Chocolate cake

Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour

• 2 cups of sugar

• 3/4 cup of unsweetened

cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoonfuls of baking

powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoonful of

baking soda

• 1 teaspoonful of salt

• 1 teaspoonful of coffee

powder

• 1 cup of buttermilk/milk/yog

hurt

• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoonfuls of vanilla

extract

• 1 cup of boiling water

Preparation:

– Preheat oven to 160Celcius. Prepare two 9-inches cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.

– Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl.

-Whisk through to combine mixture.

– Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined.

-Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

– Divide cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.

– Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

– Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the pan and cool completely.

– Frost and decorate as desired

Dietary management of memory loss

Chocolate

In this new chapter, we will be discussing how we can manage memory loss with our diet.

Some people get more forgetful with age. It may take longer to learn new things, remember familiar faces and words as well as personal belongings.

Memory loss can be mild or serious. Serious memory lapses affect ability to do daily activities like driving, shopping, or handling of money among others.

Below are some pointers of serious memory loss;

●Asking the same questions over and over again

●Getting lost in familiar places

●Being unable to follow directions

●Getting very confused about time, people, and places

●Self-neglect such as eating poorly, not bathing, or being unsafe

See a doctor if you are worried about your memory lapses or those of a loved one. You also can do many things to make your memory last.

Research has shown a great improvement in memory loss with appropriate diet.

Foods to consume

●Foods rich in antioxidants (vitamins C, E, and beta carotene) such as; oranges, pineapples, blue berries and kiwi.

●Complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice, and wheat bran.

●Epicatechin rich foods such as; grapes, blueberries and chocolate.

●Iron rich foods such as; beans, fortified cereals, nuts, and soy bean.

●Monounsaturated fatty acid rich foods such as almonds, avocado, and walnuts.

Lifestyle modification

●Having hobbies

●Getting pets

●Spending time with friends, family and loved ones.

●Joining support groups

●Reduce alcohol intake

●Cessation of smoking

In conclusion, our memory largely makes us who we are; imagine not remembering your own name! We can stray farther away from such a fate by applying the diet and lifestyle above, so that we can always remember who we are and who/what we love.

The writer Dr. Bernice Korkor Asare is the CEO of Holistic Health Consult.

“Your diet your health, your health your wealth”

E-mail: info@holistichealthconsult.org