The benefits of fiber in diet.

The benefits of fiber in diet.The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. However, some experts estimate as much as 95 percent of the population don’t ingest this much fiber. Fiber is essential for regular bowel movements, cholesterol and blood sugar management, healthy gut bacteria, and preventing chronic disease, among other functions. In populations that eat a regular high-fiber diet of more than 50 grams of fiber per day, like rural South Africans, chronic diseases such as colon cancer are very low. This is a stark contrast to the much higher risk of colon cancer among African-Americans who eat a higher fat diet with only about 15 grams of fiber per day. In general, it’s better to get fiber from the food you eat than from supplements. This is because high-fiber foods also have important vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. There are two main types of fiber. Each type of fiber plays a different role in digestion: 1) Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines. It also helps balance the pH in your intestine, and may prevent diverticulitis, an inflammation of the intestine, as well as colon cancer. e.g oats,apples,oranges etc. 2) Soluble fiber attracts water and forms a gel-like substance with food as it’s digested. This in turn slows down digestion and helps you feel full faster, which is important in weight management. It may also help lower your risk of heart disease, regulate your blood sugar, and help reduce LDL cholesterol.e.g garri,wheat bran etc. Fermentable fibers can be from both these categories, though more often soluble fibers are fermented. Fibers fermented by bacteria help increase the bacteria in the colon, which aids digestion.

Cassava: Nutritional benefits of cassava.

Nutritional benefits of cassava.Cassava is a perennial, usually grown in tropical climates, very simply propagated by using a cut portion of the stem. The roots, often compared to large yams, can weigh several pounds.The leaves are also used for food and contain 100 times more protein than the root, but both must be cooked and the water discarded. Cassava roots are close to what is known as white potatoes, cassava contains almost twice the calories, and may be the highest-calorie tuber known. One cup of boiled cassava contains 330 calories, 78 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein and 4 grams each of fiber and sugar. Cassava is naturally gluten-free is extremely useful for celiac patients and others trying to avoid gluten. One aspect of cassava is that it's one of several root foods defined by the Philippines' Department of Science and Technology as having a low glycemic index (GI) and therefore good for diabetics. GI is a classification of food based on the blood glucose response to a food relative to a standard glucose solution. Low glycemic foods control the release of glucose into the bloodstream at a steady and sustained rate, keeping the body's metabolic processes and energy levels balanced. People with low glycemic diets or [who] eat low glycemic foods are said to have lower risk of getting coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These food items that have low GI would benefit those who are already suffering from diabetes, since these would help in the proper control and management of blood sugar. As a low-GI food, eating cassava can also help improve physical endurance because blood glucose levels are moderated instead of dropping when insulin is produced. Low-GI foods also may help control triglyceride and other lipid levels in your blood. Cassava has even been called a "weight loss wonder food" due to its ability to decrease appetite and decrease fat storage in fat cells. B-complex vitamins contained in cassava include folate, thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). The root also includes a number of minerals that perform important functions throughout your body.Cassava also contains saponins that can ease inflammation, break down organic body wastes like uric acid, cleanse mineral deposits from your joints and help balance your gut flora.

26 Amazing Benefits Of Cassava For Skin, Hair, And Health.

26 Amazing Benefits Of Cassava For Skin, Hair, And Health.Cassava is a tropical root that can be used along with potatoes, carrots, radishes and other tubers. Cassava is also used in flour, which is a kind of starch required in kitchens around the globe. Dry cassava flour can also be bought from grocery stores. The leaves of cassava can be used to prepare food as well as the leaves have higher protein content when compared to the nutrients found in the roots of cassava. Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Cassava is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. CASSAVA VALUE CHAIN AND FOOD SECURITY. Cassava can be processed into various products such as garri,tapioca, cake,bread and flakes. Cassava processed into garri otherwise called cassava flakes is one of the most common products and this delicacy enjoyed by all classes of people and all age groups. Skin Benefits Of Cassava are as follows; 1)Smoothens And Brightens Your Complexion The peel of cassava plants can be used as a skin exfoliator. You can split the peels, make a fresh paste out of it and use it as a scrub. Brush the face well for a few minutes and wash it off with cold water. Do this thrice a week to get good results. 2) Great Face Mask Cassava plants also act as great face masks. Before you prepare your face mask, make sure you have washed your face with warm water. This will help in opening up the pores. The cassava mask will easily get absorbed and improve the texture and condition of your skin. Once you have washed your face, wait for it to dry completely. You may now rinse with cold water so that the pores close. Use your fingers to dry them. Doing this thrice a week will prevent and eliminate scars and impart a healthy glow in return. 3) Hydrates The Skin Cassava can also hydrate your skin tone and make it smooth and soft. You will have to prepare a mask for this one at home. Take cassava plant roots with some honey or olive oil. You can combine it with a fruit too. A few drops of will also do.continue

AfDB to invest $120 million to boost cassava, others.

AfDB to invest $120 million to boost cassava, others.In the next 2-3 years, the African Development Bank (AfDB) will be investing $120 million to increase productivity and transform cassava and other commodities on the continent. Dr. Martin Fregene, Director for Agriculture at AfDB, who made this known at the Fourth International conference on cassava, organized by the Global Cassava Partnerships for the 21st Century (GCP21), In Cotonou, Republic of Benin on Monday, said modifying cassava on the continent would aid African nations in reducing imports, thereby diverting about $1.2 billion into domestic economies. He said cassava is a strategic crop for food security and also the creation of wealth for women and youth in Africa. The largest volume of cassava comes from Africa, where it supports more than 350 million people.

Cassava :How Farmers Can Earn N10trn From Cassava Processing.

How Farmers Can Earn N10trn From Cassava Processing.Nigeria is the highest producer of cassava in the world with over 40 mil­lion metric tonnes per annum. About 60 per cent of Nigerian farmers are in­volved in cassava production because it is one of the food security crops. Cassava roots can grow on any soil in Nigeria and it is virtually grown in the 36 states of the federation. It is very resistant to drought and sur­vives in a variety of soils. But today investors are yet to understand the untapped investment opportunities and farmers hardly see cassava crop as avenue to hit hard currency. GROWING and producing cassava for local consumption, processing for industrial use and meeting the stan­dard of exportation is a huge invest­ment that can transform Nigeria’s economy with its potential to earn over N10 trillion annually and turn individuals to millionaires, even mul­ti-billionaires from cassava project. Cassava tubers that may be pro­cessed into a variety of products that are gaining huge demand in the ex­port market including chips, flakes popularly known as garri, cubes, peeler, starch for industrial and pharmaceutical use, flour, which can be eaten as elubo lafun or used in the bakery industry, pellets, glues and adhesives, ethanol and glucose syrup, among others. The Na­tional President of Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Segun Adewun­mi, said that from cassava alone, Nigeria could make twice what the country was making at the peak of crude oil production. He pointed out that Nigeria has 84 million hect­ares of arable land, that if five million of hectares can be developed in five years, it would be enough to provide N10 trillion annually through indus­trial cassava to Nigeria’s economy. He added: “From cassava you get ethanol in two grades, including bio-fuel and the food grade. The food grade we are using in this country is worth N3 trillion and we have not even started with the one of bio-fuel and industrial starch.

Women and cassava processing in Nigeria.

Women and cassava processing in Nigeria. Women are the key players in cassava production and processing in Nigeria. They are involved in the planting, harvesting, processing, distribution and sales. Cassava processing operations include peeling, grating, fermentation, pressing, roasting, cooking and milling. The constraints women still face in cassava processing include manual peeling which is time consuming and tedious, natural fermentation process which takes a long time, inadequate processing equipment, lack of storage facilities, high transportation cost, high processing cost, lack of funds, unstable agricultural policies, ineffective linkages in the value chain, and lack or delayed technical support of extension services. Their productivity is due to low input technologies, lack of resources as a result of poverty and inadequate government support. Research technologies for small scale cassava processing have not adequately addressed the problems of women cassava processors in the gender perspective such as in the design of female-friendly tools for hydraulic pressing for ease of operation.This can be addressed by Many of the cassava processing equipment produced by researchers are yet to be adopted by the rural processors Empowering women cassava processors effectively therefore requires gender responsive research approach, educating the women through sensitization and training and government intervention by gender mainstreaming of agricultural policies to tackle issues relating to cassava processing in the cassava value chain. Key areas in educating the women processors include training on standards for cassava products and improved food safety practices, sensitization on industrial uses of cassava in order to encourage them to diversity their products to increase income generation and use of cassava waste in generating biogas to save processing cost.

How to boost productivity and efficiency of women in agriculture.

How to boost productivity and efficiency of women in agriculture. The role of women in agriculture cannot be undermined but their efficiency and productivity are bedeviled by various problems. The role of women in agriculture is significant as they form a major percentage of producers found along the chain of production from farm to table. Women engage in tilling the soil,planting various crops and some are even processors. Women in agriculture play a vital role in food security.Women form the crust of development of rural and national economies as they make up 47% of the world’s agricultural labor force, which in some countries are as high as 75% How to boost productivity and efficiency of women in agriculture. According to a study about 80% of the agricultural produce is from small farmers, that are basically rural women. These Women comprise the largest percentage of the workforce in the agricultural sector of which – 75% are food producers , 10% of these women are processors while the 15% are left with marketing. To boost productivity and efficiency of women in agriculture,there must be a deliberate move to buy the produce off them,which can be achieved by any of these methods. 1) A platform where an off- takers scheme is the motto. 2) education on advanced food processing,branding and marketing. How to boost productivity and efficiency of women in agriculture can also be achieved if new innovative products are produced so that more market is created,an example is the innovative method of turning garri to snacks.