By Angela Success
Former president of United States, Benjamin Franklin, said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The benefits of a good diet commences before the conception of a new baby. Indeed, new studies have shown that a mother’s diet before and during pregnancy can program the developing baby for either good health or future disease including jaundice, asthma, heart disease and brain disorders.
There appears to be a rising incidence of non-communicable degenerative disorders in our adolescent children, especially, females. Records reveals that menstrual disorders, uterine fibroids, discharge from their non-lactating nipples, breast lumps and cysts seem to be on the increase.
For their male counterparts, complaints about sexual dysfunction have risen to noticeable levels. More young newly wedded couples are reporting difficulty achieving conception. When they eventually conceive, disorders such as unexplained recurrent miscarriages, placenta praevia, abruptio placenta, hypertension in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are experienced).
Failure to detect and treat these conditions may lead to maternal deaths which could be avoided. Daily Sun spoke with Dr Chinwe Ezirim, a director of the University of Port Harcourt, Excerpts;
Can the poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle of our adolescents be responsible for this new alarming trend?
Yes, it can. When our noodle-eating, meat pie-munching, chicken-chewing, cake-chopping, sugar-sucking, Veggies-hating, exercise-averting daughters, marry their charming-counterpart malnourished males, we may be heading for a weaker generation of grand children. The children from them may likely inherit low immunity, with vitamin and mineral deficiency from their parents. These make the babies prone to the development of opportunistic infections and worse still, the autism spectrum of disorders, namely Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia plus various behavioral and learning problems.
What are the possible toxins one can get through wrong diet?
Common toxins include cyanide. It can be found in cassava and its products like garri, tapioca, cassava flour, and cakes. It is toxic to every cell of the body especially the brain and glands. It also affects the thyroid, breasts, prostate, ovaries and pancreas. One can cut down the intake of these products and replace them with homemade unripe plantain flour. Ensure your source of bread is reliable. It also possible to detoxify already ingested cyanide by eating foods rich in sulphur-containing amino acids that can boost the body’s production of glutathione.
Bromate is toxic and is a banned chemical additive used in baking bread. It disrupts the uptake of iodine in the body which leads to a state of iodine -deficiency. Studies have revealed that iodine- deficiency is linked, not only to thyroid disease, but also to fibrocystic disease of the breast, polycystic ovarian disease, polyps, and cancers of the reproductive organs like prostate, breast, ovaries.
Mercury from dental amalgam fillings, Lead from polluted sea-foods, aluminium from over-the-counter antacids, arsenic are very toxic to the body.
Additives:
Artificial sweeteners in so-called sugar-free drinks, ( aspartame, sucralose in Splenda, saccharine ) and Mono- Sodium Glutamate (MSG ) have been implicated in the development of Neuro- toxicity and certain conditions like Multiples Sclerosis, Alzeihmers dementia, adult onset Seizures, Brain Tumours.
Antibiotics
Progressive and permanent loss of the gut- friendly Lactobacillus bacteria has been linked to reckless use of antibiotics and consumption of excessive amounts of refined sugar and processed foods. Intake of good quality Probiotics and fermented vegetables can help to repopulate the intestines with healthful Lacto-bacillus strains. These beneficial bacteria manufacture Vitamin B12 which is vital for proper digestion and absorption of food, as well as blood and brain health.
What part do vitamins play in this issue?
Recent research has revealed that every cell in the body has a receptor for Vitamin D3, otherwise known as sunshine vitamin. Most of the black-skinned population is deficient in Vitamin D3 because of the effect of melanin, the dark pigment in their skin. Deficiency of this vitamin has been linked to depression of immunity which can lead to disease.
Vitamin C is the grandfather of antioxidants but it appears to be the least appreciated. Daily intake of this water soluble vitamin through the eating of raw fruits, colorful vegetables, and organic supplements can help boost one’s immunity and prevent scurvy, cartilage degenerative disorders.
Magnesium is a very important micro nutrient in the body. It performs a wide array of biological functions including activating muscles and nerves, as well as creating energy in the body. Excessive amounts of calcium without the counterbalance of magnesium may lead to heart attack, strokes and sudden death.
Anytime you are taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, as these nutrients work in synergy. You must consult your doctor.
What can we take or do to neutralise free radicals?
It has becomes imperative that we practice the 7*7 rule of diet: Eat raw plant foods, 7 times in a day, 7 days in a week. As much as possible, eat colorful fruits and vegetables because each precious pigment in those colored vegetables provides the body with special phyto nutrients that alkalinise the cells, nourish the systems and neutralise free radicals.
The role of home- made bitters, from edible native leaves cannot be over-emphasised. Green juices like bitter leaf, onugbu in igbo,Ewuro in Yoruba and etidot in Ibibio are quite potent. Utazi and Editan are also good in detoxifying and neutralising our bodies of toxins and impurities. They also cleanse the blood, balances serum pH (neutralises cellular acidity), improve blood quality, heal cells, reduce inflammation, and regulate bowel movements and many more.
Exercise
Engaging in regular, moderate exercise helps strengthen the heart and lungs, improve blood distribution of oxygen and nutrients, encourage lymphatic fluid flow, as well as enhance waste removal from the body.
Negative emotions like anger, hatred, malice, envy, fear, anxiety, depression, deep prolonged grief, can generate excessive cellular acidity which can also lead to toxic waste build-up. Bitterness was defined as drinking poison and expecting your enemy to get hurt. In other words, live with an attitude of gratitude to God, count your blessings daily, forgive all offences, laugh at life, and be kind to those who cannot repay you.
In conclusion, the practice of regular, periodic medical check-up can be helpful in the prevention and early detection of degenerative disorders. The next time you organise that big party to celebrate your beautiful birthday, just before you slice the captivating colourful cake, remember that the first step into your next age should begin with a Health-Promoting, Early-Disease Detecting, and Disorder-Preventing A.B.C (Annual Birthday Check-up).