chatwithketch

Are you one of those people who start out with noble intentions…wanting to eat vegetables but ending up dousing them in lots of oil and totally destroying any chance of the survival of any nutrient with the excessive cooking? Well these tips are for you. Listen up. Here are our top five tips for handling and cooking our vegetables in a healthy way.

1. When you buy vegetables in the market, buy them whole. Do not have them cut in the market. When you do this, you are exposing the very fragile water soluble vitamins in the vegetables to the air and denaturing them. And then you still have to wash them before use…this leads to bleeding out of the essential nutrients through the cut ends of the vegetables.
2. Then do not fry or over cook the vegetables. Just lightly steam them in a pot with some spices as desired. Heat can actually break down and destroy 15-20% of some of the vitamins in vegetables.
3. Research has shown that for vegetables like carrots, boiling is the best way of preserving the nutrients in carrots and sweet potatoes. Be sure to leave their skins on until after cooking. The anti-oxidant effect of tomatoes are also more pronounced after cooking.
4. Stir-frying. As the name suggests, this involves lightly greasing a pan with oil and continually stirring your thinly cut vegetables or cubed chicken breasts. Emphasis on the words lightly greasing. For best for best results and shorter cooking time, use a really hot pan or wok
5. You can poach your vegetables in hot fluid…could be hot water, hot vegetable or meat stock. This preserves the nutrients and gives awesome flavour especially when poached in stock.

Now, I share one of my veggie recipes with you…

This recipe started off as a concoction I made when I had left-over beans and wanted to do something with it. It has become a staple diet for me 🙂

Cut up some tomatoes, pepper and onions. I like to use a lot of tomatoes (like 10 big, fresh tomatoes just for me 😀 Greed, aye?). Use as much or as few as you like. I also like to use a lot of pepper.

Get a spoonful (cooking spoon) of leftover boiled beans (bean porridge or plain beans) or boil up some.

Pick, wash and cut a small head of green leafy veggies (I usually use pumpkin leaves but you can use any green leafy vegetable you like)

Add about a teaspoon of oil. I usually use just a drop or so of Olive oil. You can use this or any good quality oil or you can actually do without the oil. Then add the tomatoes, pepper and onions. I cook until the raw tomato taste is gone.

Add some ground crayfish and/or flaked dry fish, if you have it. Then, add boiled beans and stir all together until nice and thick.
Finally, turn off the heat and add the cut veggies. Allow the heat from the sauce to cook the veggies.

I usually eat this alone. You can also eat with unripe plantain or with yam etc. Remember to mind your portions!

Feel free to tinker with this recipe and let me know the result.

Have a great weekend!

Hi Dr. Ketch, I am a 22-year old boy. My father died of diabetes and most of his brothers are also infected with the disease. Not only that, my elder brother told me that our grandfather could have died of the same disease long ago in the village. Is there any chance for us, the children, to fall on the same line of the diabetes? If so, how can we prevent it?

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, yes, if you have a family history (parents or siblings) of diabetes mellitus, you are more likely to have the same condition. BUT, that does not mean that you will have the condition. Having a positive family history is like having a loaded gun. The gun may be loaded for hundreds of years and cause no harm….provided nobody pulls the trigger. The problem only starts when the trigger is pulled. In the same way, having risk factors is like having a loaded gun. Going ahead to do things that increase your risk like not eating right or not exercising, is definitely pulling the trigger.

Find below, a reminder class on diabetes mellitus with potential triggers.

Usually starchy foods we eat are converted to glucose. The body, in response to the presence of glucose in the blood, releases insulin from the pancreas. The insulin helps the glucose to move into the cells where it is needed. In Diabetes Mellitus, it is either insulin is no longer or barely being produced (Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus) or the insulin is being produced in insufficient amounts or the cells no longer responds to the insulin prod (stimulus. The latter is called Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

There is little or nothing that can be done to prevent Type 1 as it is not yet clear what causes the body to destroy the cells that produce insulin in the body. People with this type of DM will require insulin injections. However, people with Type 2 DM can control their DM using a combination of diet and exercise (staying lean and staying active). With time though, they may require oral drugs and/or insulin.

Now, how do we make exercise a part of our day? You need at least 30 minutes daily. The requirement per week is 150 minutes and so you could do 30 minutes on 5 days of the week or 1 hour on 3 days of the week. Just break it up and find ways of doing the things you love in a more active way. Activity/exercise ideas are pillow fights, arm wrestling, taking walks, dancing, joining a gym, jumping jacks during commercial breaks etc. At work, being more active speaks to getting up and walking on the spot whenever you get a phone call, walking to the printer to pick up documents and walking to colleagues’ desks to ask questions/confirm issues, walking over to the bank ATM instead of driving there, using the stairs and not the elevators, installing an exercise/activity reminder on your computer to remind you to get active if you forget to do any of the above 😀

How can we make healthy foods the easier choice? Surround yourself with the right foods. Fresh fruits, veggies, dried fruits (which can also be added t nuts), nuts, dairy like yoghurt etc Then make the right choices. It’s one thing to buy up all the healthy things that have been suggested, it’s another to eat them and not reach for the doughnut that your colleague just brought into the office. In our high powered, we-are-all-busy-racing-to-somewhere world, eating breakfast may sound like a luxury, few can afford, but guess what? Studies have shown that eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity and Diabetes. So, whether you’re skipping breakfast because you think you don’t have time or because you want to lose weight by kipping meals, it’s bad news. So, how can you ensure that you’re not only eating breakfast but eating the right foods?

Here are our tips for eating a healthy breakfast on the run:

Oatmeal is always a great idea. Rich in fiber which reduce cholesterol and help protect your heart and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. If you’re not a huge fan of oatmeal, you could sprinkle some cinnamon on it and be sure to take with skimmed milk. Another idea for oatmeal I learnt from a chef is overnight oats. Soak your oats with milk and unsweetened yoghurt overnight (just enough to cover the oats). Cover and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bring out and sprinkle some cinnamon, add some apple or banana slices, a couple of nuts (optional)…and you’ve got a delicious bowl of healthy deliciousness in your hands! Some whole wheat/grain cereals (unsweetened) also not go amiss. Whole grain bread with peanut or almond butter (peanut butter is just ground up peanuts or groundnuts), an egg with a cup of fresh juice or some fruit slices also sounds good If you want to go for a smoothie, be sure to add some veggies (carrots, a handful of green leafy veggies etc) to ensure it is super healthy and not just another sugar rush 😀

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Good evening Doctor.
Please I have a pressing need which is bothering me.
I’m a male, was diagnosed of candidiasis last year and I treated it with
some pills that was prescribed for me. Few months later the symptoms came back
gradually but I didn’t do anything to it. Just last week Thursday, I started
feeling some sensation like looks like mild vibration in my penis, and
continuous itching and I was planning to take some pill. The vibration stopped on Sunday 23rd
January. Yesterday being 22nd, I
started noticing some colorless discharge from my penis and this is the first time I’m experiencing the discharge and I don’t know what to do because I
have never had any sexual contact/intercourse since 2017. Please help me
because I’m confused and don’t know what to do.

Hi! Thanks for writing in.

Candidiasis, which is a yeast infection caused by Candida albicans, can occur in both men and women. This yeast (fungus) occurs naturally in the human body especially in warm, moist areas like the genitals and mouth. It usually does not cause problems unless certain conditions occur to upset the delicate balance between good bacteria and the fungi, making the latter to multiply.

Candidiasis is very common in diabetics (the sugar in their urine makes the genitals a rich culture medium for them), in obese people and those whose immune systems are compromised. It also happens in people who take a lot of antibiotics destroying the good bacteria as described earlier.

Personal hygiene plays a role in genital thrush. If you do not dry your penis properly after a bath, the warm, moist environment encourages yeast to grow and thrive. Perfumed soaps can irritate the skin of the penis, making thrush more likely. Though this infection can be passed on through sexual intercourse, it’s not really called an STI because people who are not sexually active can be infected with this.

Symptoms of genital thrush in men include:

·       Irritation, itching or burning on the tip of the penis or under the foreskin

·       Thick, whitish discharge under the foreskin, which may look like cottage cheese or egusi

·       Redness under the foreskin or tip of penis

·       Difficulty pulling back the foreskin of the penis

Treatment is usually with anti-fungal cream and/or tablet.

Until treatment is complete, please avoid sexual intercourse to avoid infecting your partner. Actulally, both of you should be treated at the same time.mIf you must, please use a condom. To prevent re-infections, remember to clean your penis after a bath, wear loose fitting, cotton under-pants, avoid perfumed soaps and generally keep penis cool and dry.

Since I’m not sure your first diagnosis was made by a doctor, I suggest you see a doctor to confirm that this is indeed thrush and not some other condition.

I hope this helps.

Good night, everyone 😀

‘There is a common misconception that there is an exact amount of sleep that the body requires. The necessary hours of sleep can vary, as some people can require as little as five hours or as much as nine hours to function optimally.’

Want to know more? Click on the link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/snored-to-death-the-symptoms-and-dangers-of-untreated-sleep-apnea-2017021311159

Good evening Doctor. I personally appreciate the passion you have for your work, pertaining that you help hundreds of people out here, without charging us the consultation fees.
Q- I am currently 18 years old and I have a problem with my sinuses, they severely ache at least three times in one month since I was 16. I never had a problem with my sinuses in my childhood age, this just stated when I was 16. I do not want to resort to surgical removal of them, could you please recommend the best treatment of them as far as prevention (from aching) and prescriptions are concerned. Your help will be wholeheartedly appreciated.

A: Thanks for your kind words!

Facial/sinus pain usually occurs as a symptom of sinusitis. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses (air cavities) that line the nose. When these air cavities (which are supposed to be filled by air) become filled with fluid as a result of blockage, bacteria, fungi and viruses can thrive in this environment and cause infection. Pus-like nasal discharge, reduced sense of smell or taste, blocked nose, toothache, bad breath, facial pain/pain around cheeks, forehead and eyes and persistence of symptoms for more than a week, maybe suggestive of this.

Simple DIY treatment tips include getting lots of rest and lots of fluids, warm compress (place a warm towel to your face several times a day), analgesics for the pain, clean your nose with salt water solution or better still, buy a saline spray. Avoid irritants of the nose like smoke and use a humidifier, which loosens the mucous. Turning on the hot water shower and inhaling the steam is another great idea.

If these symptoms persist as in this case, you may need to return to your doctor who may now prescribe steroid nasal sprays to reduce the inflammation/swelling of the sinuses, antibiotics if there is an associated infection or an anti-histamine if an allergy is suspected.

If these do not help, then you will be referred to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeon who may perform surgery to widen your sinuses.

So, you have a couple of options. Please see your doctor as soon as possible to determine what is more feasible in your case.

All the best!

Good night y’all 😀

Hello y’all!

As you go about doing your household grocery shopping today, be reminded to prevent cross-contamination. How? I’ll give you five top tips for preventing cross–contamination while shopping.

1.      If you go to the open market, be sure to go with enough shopping bags. That way you can separate your raw meats/fish from your other foods.

2.      If you shop in grocery stores, separate the foods in the shopping cart. You could use the shopping carts that have two baskets. Use one for your fish and meats and use the other for your other foods.

3.      When checking out your purchases at the grocery shops, ensure that the attendants keep these foodstuff separate. In addition, keep dry foods separate from wet/refrigerated foods. This keeps the different foodstuff fresh until you get home and store them appropriately.

4.      Maintain this separation in the car, bus or taxi that you will take home. It may be more convenient to pack everything in one bag, but I assure you it is unhealthy! J

5.      Finally, before you start cooking when you get home, be sure to wash your hands as you have handled money and loads of foodstuff which may have deposited myriads of germs on your hands.

Harmful bacteria can pass to raw foods to other food produce some of which we even eat raw. These germs may not cause much harm to adults but could cause very serious infections in children and other people with fragile immune systems.

If we keep our foods safe from contamination from the time we buy them to the time we take them home, we have a better chance of ensuring they are fresh and delivering the right nutrients to us by the time we cook them.

Have a great weekend!

Q: Greetings Dr. Ketch, I am 31 years old – in the journey of trying to get pregnant. I had a miscarriage in March 2017; before then, earlier in 2016, I was diagnosed with fibroids. I had a myomectomy to take out the fibroids and eventually the following year that’s 2017 I conceived but had a miscarriage. Since then, over 6months now I have been unable to conceive again. Please doctor advise me on tips and what am supposed to do
A: Not being able to have a child at the time that we expect it can be a harrowing experience…especially in Africa where a couple of months into your marriage, family members and even outsiders are beginning to look at you in suggestive ways. Some actually ask outright, ‘when are you guys planning to start having babies?’
However, in the medical world, we can only agree that perhaps there might be an issue after one full year of trying to have babies with no luck. This, however, implies that there is frequent and unprotected sexual intercourse. Frequency in this respect means that sexual intercourse should be at least 3 times in a week. Unprotected means that there should be no barrier protection like a condom. Don’t laugh…this has been known to happen. People use a condom and then expect to get pregnant J The ejaculate (semen) should also be of significant volume.

Therefore, if this has been established to have been happening for one year, the next thing is to run tests. The less ‘invasive’ tests are usually done first. This usually involves the husband who provides his semen for analysis. Other tests will now be run on the wife, which presumably has already happened in the case above.

Some causes of infertility in men include problems with the production of sperm, problems with the delivery of sperm, being exposed to environmental toxins (like sitting in hot tubs) and cancer.

Some causes of infertility in women include problems with ovulation, problems with the uterus and cervix, blockage or damage of the fallopian tube, thyroid problems, cancer etc. Fibroids may or may not cause inability to have a pregnancy. It depends on size and position. Big fibroids in the area of the womb where a baby is meant to implant may cause a miscarriage or indeed, failure of the fertilized embryo to implant. Your doctor will take a decision on what to do with the fibroids based on size, symptoms etc., if this is still a problem.

Other risk factors for both sexes include use of alcohol and tobacco, being overweight or even underweight and age (the older people get, the more difficult it is to get pregnant).
Where a problem is identified, this is taken care of through various options like the use of drugs or surgery.

Oftentimes, no reason can be found for infertility. In these instances, the couple may want to consider assisted reproduction. Your doctor will discuss the different options available in your area and if you can afford it, he will suggest other centers where better facilities exist.

Prevention of infertility is targeted at the risk factors. Quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, exercise moderately and keep your weight within normal limits.
Infertility is really nerve wracking, because nobody has an idea how long it’s going to last or what treatments are going to work best. Joining support groups and/or counseling sessions may be helpful during this period of waiting, patiently and prayerfully J

On your miscarriage….condolences on the loss of your baby. It is never an easy experience for anyone to go through.

Unfortunately, often times, the cause of a miscarriage is not identified. You need to understand this so that you don’t blame yourself unduly. Having said that though, first trimester miscarriages are mainly due to problems with the baby/fetus. These problems could be due to problems with the placenta. This is how the baby receives its nutrients in the womb and so, if this organ cannot deliver, a miscarriage might occur. There may also be a problem with the baby’s chromosomes, such that a baby may receive too many or too few genetic materials or there may be a damaged egg/sperm. Other associated risk factors include smoking and drinking alcohol, being overweight, malnutrition, increased maternal age, trauma and drug abuse. By the way, trimester is 3 months of pregnancy. Therefore, first trimester refers to the 1st three months, 2nd trimester, the 2nd three months and 3rd trimester, the last three months

To try for a pregnancy again, remember to ensure there is unprotected sexual intercourse at least three times a week with ejaculation of sufficient amounts of semen. You should start on folic acid supplements as soon as you can, to prepare you and baby for the journey ahead.

To prevent a recurrence, focus on ensuring that you stay healthy and do not indulge in harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Other helpful tips include eating healthy, keeping weight within normal parameters, avoiding trauma and not abusing drugs.

In addition, as soon as you get pregnant again, you should register for antenatal as soon as possible and keep to your appointments religiously.

For more on this topic, please click on the link below:
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/06/02/daily-health-tips-what-should-i-do-to-conceive-again-after-a-miscarriage/

All the best!

Q: Hello Doc I want to know why there is hole in my tooth I can(not) drink water with eas(e)y on that side of my tooth (be)cause of the coldness I will receive.

A: Tooth aches are mainly due to tooth decay, which may give rise to a hole in the tooth.

How does a tooth get to the point of a cavity/hole? There are bacteria that live naturally in the mouth. When we eat foods rich in sugar and starch, the bacteria act on these foods and produce acids. These acids can eat away at the enamel covering of teeth. If these foods are eaten often, serious damage can be done to the teeth leading to the formation of cavities and subsequent decay as the acid eats its way through the enamel and may even get to the nerve ending! Imagine the quantum of pain, this person will experience!

What to do? You need to see your dentist asap. In the meantime, gargle with warm water and take some analgesics. Remember not to go over the recommended dosage. Use dental floss to remove food debris in between teeth.

To prevent this, be sure to remember and follow the rule of twos: brush your teeth twice a day, brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes (brushing up and down in circular motions) and see your dentist at least twice a year. Use fluoride-containing toothpaste. How do you find this? Walk into any shop or supermarket and read the ingredients on the pack. If it states that it has fluoride in it, you’re on the right path 😀 Limit your intake of sugary substances…make them occasional treats and if you do take them, please rinse out your mouth or better still, brush your teeth. Be sure to brush your teeth last thing before you go to bed. If you eat afterwards and take in sugary stuff, the acid produced really has time to eat away at your teeth while you’re sleeping as a result of the fact that less saliva is produced.

I hope y’all had a great day 😀