1 Aug 2018 – www.Mlst.blog

African Walnut is an edible single seeded stone fruits botanically called Tetracarpidium conophoram and Coula edults, its plant is mostly cultivated for its nuts which can be cooked or consumed as snacks. The nuts comprises of families such as Euphorbiaceae (Tetracarpidium conophoram) and Olacaceae ( Coula edults), with each family having its own specific feature.
The Euphorbiaceis mostly found in Nigeria and Cameroon, while the Olacaceae is found in some central African countries such as Congo, Liberia and Gabon. In the western part of Nigeria the African Walnuts is known as ausa or asala while in the southern part its called ukpa. In Cameroon its also known as Ngak or Kaso.
The African Walnut is a rich source of vitamins and Minerals, proteins, fiber, health fats, plant sterols and antioxidant, compared other nuts it is considered the king of nuts due to the numerous health benefits it has. so here are top 10 health benefits that will make you eat African walnuts Regularly.

Ref: https://nairahealth.blogspot.com/2014/08/health-benefit-of-african-walnut.html

African walnut is a powerful plant that has been notable for its remarkable benefits to human health. Botanically known as Plukenetia conophora or Tetracarpidium conophorum, the African walnut is of the family of Euphorbiaceae. Apart from its nuts, researchers have revealed that other parts of this plant are highly important for both medicinal, therapeutic and pharmaceutical reasons. The African walnut (ukpa) is a climber in the sense that it grows as a vine and then settles at the apex of a supporting tree forming a canopy and shade to other smaller plants and herbs.

It is best planted very close to a tall, strong tree that can offer strong support and balance to this heavy-weighted plant especially when it has finally settled on the apex of the tree. Walnut acts is both medicinal, therapeutic and stimulating in nature due to its high constituent of anthraquinones, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. Different countries and tribes have different names for this fruit ranging from the African walnut (ukpa), Gabon nut, sida, conophor nut, howôtou, mpengwa, atsan, anamemila, bogüe, asala kaso, ouatou, Apopo, ngak, awusa, okwe, dibetou, akiouhia, séatou, sratou, okhue and asala.

Tetracarpidium conophorum African walnut is a popular Central and Western Africa plant where it is planted mainly for its nuts, which are usually eaten as snacks. The ukpa pods, which are four ridged-winged between wings and upto 3 inches in diameter with four brown round nuts usually fall off its tree once matured to be removed, cooked and eaten. The nut measures about 2.5cm long and is distinguished by thin woolish strands that attach it to the shell. Walnuts are preferably eaten cooked however, it can still be eaten raw but has a bitter taste in its raw state.

Ref: https://globalfoodbook.com/tetracarpidium-conophorum-african-walnut

Have you ever considered the capacity of any fruit towards reducing your hair fall, strengthening your hair, and improving your hair growth? African walnut – a fruit extremely rich in vitamin B7 (biotin), is a good hair food.

African walnut is an edible single seeded stone fruit botanically called Tetracarpidium conophoram and Coula edults – a black-shelled nut popularly eaten as snacks among many Nigerians, and popularly known as asala, awusa, ukpa, kasoor, and ngak in parts of the country.

Unfortunately, this fruit is only famous for roadside sales which currently serves as its major distribution point to consumers.

African Walnut is a rich source of vitamins (vitamin B6, B7, E, thiamin, and foliate), and encompasses Minerals (magnesium which is highly needed by the body daily), proteins, fibre, health fats, plant sterols and antioxidant, at immeasurable level. In comparison to other nuts, it is considered the ‘emperor’ of nuts due to the numerous health benefits it has to offer.

In addition, it has the ability to prevent heart disease (coronary heart disease) as it contains amino acid 1-arginine, lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death, and supports healthful cholesterol level. Also, it contains very powerful antioxidant such as flavonol morin, quinine juglone, and tannin tellimagrandin that are rare in most foods and fruits – this effective antioxidant helps to control aging heart problems.

The presence of omega 3 fats helps for optimum brain function, vitamin E and folate which is highly needed by the brain as it supports the area of memory, enhance cognitive functions, and increase inferential reasoning in adults.

It contains cancer fighting properties like phytosterols, omega 3 fatty-acid, and antioxidant that helps to reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancer in humans.

Furthermore, consuming this walnut enriches the body with Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acid, which is vital for disease prevention in the body, blood clothing, cell growth, and immune infection. Moreover, the capacity of it in lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity cannot be over-emphasised.

Walnut is also helpful in terms of maintaining your ideal weight, as it contains proteins, fibre, and Omega 3 that helps provide satiety. Walnut can be used as a herb to tackle asthma, detoxifying the kidney, curing constipation, and finally the bark is used in tea as laxative and chewed for toothache problems.

Ref: https://agronigeria.com.ng/african-walnuts-emperor-nuts/

In the Yoruba language, it is called Asala; Okwe in Edo and Ukpa by the Igbo.

Ref: https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/african-walnut-health-benefits/

THE ANATOMY OF AFRICAN WALNUT

I’ve always associated these walnuts with road trips since I was a child. Now, I see them on trays, little bags tied in cones, part black, part glistening.

While in traffic a few weeks ago, I purchased a bag, tore it open and cracked a shell after ‘cleaning” it. It split in half, and I discovered for the first time a leaf at the centre. I call it a leaf for want of a better name…

It tastes no different from the whole nut – maybe a tad more delicate.

I imagined dressing small bites with it.

So, the anatomy

The Shell

Dark brown – black, inedible shell, a couple of centimetres diameter. Rough to the touch and easy to break by teeth…

The Nut

Off-white to creamy. Reminds me of an acorn with a defined ‘bottom’. Sometimes, lightly covered in brown/ bronze fluff from the inside of the shell

Inside the nut

As I discovered, once the nut was broken in this perfect half, right down the centre lives a leaf of sorts

And that, ladies and gentlemen is really all I know about the anatomy of the African black walnut.

Ref:

http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/2017/05/18/the-anatomy-of-the-african-walnut/

Not quite long, I was chanced to eat some fruits that I think it worth sharing the delicious experience I had while consuming it.

The fruit I am particular about is known as AFRICAN WALNUT.

This will be accompanied with the benefits of eating African walnut.

WHAT IS AFRICAN WALNUT?

African Walnut is simply an uncommon fruit that grows in parts of Africa especially West Africa.

It is a fruit that is white in color but covered with a black shell that must be cracked and removed after it has been boiled for some minutes before it can be consumed.

There exists a particular strange thing about these edible delicacies that gives out satisfaction when eating it but it triggers thirst in the course of eating and whenever someone drinks water after eating it, the introduction of water triggers bitterness.

This is something unexplainable about the combination of water with this fruit but it makes African Walnut to be unique among every other fruit that is available in the continent of Africa.

WHAT ARE THE 10 BENEFITS OF WALNUTS?

It is of essence to note that the benefits of African Walnut surpassed to a great extent its usage for consumption alone.

It possesses some important elements that offers usable health benefits to the body.

Some of these elements are Copper,Manganesse,Molybdenum and Biotin.

Walnut also offers plant-based Omega-3 fats.

Some of the health benefits of African Walnuts known are:

1.Maintenance of ideal Weight over time:

African Walnut is a fruit that is beneficial in controlling weight because it is associated with increased satiety.

2.It impacts Male Fertility:

African Walnut provides an improved reproductive health in men by improving sperm quality, sperm vitality, sperm motility and sperm morphology.

3.It gives support to brain health:

Due to the facts that African Walnuts contains a number of Vitamins E,Folate, melatonin, Omega-3-Fats and antioxidants with other neuroprotective compounds, African Walnuts is a food and a fruit that helps in improving brain health.

4.It fights type-2-diabetes:

People diagnosed with type-2-diabetes have nothing to worry about when they add African Walnut into their dietary consumptions since African Walnut helps in controlling weight, overweight adults with type-2-diabetes will experience a significant reduction in fasting insulin levels.

5.It contains antioxidants and anti-aging properties:

African Walnuts is one of the fruits and food that can be used in fighting free radicals in the body because it contains rare and powerful antioxidants.

6.It fights Cancer:

The risk of Prostrate and breast Cancer can be reduced drastically by the consumption of Africa Walnut by reducing the rate of growth and the spread of cancer in the body.

7.It offers multiple vascular benefits:

African Walnuts can be used to improve heart health to people with heart diseases or those who have increased risk of heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.

8.It helps to strengthen hair:

African Walnut helps in reducing hair fall and improve hair growth to certain extent.

It is a good hair food because it contains biotin.

9.It is helpful during pregnancy:

African Walnut eating during pregnancy may starve off nausea and also help in boosting brain development in the child.

10.It possesses anti-inflammatory contents:

Since it contains many plant chemicals including tanning, African Walnut helps in fighting inflammation which also help in fighting asthma and rheumatoid.

HOW TO COOK AFRICAN WALNUT

African walnuts (botanical name – tetracarpidium conophorum) are fruits of a woody perennial climber plant, found mostly in the dense rain-forest of Africa. (some also found in India). Locally referred to as asala, ewusa/awusa (Yoruba) ekporo in the Efik dialect and ukpa in Igbo.

Description: The fruits come in a hard kernel casing which releases a whitish round nut when cracked open. The shell colour often black but can be any shade of gray.

The entire plant including leaves and roots have nutritional and medicinal properties, for which it is cultivate. The fruits (which are basically a type of nut) are the most commonly used part of the plant, significantly used for food and also to extract its oil which has a very high value especially in medicine and pharmaceutical.

Taste:
The fruit has a firm and crunchy texture with no overpowering flavours. But upon drinking water after consumption, one may experience an unusual bitter taste/sensation in the mouth. This is believed to be attributed to the presence of some variants of chemical alkaloids, tannins or phytochemicals. This however has no toxicity and of no danger to human consumption.

Nutritional Data based on 100g of shelled walnut kernels
Calories – 315kcal
Carbohydrates -13.14g
Protein – 24.01
Fats – 17.39
Fibre – 5.99
Vitamins: – C, E, B6, B7, thiamin, folate
Minerals: – Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Sodium
Fatty Acids – Omega 3 & 6

Health Use/Benefits

There are so many claims about the health benefits of African walnuts, some of which have been scientifically proven. However, I am more drawn towards the impressive nutritional profile of the fruit especially the amount of essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants it possesses. For this reason, I am of the opinion that this fruit should feature regularly in my diet, and I am exploring ways of achieving this aim. In my opinion, it is a super fruit / super food… and we should be eating more of it.

How to Cook/Eat African Walnuts

I love walnuts and I generally eat them boiled as a snack, though they can also be roasted. My mum and her mum assure me that boiled walnuts are a good substitute for egusi and can be used to make a dish similar to egusi soup(…yet to try that out, but will share with you once I do…!). I am of the opinion that the fruits are too good and healthy to only eat as a snack. So I decided to create a couple of salad dishes with them, with really good outcome. Find an example here…

Boiling requires cooking the unshelled fruits in water for a while and draining off before serving.

Similarly the unshelled fruits can be baked or roasted in an oven. To cook in soups, the partially boiled fruits are shelled, milled into a paste and cooked as usual using an Egusi soup recipe.

Ref:

http://funke-koleosho.blogspot.com/2016/04/african-walnuts-saute.html

Without any iota of doubt, it can be concluded that African Walnut is a fruit that is wrapped up with multi-dimensional benefits that will add value to our health as individual by being potent in fighting terminal diseases and other lifestyle diseases that are known to be on increase in the society.

If you are unaware of these health benefits, starts eating African Walnuts now.

Though it is seasonal, look for it.

We are in the season of Walnut in Nigeria now.

It is accessible in the market now.

Tag:

#African Walnut#

#Health#

1 Aug 2018

MLST ARTICLES:CONVERSATION WITH MY DAUGHTER–EPISODE 7–REVISED EDITION.

It was a cool Friday Morning of 1st of June 2018 that everybody around woke up to the reality of another beginning that marked the commencement of a new month after the expiration of the fifth month that span for a period of good thirty-one days.

Without any doubt, everyone petition to God at this moment was all about gratitude and appreciation to the maker of heaven and earth who made it possible for many people who are fortunate to be alive or to have woken up to the bright side of life.

As it was in other families, so it was also in my family. We woke up early to get prepared to face our daily obligation of being at our different places of work on time with our little daughter being prepared for her to be in the school before 8:00 AM in the morning.

As usual, as it was a culture and an important daily spiritual obligation for the whole family to gather together offering prayer before embarking on anything in the morning, since, the morning of June 1st was special being the first day in the month of June 2018,the entire family apportion and spent more time to pray seeking the face of God for another journey that has just started and which will last for a period of 30 days.

While I and my beloved were busy for some few minutes observing our prayer session, our little daughter was busy sleeping and enjoying the coolness of the natural early morning breeze without any disturbance which will lapse as soon as our early morning prayer session end.

After, the early morning prayers have been offered and terminated, she entered the kitchen to start preparing breakfast for our daughter while I was in my bathroom cleaning up in order to meet up with my personal and official obligation for the day.

Few minutes after, I dashed out of the bathroom, refreshed and cleaned up, and I moved ahead to put my cloth on in preparation for my official duty which starts 7:00 AM in the morning.

At around few minutes after 6:00 AM, I arranged my bag and made sure that nothing is left behind untouched and unattended to in the course of my preparation.

At this point, while I was getting ready to dash out of the house, she has woken up and her mum has helped in attending to her to a large extent with water being boiled in the Kitchen in order to make her tea.

As I was exiting the house, all I heard behind me was my wife telling me this:

It goes thus:

“Daddy!Daddy!!Daddy!!!

We haven’t prayed.She submitted.

Immediately I turned back and walked back to meet her telling her that we have prayed but she was busy sleeping then. Not that I didn’t understand what she was asking for and not that she didn’t know what she was talking about.

She knew that apart from the prayer I had with her mum before, she knew that I always have special prayer time with her before I leave the house.

So, she made request for her prayer session too that is specially for her alone.

This started in the month of January while we were in a period of fasting and prayer for 21 days that was observed by the denomination I attended. In the course of the fasting and prayer period, I was instructed during that period that I should always have a prayer session with her every morning on a daily basis which I was able to carry out to a large extent.

Then I turned back, hold her head and invoke powerful prayer points into her life early in the morning before I bid her and her mum goodbye while they continued getting set to leave the house for the office and for her school.

Since then, she has mastered it and several times she has been the one demanding for it whenever I am about leaving the house in the morning.

As young and minor she is, it has mastered her and she has gotten an understanding and an affinity for what is good, meaningful and profitable at a tender age.

It started like a joke in the month of January but it is gradually becoming a lifestyle and a culture to her which she always remembers to demand for early in the morning whenever I am about to leave for work.

Parenting as it is the bedrock and a viable determinant of realities in any society. It determines the fate of inhabitants of every society. A good society is a society that is being influenced by good parenting and any bad society is a society that is being influenced by bad or improper mode of parenting.

It was due to the fact that the older generation has lost premium for what is good and reliable that made our world to be in total disarray at this moment which has made lack of good parenting that will build our wards in getting prepared to ensure that the world we live in to become better to be the bane of developing an egalitarian society.

It is quite wrong and unacceptable seeing juveniles and teenagers constituting public disturbance and nuisance in every nooks and crannies of our society.

Anytime I am in contact with teenagers hawking on the highways and some begging for alms, I always feel bad to the point of asking myself about what their parents are doing to salvage the future of their kids from being affected and influenced negatively.

To an extent, the issue of teenagers being forced to labor at a minor or tender age has to do with parents who lack basic understanding and knowledge of what is necessary in life.

It is wrong given birth to many children all in the name of what is en- vogue at the moment that having more than one children makes someone to be acceptable by the standards of the society. Every parent must be able to analyze and know about the strength inherent in them to provide and take care of the numbers of children that have the ability and muscular capacity for in terms of financial provision.

A situation whereby a parent has many children but they are unable to meet up with the demand of their provision and needs is quite appalling, selfish and unacceptable making it a source of concern and burden to the entire society.

How can a teenager or a juvenile being on the street begging alms around 08:00 PM in the evening?

What are the parents of such a child doing to monitor and improve the well-being and welfare of their children?

It is inappropriate to subject any child to the rigor of the present realities and it is out of place given them the orientation that their future is blur and bleak.

Every parent that desire to be responsive and responsible should be aware of the principle of cutting their cloth according to their sizes in ensuring that the numbers of children they will give birth to can be accommodated by what is in their purse and pocket.

It is wrong giving birth to children that will lack basic needs of life just because their parents cannot control their urge and orgy for sex that made them to give birth to children expected to be a blessing but due to lack of understanding and wisdom, many become a subject of pity to themselves and a source of concern to the entire society.

It is not wrong to have many children once there are provisions for their up-keeps but it becomes unreasonable whereby when the game of love making that leads to pregnancy is on course, no one was invited but when the products of the goals scored in the course of the game arrives, the set of people that played and scored the goals will end up expecting people that did not participate in the game will bear the brunch of the products of the game played.

Parenting is an all-encompassing field of responsibility that needs attention, concentration and affection accompany with the ability and strength to nurture and groom our children in the right path. For anyone to show the right path in the course of parenting demands that such a person must be in light and be enlightened enough to know the right path. No one can give out what there is no provision for. Provision precedes giving and it is through provision that the ability to give is provided for.

Any desire for good parenting must be garnished with the desire to know what it takes to be a good parent because good parenting is the only means by which good children can be raised.

One of the basic necessities for good children to be groomed through good parenting is through the presence of good spiritual structure that will make our children to walk in the path of light and not on the path of destruction. This becomes easy and possible when we are able to initiate the entirety of their existence to the reality and practicality of good spiritual understanding and growth from the early stage of their existence.

This simply boost and enhances their full potential to be developed independently. A child that lacks good and sound spiritual understanding and knowledge will end up becoming a nuisance to the society and the society will end up being destroyed by the terror of such child carried out on the platform of vices and crimes.

This becomes essential for every parent to understand the viable role of spirituality in the development of any child at a particular moment in time.

A child that is denied a strong spiritual footing might find it difficult to handle series of challenges that will burst out in the course of sojourning on earth which are known to be unexpected in approaches, contents and contexts.

A strong and deep spiritual grip makes a child to stand strong in the journey of life.

With this, it becomes a necessity and an obligation for every parent that wants the best for their wards to become deep and strong spiritually because no one gives out what is unavailable.

In conclusion, it is the generosity of spirituality possessed by a parent that will make a child from such a parent to be spiritual and sound in becoming a blessing to the present generation and the generation unborn.

Give your child a strong spiritual footing and foundations.

A child with a strong spiritual footings and foundation is a child that is prepared in all ramifications to face the challenges life would bring along in the course of life’s sojourn that no one born of a woman could dodge or avoid because human life is essentially meaningful as it has the ability to solve one challenge or the other in the course of existence on earth.

There is a need for parenting to be channeled and directed towards grooming a complete and total child that is ready to take charge of any form of reality that would surface in the course of existence on earth. This needs a guide that could only be provided when the tutelage offered by parents has its stand and stance on firm spiritual upbringing and foundation.

It is through spiritual development that the future of a child is protected and it is through this also that the realities of the future is provided for.

Parents become restful with peace of mind once the spiritual upbringing of their wards are provided for which enhances the birth of a society that would end up being a resourceful platform for any nation to achieve its developmental goals and aspiration.

Developmental goals and aspirations of a nation becomes achievable at the point whereby the inhabitants of such society have a mind that is free of vices and crimes.

For any mind to be free of crimes and vices, there is a need for parenting to be tailored towards the development of a mindset that see reasons to develop the spiritual understanding of those that will end up becoming leaders of tomorrow.

Leaders of tomorrow must be empowered spiritually and given every reason why they are being tutored to champion a course of endeavor that will enhance total development of the society and the crux of making this a reality in a given society lies in the kind of parenting that is responsible for grooming such a child.

Good parenting offers good society and good society becomes a reality through good parenting thereby enhancing good developmental realities that will build an egalitarian society whereby every human is seeing as one indivisible entity accompany with a sense of belonging and equality of all.

1 Aug 2018

MLST ARTICLE: 10 ways of making billions through effective customers’relationship.–(10 Minutes Read).

via MLST ARTICLE: 10 ways of making billions through effective customers’relationship.–(10 Minutes Read).

1 Aug 2018

MLST ARTICLES:GIVE YOUR CUSTOMER A VOICE AND YOUR BUSINESS WILL HAVE A VOICE(10 minutes read)

www.Mlst.blog

There exist many businesses across the length and breadth of the world that started with one particular vision that deserve being fulfilled with the aim of meeting the demand of the end-users of the products or output of such business concern.

While some businesses are small in size, others are gigantic in size but the sole aim of any business that desire to stand a test of time or probably become a legacy is to offer acceptable products and services that is capable of meeting the objectives of production and marketing of such business.

Products of any business become accessible in the market when it is produced in a way so that whatever the needs of the end-user and customer is would have been put into consideration and efforts are put in place to meet the needs of that might arise when customers and end-users demand for better service.

In the…

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