Food pairings that fight diseases
In 2006, Teddy Nalubega started developing chest pain. Thinking that it was a result of tedious work, she stopped attending to her gardens and delegated the work to someone else. Much later on, she started feeling uncomfortable around her heart area.
When she visited the hospital, after a number of examinations, doctors did not detect anything wrong with her heart, neither could they prescribe, nor administer any medications even when Nalubega still complained of the same pain for some time.
Fish and egg plants
Doctors instead recommended some foods she was to eat as part of her frequent meals. These foods included eggplant and fresh fish. “I was advised to not to fry the fish because I would take in more oils yet I was already fat. I eat the fish with small bitter egg plants (katunkuma). After eating them for about two months, thrice a week, the pain in the chest reduced,” Nalubega recalls.
Later when she went back for a review, doctors at Rugarama Hospital advised Nalubega that omega 3 fatty acids, found especially in fish, help in fighting and reducing the risk of heart diseases.
Beans and spinach
Unlike Nalubega, Jane Kiconco was a few years ago diagnosed with diabetes. Because she doesn’t like taking tablets on a daily basis, she was told to eat natural foods to help her manage her condition besides supplementing it with medication. She was advised to include beans and spinach on her menu to bring her sugar levels down. “Doctors told me that beans are a source of fibre that would help keep my blood sugar level down. I was also advised to eat plenty of spinach because it contains carotenoids that improve eye function,” Kiconco explains.
Much as her diabetes status sometimes worries her, Kiconco says keeping in check by eating more of natural foods helps prolong life. She is, however, quick to caution that it does not mean that you throw away the prescribed medicines by doctors.
Garlic and onions
Dr Allan Sekyanzi, a general physician, says when you eat garlic and onions, they help fight prostate cancer especially in men above 40 years. The fact that garlic and onions have an irritating smell, Sekyanzi says should not prevent you from eating them daily especially in their raw form. “The younger you start eating garlic and onions, the less chances of you developing prostate cancer in adulthood. They (garlic and onions) contain strong antioxidant and anti-cancer elements that help fight occurrence of cancer in men,” Sekyanzi explains, adding that they also fight against development of stomach, lung and bladder cancers.
Honey and fruits and vegetables
Dr Allan Sekyanzi, a general physician, says besides being a strong antibacterial, honey, when eaten with fruits and vegetables not only protects you against ulcers but also helps to heal them. Honey can be consumed in a number of ways including using it in tea to replace sugar. Other foods that prevent ulcers include soybeans and apples.
Natural immunity boosters
Gooseberries
You probably never give much thought to the sweet, juicy tiny gooseberries locally known as Entuntunu apart from eating them sporadically. But did you know that gooseberries also known as Amla are a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals?
According to Doctor Doreen Kagezi, gooseberries have a wide range of health benefits including, balancing stomach acid, nourishing the brain and strengthening the heart and lungs. Because of its carotene content, Amla based oils help improve the quality of the skin and enrich hair growth.
Specialists reveal that gooseberries contain chromium, which has a therapeutic value for diabetic patients.
They stimulate the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin, thereby reducing blood sugar in diabetic patients and keeping their body balanced and healthy.
When blood sugar is reduced, glucose is also being used by the cells as functional energy, so the metabolism is stronger and you have more energy, without the plunges and spikes in blood sugar that are dangerous for diabetic patients.
