Are you still eating “koko” (porridge) ? See the effect on your body
Millie pap or koko is a breakfast porridge that is highly common in majority of African countries.
The name it carries depends on what part of Africa where it is consumed or you live in, as the name differs between countries and in some parts, it is similar.
In Ghana and South Africa, it is referred to as porridge, Millie pap or koko. While in Nigeria and Cameroon; it is named pap, Akamu, or Ogi.
Millie pap is a fermented cereal pudding made from maize, guinea corn or millet depending on desirability and each make contains different nutritional value.
This super light delicacy has existed for decades now and a lot of people in most part of Africa are eating it especially as breakfast.
This meal can be taken with anything desired depending on one’s interest, such as bean cake, bean pudding, bread, beans and for more delicious taste evaporated milk is often added by some people.
A research in 2018 on the nutritional composition of millie pap found that millie pap is rich in essential properties, including carbohydrate, vitamins, folic acid, potassium, chromium, selenium, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium. It also contained high contents of amino acids such as tryptophan, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, and valine. One serving of pap was estimated to contain about 152 calories.
Most of us just consume this meal for the interest, enjoyment and also it’s easy to prepare factor (fast food). Now, I know that daily a lot of people still take this meal called millie pap, but without knowledge of what this corn pap does to your body each time you consume it. Read carefully now to see what pap is doing to your health:
1. Highly Beneficial for Nursing Mothers
Have you ever wondered why pap is one of the most popular nursing mom foods?
Pap contains a high amount of water and some other components which facilitate the adequate flow of breast milk for mothers who are lactating. It also helps to recover strength after having suffered from one disease or another, not forgetting that it is again an easy-to-digest food.
2. Blood Pressure Regulator
Pap is an excellent source of potassium and contains zero sodium content, making it a good diet for people with high blood pressure and those who want to maintain stable blood pressure or prevent hypertension production. Another benefit of taking potassium-rich foods such as pap is that it helps to lessen the effects to sodium in your body while also relieving discomfort in your blood vessel walls, thereby protecting you from myriads of health problems that might have to sprout.
3. Easy To Digest Food
Pap is one of the easy to digest foods that we have around us. This helps the body to get rid of unnecessary contaminants and chemicals quickly by simply increasing the pace you urinate at. Another advantage of eating easily digestible food is that it puts less stress on the digestive system and is good for people recovering from illness. In addition to the above, people with digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS), irritable bowel disease (IBD), or a sensitive stomach, can easily consume foods such as pap as they function on the digestive system quite carefully.
4. Lowers LDL Cholesterol
There are two primary forms of cholesterol in the body, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] and high-density lipoprotein [HDL], respectively. The former, LDL, is also considered to be ‘poor’ cholesterol since having excess cholesterol in your body will cause plaque to grow in your artery walls, making circulation a problem. It may also result in undue heart strain, and can even lead to high blood pressure, stroke, or heart attack.
In pap, chromium is found to be involved in lowering LDL cholesterol levels as well as inhibiting atherosclerotic plaque formation in the body. This same mineral is also linked to improved levels of blood sugar, reduced risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, reduced depression, increased levels of energy, increased regenerative capacity, to mention but a few.
5. Good Source of Energy
Pap is an excellent source of carbohydrate, one of the nutrients on which your body strongly relies on adequate energy. Carbohydrate-rich foods such as pap not only provide the body with energy but also encourage mental sharpness and improve fat for energy metabolism.
6. Detoxification of Kidney
The kidneys are among the body’s most important organs, so any disruption that can cause adverse effects in the human system. Many of the things that can destroy this vital organ are uric acid, urea, toxins, waste, and other hazardous substances in the body. However, the glad tidings is that drinking pap can get rid of these toxic and harmful substances as it helps remove them from the body as urine.
That’s the main reason why if you take pap meal you appear to urinate more.
7. Koko Is Good For Babies & Toddlers
Pap is one of the safe foods for children in Ghana and also in Nigeria. It’s a common weaning meal introduced to infants, especially in Nigeria. While being highly economical, simple to prepare and easy to digest, it is also very nutritious to growing children. Brown pap is the best form of baby pap as it made up of carbohydrate, millet, and guinea corn which provides some proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are very important to the growth and overall development of babies.
So never look at pap as a just ‘normal’ food or meal, it’s indeed a quick to prepare, easy to digest and nutritional meal.
So try to get accustomed with taking pap and to the best of your desirability.
Source; opera news
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