subsidy and adopting market-based foreign exchange pricing.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, revealed this at an event in Abuja.
Edun stated that the two subsidies were costing the country five percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“When there was a subsidy on PMS and on foreign exchange, they collectively cost five percent of GDP. Assuming GDP was $400 billion on average, five percent of that is $20 billion — funds that could now go into infrastructure, health, social services, and education.”
The real change is that no one can wake up and target cheap funding or forex from the Central Bank to enrich themselves without adding value. Similarly, profiteering from the inefficient petrol subsidy regime is no longer possible,” he said.
It must be recalled that President Bola Tinubu officially ended the petrol subsidy regime on May 29, 202M
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Instablog9ja
1 dy
18
A business owner has confessed to selling a product at 17 times its price, still labeling it ‘affordable for Nigerians’ in a viral post.
She said she once sold a product 17 times its cost price and it was still affordable for Nigerians.
