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Nutrition

Conquering heartburn with our diet

A balanced diet

In this chapter, we will be discussing how we can conquer heartburn with our diet.

Heartburn is a painful burning sensation in the chest and/or throat, which occurs when stomach acid and other digestive juices back up into the eosophagus (the tube that carries food to the stomach).

Almost everyone gets heartburn sometimes, but if you have heart­burn more than twice a week, you may have gastroeosoph­ageal reflux dis­ease (GERD). Here is what you need to know.

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A one-way valve sits just above the stomach, which opens to allow food from the eosophagus to enter the stomach, and closes tightly to prevent vice versa.

In GERD, this valve does not close tightly enough to prevent the diges­tive juices in the stomach from climb­ing up into the eosophagus, which irritates the eosophagus, leading to the characteristic chest and/or throat pain and discomfort.

Certain medications, foods and alcohol can bring on heartburn, and manage­ment of this condition may be medical or dietary;

Foods to include

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• High fiber diet such as whole grains, fruits (with the exception of citrus fruits) and vege­tables

• Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, flax seeds, and walnuts

• Water; it flushes out the eosoph­agus

Foods to avoid

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• Fatty foods such as fried foods

• Coffee

• Tea

• Whole milk

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• Spicy food

• Citrus fruits

Lifestyle changes

• Weight loss through exercises like going for walks, jogging, and riding bicycles

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• Avoiding alcohol intake

To conclude, heartburn can be very uncomfortable and disabling, but it’s also very well controlled and prevent­ed with the above measures incor­porated into our diet and lifestyle, which are sure to keep us far away from the clutches of heartburn.

The writer is a nutritionist and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Holistic Health Centre.

 By Dr Bernice Korkor Asare

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Nutrition

 Akotonshi (Stuffed crab)

Akotonshi

Akotonshi

 Akotonshi is a delicious stuffed crab dish that is associated with feasting in Ghana.

The dish is sprinkled with bread­crumbs and placed under a broiler. When served, akotonshi is usually garnished with chopped parsley.

Ingredients

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5 large whole crabs or cooked crabbed meat

2 large fresh ginger

3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil

2 large onion minced

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1 tablespoonful of ginger ground

2 large tomatoes finely chopped

1 tablespoonful of tomato paste

1 large green bell peppers finely chopped

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1 tablespoonful of ground nut meg

1 tablespoonful of cloves ground

1 tablespoonful of dried thyme leaves

1/2 cup of dried shrimp

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1 cup of plain bread crumbs

2 tablespoonfuls of salt

Preparation

-When cooking crabs, clean them and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

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-Add in the ginger, cloves and the crab, cook for 15 minutes. Remove crabs and meat, keep shells for plating.

-If using just crab meat mix crab meat with ¼ cup water that has been boiled with the ginger piece and cloves for 15 minutes. Drain water, flake the meat and set aside.

-In a heavy pot, heat oil to me­dium temperature and add other ingredients in the following se­quence, stirring for a minute or so between each: onions, ground gin­ger, tomatoes, tomato paste, green pepper, cumin, nutmeg, thyme, grains of paradise, paprika, mashed peppers, and dried shrimp.

-Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 min­utes, stirring constantly, until vegeta­bles are cooked.

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-Add crab meat and stir another cou­ple of minutes to heat it through. Then spoon the mixture into clean crab shells or ramekins (small individual baking dishes).

-Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of each crab and toast under an oven broiler, being careful not to let the crumbs scorch. —Source: Pulse.gh

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Nutrition

 Preventing skin cancer with our diet

Intake of shrimps and salmon can prevent skin cancer

Intake of shrimps and salmon can prevent skin cancer

 In this chapter, we will be discussing how we can prevent skin cancer with our diet.

Skin cancer is more common in Caucasians, but the incidence is on the rise in the black com­munity according to WHO.

The two most common types are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell car­cinoma. These usually form on the head, face, neck, hands and arms. Another type of skin can­cer, melanoma, is more dangerous but fortunately less common.

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Anyone can get skin cancer, but it is more com­mon in people who:

● Spend a lot of time in the sun or suffered sunburn.

● Have light coloured skin, hair and eye.

● Have family history.

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● Older than 50 years.

Because the sun’s ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) rays promote cancer causing changes in the skin, learning sun safe prac­tices is one way to protect one from skin cancer. Another way is to know the signs of skin cancer. This is usually a mole that is oddly shaped, strange­ly coloured, or unusually large, may be a sign of skin cancer, especially if it grows. That’s why it is important to check your skin regularly for moles and/or changes in already existing moles. You should also have your doctor check any suspicious skin markings and any changes in the way your skin looks. These steps can help in early diagnosis and management of skin cancer- the stage when cancer is most likely to be treated successfully. Catching cancer early may also prevent certain types of skin cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

In the misdt of all this, diet plays an important role which has to be harnessed.

Foods to include

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● Astaxanthin rich foods such as; salmon and shrimps.

● Catechin rich foods such as green tea.

● D-limonene rich foods such as, grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, and bell peppers.

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

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Lifestyle modification

● Avoid direct exposure of the skin to the sun.

● Wear sunscreens when visiting the beach or pool.

● Wearing of protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses for people who work directly under the sun and people with light coloured skin, hair and eye.

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● Avoid excessive bleaching of the skin.

● Avoid cigarette smoking.

In conclusion, managing skin cancer can be very stressful and uncomfortable. A well-tailored diet and lifestyle can go a long way to prevent skin cancer. By following the recommendations above skin cancer will become the least of our worries.

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

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“Your diet your health, your health your wealth” Email holistichealthconsult.gmail.com

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