The popular maxim ‘you are what you eat’ is no more correct. The idea behind the statement was that if you paid attention to your diet, you are more likely to determine your state of health and wellbeing. So, if you follow your secondary school knowledge of the classes of food, the nutrients they contain and how they are utilized by your body, you are in a better position to eat what you were told is called a balanced diet.

Well, that’s right. So, why do I disagree with the statement, ‘you are what you eat’? I believe we have a challenge in our generation as to the quality of nutrients in our food by the time we actually consume them. Let’s not even talk about the new farming methods, the use of chemicals to hasten maturation and increase yield or the lack of appropriate storage from farm to market. Let us skip all that and concentrate on one thing – the cooking method.

You are not what you eat anymore because most of us damage a majority of the vital nutrients contained in our foods. Truth is we do not have much challenges with carbohydrate foods, since they are staple for most African homes; our major challenge is with vegetables. Vitamins and minerals although needed in small quantities are vital for the optimum functioning of our systems. A lack of a certain vitamin or mineral could impede the production of other vital elements needed by the organs of our body.

What’s the solution?

1. Stop overcooking your vegetables. It is best to blanch or allow the steam from the main meal heat your vegetables.
2. Eat vegetables in their raw state when you can. You can blend and take them as smoothies or just chew

Examples of vegetables are spinach, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, broccoli, okro, etc.

For more information or enquiries you can send a mail to nutrifitng@gmail.com. Follow me on social media (NutriFitNG) for daily updates and tips.