Many people do not recognise the role that plants and fruits play in overall nutrition. For example, in recent years, two trends have become increasingly popular: the low-carbohydrate trend and the high-protein trend.A group of fat-loss enthusiasts believes that eliminating carbohydrates from the diet is the key to rapid and lasting fat loss. But the other group of fitness recognize the crucial role that protein plays in helping to elevate overall metabolism and improve the bodys ability to synthesize muscle tissue.Nonetheless, what one eats determines so many things, including being obese. Certainly, many individuals fighting excess weight would probably have been told to avoid simple carbohydrates and embrace complex carbohydrates. Although this advice may seem logical and was in popular a few decades ago, science has since demonstrated that there is more to the equation.Professor Macdona Idu, a Professor of Phytomedicine in the second annual lecture series of the Faculty of Basic and Applied of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, said central to overall nutrition were plants and fruits.Professor Idu stressed that the consumption of plants and fruits would provide incredible amount of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals which are needed by the body for recovery, to fight diseases, to repair tissues and to perform many other functions.Consumption of fruits will help to reduce the risk of cancer, stroke and other related diseases. Many Nigerians had erroneous belief that consumption of fruits would make them to grow fat and as a result, had deliberately removed fruits from their diets, he stated.No doubt, traditional wisdom dictates that simple sugars are rapidly absorbed, while complex carbohydrates are digested slowly, over time. Consequently, the advice avoid simple sugars and embrace complex carbohydrates was embraced by many people.Unfortunately, Professor Ida stated, the advice, avoid simple sugars and embrace complex carbohydrates has caused people to take some extreme measures, such as avoiding fruits altogether because they are composed mainly of simple sugars while embracing such fare as breads, pasta, and potatoes, because they are complex carbohydrates.Is this approach to classifying what is bad or good for overall nutritional needs of the body not oversimplified Although many fruits such as apples and oranges contain a high quantity of fructose, the notions that they digest rapidly or that they spike blood sugar and raise insulin are not true.According to Professor Ida, Fructose is not readily used by the body. Although the liver preferentially stores fructose in order to maintain blood sugar levels throughout the day, the rest of the body utilizes glucose. Therefore, in order to be used by the body, fructose must undergo conversion.This means the impact on blood sugar is very gradual, making fruit a fantastic choice for a food that will provide energy for a prolonged period of time. On the other hand, the baked potato and bread, both touted as complex carbohydrates, act more like sugars in the body. The body contains enzymes that rapidly absorb the starches in baked potato, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels if baked potatoes are consumed alone.Bread is highly processed: the constituent grains are broken down (ground into flour), diminishing the need for the stomach to digest them. Therefore, the starches are again rapidly absorbed and quickly released as glucose into the blood stream.Definitely, understanding what makes good food is important since plants are medicines. According to Professor Ida, between 25 and 60 per cent of the drugs currently in use today were developed from plants. Aspirin, the commonly used drug, was developed by isolating a chemical compound from a plant that has been widely used in herbalism; White Willow bark. Dioscorea, which is commonly referred to as yam, is the source for some contraceptives and progesterone creams.Beyond doubt, Professor Ida declared, many plants support good health in many ways. Neem (Dongoyaro in Yoruba) is used for skin conditions such as eczema, ringworm and athletes foot as well as for treating head lice. In addition, it is used in treatment of malaria and insect repellent, he stated.In addition, he remarked that Aloe vera when taken internally, has a cleansing effect on the body, by virtue of its action on the digestive tract. This makes it useful for a number of skin conditions, especially psoriasis, where the process of internal detoxification is deemed by naturopaths to be important, he declared.Scientific use of Aloe in wound healing was first documented in 1935. Since then, there have been a number of studies showing its effectiveness as a treatment for minor burns and other wounds.The use of cooking spices such as garlic and ginger dates back into ages in many African communities.Garlic helps with the control of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is acts as a worm expeller.However, people taking anticoagulant medication such as aspirin or warfarin should check with their medical doctor before taking garlic, he said.Ginger reduces nausea and vomiting as well as helps in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.According to him, ginger works by improving the efficiency of the digestive processes, allowing faster transportation of substances through the digestive tract, lessening the irritation in the intestines, reducing flatulence and intestinal spasms.Papaya helps with problems of indigestion, poor protein digestion and intestinal parasites such as Tread worms. The expert explained that the leaf and fruit of the Papaya tree contain protein-digesting enzymes (papain and chymopapain), which help to break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats.Similarly, consumption of bananas, being rich in iron, can stimulate the production of blood and prevent constipation. Being extremely high in potassium but low in salt makes bananas the perfect food for helping to beat blood pressure.Interestly, Professor Ida stated that bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking because of its high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, which help the body to recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.He warned that people should consult their physicians before embarking on the usage of any herbal plant for treatment of any ailment and the usage should be based on prescription.
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