13 Benefits Of Walnuts

Nuts have gotten a bad rap for being too
high in fat, but the truth about them is that
nuts, especially walnuts, are a powerhouse
of nutrition.
1. Helps you lose weight
Contrary to what people believe, walnuts
are actually good for weight management
since an ounce of walnut contains 2.5g of
omega 3 fats, 4g of protein and 2g of fibre
that help provide satiety. Any successful
weight management plan must include the
satiety factor; so walnut is undoubtedly the
right food to consider if you are into a
weight management programme. Despite
being 'dense in calories, walnuts can be an
important tool in helping you lose weight.
2. Helps you sleep
The nuts can improve sleep, as they contain
hormone melatonin, that induces sleep and
helps regulate sleep. This makes walnuts a
great evening or bedtime snack for
improving your sleep.
3. Great for your hair
Walnut is a good 'hair food' too. This is
because walnut contains biotin (vitamin
B7) that helps strengthen hair, reduce hair
fall and improve hair growth to certain
extent.
4. Helps keep heart disease at bay
Walnuts are rich in antioxidants and
omega-3 fatty acids which makes them
really effective in combating heart disease.
Omega-3 fatty acids also helps in
combating bad cholesterol and encourages
the production of good cholesterol making
it a great snack to keep your heart in great
health.
5. Prevents diabetes
According to a study, women who
consumed 28 grams of walnuts twice a
week, were 24% less likely to develop type 2
diabetes. The study was published in the
Journal of Nutrition , and even though it was
conducted on women, experts believe that
the benefits would be similar for men too.
6. Boosts your sperm quality
Eating 2.5 ounces of walnuts per day
improves Fluid quality in healthy young
men, researchers say. According to a study
by UCLA researchers, eating 75 grams of
walnuts a day improves the vitality,
motility, and morphology of sperm in
healthy men aged 21 to 35.
7. Makes your skin glow
Walnuts are rich in B-vitamins and
antioxidants which prevents your skin from
free radical damage and prevents wrinkles
and signs of ageing. So if you want glowing
skin long into your middle-age, eat
walnuts.
8. Can keep dementia at bay
Eating walnuts everyday can help ward off
dementia, say scientists. In the study, Dr.
Abha Chauhan and his team from the New
York State Institute found that mice
deprived of walnuts suffered a dramatic
loss in learning, memory and physical and
emotional control. According to the results,
vitamin E and flavanoids in walnuts helped
destroy harmful free radical chemicals that
cause dementia.
9. Prevents pancreatic cancer
A new study has found that consumption of
nuts, including walnuts, is inversely
associated with risk of pancreatic cancer,
independent of other potential risk factors
for pancreatic cancer. Researchers looked
at the association between nut
consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer
among 75,680 women in the Nurses' Health
Study, with no previous history of cancer. It
was observed that the women who
consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts two
or more times per week had a significantly
reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared
to those who largely abstained from nuts.
10. Helps you live longer
Eating a handful of walnuts just thrice a
week is the key to a longer life, a study has
found. Scientists discovered that these
edible seeds cut the risk of dying from
cancer by 40 per cent and from
cardiovascular disease by at least 55 per
cent. In general, nut eaters in the research
had a 39 per cent lesser risk of death and
walnut eaters in particular a 45 per cent
reduced threat. Researchers have also
found that eating a polyphenol rich diet can
help you live longer.
11. Great for pregnant women
Mothers-to-be who eat a diet rich in fatty
acids such as those found in walnuts can
reduce the baby's chances of developing
food allergies, researchers say. The
research found that if a mother's diet
contains a certain group of polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFAs), the baby”s gut
develops differently. The PUFAs are
thought to improve how gut immune cells
respond to bacteria and foreign substances,
making the baby less likely to suffer from
allergies.
12. Lowers bosom cancer risk
The researchers at the Marshall University
found that a daily dose of walnuts – equal
to 2 ounces a day in humans – reduces the
growth of bosom cancer tumors in mice.
Lead researcher Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of
Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of
Medicine, and colleagues studied the mice
from the mother, through conception and
throughout life. They then compared mice
given walnuts to those fed a regular
diet. The research found that the group
whose diet included walnut at both stages
developed bosom cancer at less than half
the rate of the group with the typical diet. In
addition, the number of tumors and their
sizes were significantly smaller.
14. Can fight stress
If daily stress is taking a toll on your
health, it's time to eat walnuts, as they help
fight stress, according to a study. The
researchers found that including walnuts
and walnut oil in the diet lowered both
resting blood pressure and blood pressure
responses to stress in the laboratory.
Walnuts are a rich source of fibre,
antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids,
particularly alpha linolenic acid, an
omega-3 fatty acid.

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Top 10 Lucrative Farming Businesses

 

Goat rearing in Kenya

Farming in Nigeria has taken a dramatic turn to better directions in recent years, creating jobs and opportunities for Entrepreneurs who dare to go into Farming Business. Millionaires are made every year through Farming in Nigeria and there is simply no end to the prospects of creating more wealth in Nigerian Farms in the coming years.
There are good reasons why Farming in Nigeria is currently doing well, and understanding these reasons will help any serious Entrepreneur (no matter where he comes from) to think seriously about setting up Farms in Nigeria. There isn’t any other African country where Farming is as viable as it should be in Nigeria in terms of productivity and profitability. And there is no other country where farmers are more advantaged as they are in Nigeria — take a look at my top five reasons you need to start Farming in Nigeria.
5 Reasons Why Farming in Nigeria is Irresistible
(1) Nigeria has a huge population of over 150 Million people, twice more than the populations of Zimbabwe and South Africa combined. The entire population of Nigeria depends on staple foods produced from farms and other farm produces for their daily meals and sustenance — and more than 80 percent of Nigerians buy their Farm Produce from the market.
(2) Nigeria has very large expanses of fertile farmlands laying fallow for nothing. Nigeria Land area when measured in sq. km is 910,770. The Land area of any country is the country’s total area, excluding areas that are considered to be water bodies. So, Nigeria has one of the biggest expanse of Land in Africa of which 70 percent is available for Farming.
(3) Nigeria Government is seriously turning it’s attention to promoting Farming in Nigeria to help boost food productions in the country and minimize foods importation. The government is willing to assist any would be Farming Entrepreneur with the necessary supports and logistics. But not funds
(4) Nigerians have very high purchasing power, far more than any other indigenous Africans — we buy things here and we pay cash! Talk about parties, Nigeria is the most merriment people on earth — the foods used for parties and merriment in Nigeria can feed four other African countries.
(5) By the time Nigeria attain it’s full capacity utilization is agriculture, Farming in Nigeria will become great foreign currency earner more than as it already is. The implication is that Nigerian Farmers will be able to earn in Naira and in Dollars as well as Euros and Pound Sterling.Â
The prospect for Farming in Nigeria is high it. Having said that, let’s take a closer look at some of the types of Farming that can do very well in Nigeria.
1. Rice Farming – Nigeria has one of the world’s highest Rice consumption stat. Rice is by far one of the most popular staple food among Nigerians, almost everyone eats rice daily in Nigeria. In 2011 alone, Nigeria spent N991 Billion on Rice importation and the rice we import is said to be nothing less than 10 years old in storage. That means we spends billions buying Rice that has since lost it’s nutritional value.
Any Entrepreneur in Nigeria who go into Rice Farming is sure to be smiling to the bank. A bag of Rice is currently sold for N8,000 to N10,000 depending on the quality. Any Farmer who is able to invest in large scale Rice Farming in Nigeria and produce 100,000 Bags of processed Rice in a year and sell at wholesale price of about N7,000 per bag, he will be making 7,000 x 100,000 = N700,000,000 ($5.5 Million)
2. Cassava Farming -The popularity of cassava as the major source of food for Nigerians dates back to ages. Between Garri and Rice, it’s hard to tell which one is the most popular as both are the most consumed food staples in Nigeria — I think if one is King the other will be Queen.
A bag of Garri costs almost the same as a bag of rice, and apart from Garri — there are tens of other food stuffs that are processed from Cassava in Nigeria. The introduction of the high yield species of Cassava has made it possible for Nigerian Cassava Farmers to produce more Cassava per plot. Nearly every land in Nigeria is good for growing Cassava and 1 Acre, when properly planted and managed can produce N2,000,000 worth of Cassava in a year!
3. Plantain Plantation – One thing I like about Plantain is that when planted once, it keeps producing year in year out for eternity. Like Rice and Garri, Plantain is widely consumed in Nigeria and you know — any food that is popular in Nigeria is always a huge income earner due to the population of the country.
I really haven’t seen Farmers in Nigeria taking advantage of the opportunity in Plantain Farming to create wealth for themselves. Plantain is highly priced in Nigeria and is always in high demand all year round. Fry it, Boil it, Roast it — it will never get angry with you, that’s how liberal Plantain is. I can tell you, Millions of Naira is currently lying fallow untapped in this sector of Farming in Nigeria.
4. Poultry Farming – Everyone knows how ‘Cashy’ this one is, it doesn’t need much introduction and yet it’s still not fully tapped in Nigeria. What we currently have in Nigeria are few badly managed, scantily equipped poultry farms here and there. I’m yet to see a full fledged, high tech Poultry Farm in Nigeria as it is in The USA and Europe except Obasanjo’s Farm
Any serious Entrepreneur who is able to fire this up will have huge Cash profit to contend with. The reason is because Nigerians eat chicken more than Snake and 70% of our consumption still base on importation. The egg is yet another goldmine!
5. Pineapple Farming – Money is sweet, everything sweet is money, and Pineapple is sweet – Ask any Australian Farmer and he will tell you how huge the income in Pineapple Farming is in their country. Any juice maker that doesn’t have Pineapple flavor variety in his product line is not yet in business. That tells you how popular Pineapple is, not only in Nigeria but Worldwide.
Nigeria seems to have better soil for Pineapple Farming than Australia where Farmers are making it big in the business. A Pineapple sells in Mile-12 market in Lagos for about N200 — If you are able to harvest one million in a year, you’ll be sure of at least N80 x 1,000,000 = N80,000,000
6. Beans Farming – A bag of Beans costs twice more than a bag of Rice and Garri the Northern Nigerians are making it big in Beans Farming, supplying almost all Nigeria and beyond. But one thing is that, this same Beans also can do very well in the South East, South West, and South South Nigeria soils. So why only the North?
7. Catfish Farming – Catfish Business is really hyping in Nigeria right now but how many are really getting it right? Get it right and you’re in money. A single Catfish sells for N700 in Restaurants and about N400 in open market.
8. Goat Rearing – It’s only in the North that Goat is reared in commercial quantity. I don’t know why we so looked down on Farming Investment in the South even though there are millions to be made in this business. Why would you chose to sell used shoes in Oshodi and make few thousands of Naira yearly than to engage in productive Farm Business and make millions of Naira? In The USA and Australia, Farmers are among the Richest people – Get involved in professional Goat rearing and make money for yourself.
9. Snail Farming – I see Snail Farming really picking up in Nigeria very soon — but if you don’t hurry up, others would have made the money before you realized what you have missed. The potential in this business for you is about N50,000,000 Annual revenue.
10. Maize Farming – You never know the profit in Maize Farming in Nigeria until you try it, and one thing I like about it is that everything happens fast. It takes less than Four months between planting and harvesting.

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Ten Health Benefits of Pumpkin Leaves(Ugu)

Back where I come from, we call these green “ugwu” or “ugu”, and most Nigerians have no idea what the English name is (like most local foods) it is known  as pumpkin leaves. My grandmother used to say this was a great vegetable to blend and mix with juices and stuff, but way back then, as a child, I could never understand why someone would want to blend a vegetable. And it didn’t have the best texture in the world. Now, look at me, blending all sorts of greens!
This vegetable is used a lot in Nigeria to cook soups (what you may refer to as a sauce), to boil and eat plain, or to blend into a shake. People say it is healthy, but I don’t think people truly know what those health benefits are.
Pumpkin leaves contain a healthy amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron, while still staying very low on the calorie front.
We all know about the vision benefits vitamin A provides, as well as the skin benefits. Vitamin C helps to heal wounds and form scar tissue, and maintain healthy bones, skin, and teeth. However since the body cannot produce this vitamin on its own or even store it, you should be consistently getting enough vitamin C in your diet.
As for calcium, your mother probably already told you growing up that you need a healthy dose of calcium for your bones and teeth as a child. However, if you are a female, it is important to consume enough calcium to help prevent osteoporosis and keep your bones strong. There have also been studies showing that calcium may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular failure.
Iron helps our muscles store and use oxygen, and helps carry oxygen from our lungs to other parts of our bodies as part of hemoglobin. If you’ve ever heard the term “anemia”, this can be caused by iron deficiency. Women and children in particular need a healthy dose of iron consistently, and these leaves help provide that nutrient naturally.'
 
Some of the health benefits of pumpkin leave include:
1. Prevention of convulsion: The young leaves sliced and mixed with coconut water and salt are stored in a bottle and used for the treatment of convulsion in ethno medicine.
2 lowers cholesterol:leaves has hypolipdemic effect and may be a useful therapy in hypercholestolemia.
3 Boost fertility: A particular study showed that pumpkin has the potential to regenerate testicular damage and also increase spermatogenesis.
4. It has a liver protecting effects.
5.  It has antibacterial effects

6 .The leaves are rich in iron and play a key role in the cure of anaemia, (my mother used to mix the leaf extract with milk)
7. They are also noted for lactating properties and are in high demand for nursing mothers.
8.It has an hypoglycaemic (sugar reducing) effect. It is good for diabetics
9. Increases Blood Volume and Boost Immune System
10. The high protein content in leaves of plants such as pumpkin could have supplementary effect for the daily protein requirement of the body.

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Health Benefits Of Sugarcane Exposed

Sugarcane is a form of grass that belongs to Poaceae family. It is native to the regions of the Old World, ranging from warm temperate ones to tropical ones. Sugarcanes have a stout, jointed and fibrous stalk, which can measure 2 to 6 meters in height. They are rich in sugar and today, are being grown in over 200 countries of the world. In 2005, Brazil was the largest producer of sugarcane in the world, followed by India. Apart from being the source of sugar, sugarcanes are also consumed in the raw form, especially in India. The juice from sugarcane is also very healthy and is loaded with a range of essential nutrients. Cane juice is a natural high-energy drink, which makes it a healthy alternative to refined sugar added drinks. The health and nutrition benefits that result from consuming sugarcane, in the raw form as well as in the form of juice, have been listed below.  

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Sugarcanes \
 

• Sugarcane, being low on glycemic index, helps keep the body fit and healthy.
• Sugarcane juice has been found to be very beneficial for preventing as well as treating sore throat, cold and flu.
• Since sugarcane has no simple sugar, it can be enjoyed by diabetics without any fear. However, they intake should still be limited for people suffering from type-2 diabetes.
• Being alkaline in nature, sugarcane juice helps the body in fighting against cancer, especially prostate and breast cancer.
• Sugarcane provides glucose to the body, which is stored as glycogen and burned by the muscles, whenever they require energy. Therefore, it is considered to be one of the best sources of energy.
• If you have been exposed to heat and physical activity for too long, drink sugarcane juice. It will help hydrate the body quickly.
• Sugarcane is believed to strengthen stomach, kidneys, heart, eyes, brain, and sex organs.
• Sugarcane juice is an excellent substitute for aerated drinks and cola.
• Sugarcane clears the urinary flow and also helps the kidney to perform its functions smoothly.
• Sugarcane juice has been found to be good for those who are suffering from febrile disorders. Febrile disorders are responsible for causing fevers, which can result in a great amount of protein loss from the body. Liberal consumption of sugar cane juice provides the necessary protein and other food elements to the body.
• Sugarcane is beneficial for micturation, caused due to high acidity, along with genorrhoea, enlarged prostate, cyctitis and nepthritis. Mixing sugarcane juice with lime juice, ginger juice and coconut water will give better results.
• Sugarcane juice is said to speed up the recovery process after jaundice.
• As sugarcane consists of carbohydrates, in good quantities, it serves to refresh and energize the body. It supplies instant energy to working muscles and for this reason, it is also known to maximize performance in sports and endurance.
• Sugarcane is also good for digestion, as it can effectively work as a mild laxative because of its high potassium content.

Read more at http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-sugarcane-1882.html#sLIdLLKMYy804xTd.99

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Five Reasons to Eat Watermelon

Studies link the summer treat to many health benefits.

Ear-deep in watermelon, a boy eats a juicy slice at a festival.

1. It soothes sore muscles.
According to a new study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, drinking watermelon juice before a hard workout helped reduce athletes' heart rate and next-day muscle soreness. That's because watermelon is rich in an amino acid called L-citrulline, which the body converts to L-arginine, an essential amino acid that helps relax blood vessels and improve circulation.
The study's seven participants, all men, were given 17 ounces (500 mL) of either natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched with additional citrulline, or a placebo drink an hour before their workouts. Interestingly, the natural juice was just as effective as the enriched juice. The researchers also determined that intestinal cells can absorb more citrulline from watermelon juice than from citrulline supplements, especially when the juice is unpasteurized.

2. It helps heart health.

Postmenopausal women experienced improved cardiovascular health after six weeks of taking commercially available watermelon extract supplements containing citrulline and arginine, according to a study published earlier this year by Florida State University physiologist Arturo Figueroa.

And in a 2012 study—also led by Figueroa—such supplements helped alleviate high blood pressure in obese, middle-aged adults. (Not surprisingly, he's received two grants from the Watermelon Promotion Board.)

3. It could be a natural Viagra.

Improved circulation can benefit more than just the heart, as at least one watermelon researcher has pointed out. But you'd probably have to eat an awful lot to achieve the desired effect--and eating too much could cause unfortunate side effects, since watermelon has long had a reputation as a natural diuretic.

4. It's rich in vitamins and minerals, but low in calories.

Given its name, you might assume the fruit has little nutritional value—and it is more than 90 percent water. But a 10-ounce (300-mL) wedge of watermelon packs in about one-third of the recommended daily value of vitamins A and C, as well as a modest amount of potassium (9 percent of the daily value).

5. It could even combat cancer.

Watermelon is among the best dietary sources of lycopene, an antioxidant linked to both the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, although scientists are still investigating the details of that connection.

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