Nutrition
Overcoming urinary tract infections with our diet
Infections of the urinary tract (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection in the body. You may have a UTI if you notice pain or burning sensation when you urinate, an urge to use the bathroom much more often than usual, pain at the lower back, urine that smells bad, looks cloudy or reddish, and symptoms of fever, tiredness, or shakiness.
Bacteria are the villains behind UTIs. In fact, harmful bacteria from our stool sometimes manage to sneak into the urethra, the opening where urine exits the body. From there, they may spread to the bladder. Urinating helps wash/ flush these bacteria out of the urinary tract.
UTIs are more common in females than males, and particularly common in diabetics, people undergoing chemotherapy, people on steroids, people living with HIV/AIDS, among others. Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment, however the following tips will go a long way toward helping you avoid UTIs:
Food to include
• Proanthocyanidins rich foods such as Cranberries, blueberries, and grapes.
• Probiotic bacteria rich foods such as fermented milk or yoghurt.
• Vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, tangerines, pineapples, and bell peppers.
• Drinking about 8 glasses of water a day to increase urination and hence flush out bacteria.
Lifestyle modification
• Avoid unnecessary usage of steroids.
• Adherence to medication if you are diabetic or a person living with HIV/ AIDS.
• Observe very good personal hygiene.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.
• Avoid sedentary lifestyle and incorporate exercise in your daily lives.
In conclusion, to avoid the uncomfortable and painful situation of living with a UTI, there are many ways and means that are well within our reach. Our diet and lifestyle play a major role which should not be underestimated, and with careful adherence to these tips, we will avoid UTIs completely.
The writer Dr. Bernice Korkor Asare is the CEO of Holistic Health Consult
“Your diet your health, your health your wealth”
E-mail: holistichealthconsultgh@ gmail.com
Nutrition
Coconut yam porridge
Ingredients
-½ tuber yam
-Leftover stew substitute with fresh pepper mix
-Seasoning
-3 tablespoonfuls of salt
– 3 tablespoonfuls of coconut milk
-Half bottle of palm oil
– 2 tablespoonfuls of pepper
-3 tablespoonfuls of dried shrimp
Preparation
-Add hot boiling water to the dried shrimps and cover for about 10 minutes and then rinse clean with cool water.
-Peel yam and cut into chunks, wash and rinse clean.
-Add yam pieces to a pan and place on medium heat.
Add palm oil, pepper, coconut milk and little water just enough to cover the yam or at the same level as the yam.
-Add seasoning and salt, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook on low heat.
-After five minutes, add the washed shrimps and continue to cook on low heat till yam is soft.
-Using a wooden ladle, mash yam into pieces but not to puree, leave some yam chunks if you desire.
-Check for salt and seasoning.
-Cook for another three-five minutes and take off the heat.
Source: myactivekitchen.com
Nutrition
Clear streets of hawkers, destitute
Dear Sir,
I want to use this platform to appeal to the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) to rid the streets of hawkers to make it convenient for commuters.
These hawkers have been on the streets, especially the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area for some time with a few attributing their stay there to political expediency.
Every inch of space for pedestrians have been covered by their activities, leaving commuters to sometimes walk on the streets with the vehicles.
As if that is not enough, the rest of the space has been occupied by destitute and ‘junkies’.
With the election over, the Assembly must be seen to be clearing the mess these group of people have created.
Fact is, moving around the area has become a challenge as one has to tread carefully in order not to step on any wares on sale.
It is not a good and comfortable sight at all and I believe this will be the right time to clear the area to ensure some sanity in the area.
Regina,
Bubiashie
