What is sugar?

Sugar is found naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy foods. It’s also added to food and drink by food manufacturers, or by ourselves at home. Sugars mostly make up carbohydrates which are either simple or complex.

Simple carbohydrates are fast – digesting sugars. Sugars such as glucose and fructose are examples of simple sugars while complex carbohydrates are naturally occurring sugars in whole foods that takes longer time to digest. Carbohydrates are a broad category of macronutrients so it cannot be eliminated completely but the intake can be reduced.

White sugar, also called granulated sugar or table sugar, is made from refined sugar cane or sugar beets while caster sugar is a refined white sugar with especially small granules that is often used in baked goods, drinks, and desserts like mousse and custard, and is strongly preferred for meringues.

Types of Sugar

• Glucose
• Fructose (known as fruit sugar)
• Sucrose (known as table sugar)
• Lactose (known as dairy sugar)

What is Diabetes

Diabetes also called diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that result in too much sugar in the blood (high blood glucose). Diabetes occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

The Effect of diabetes on my Late Mother Hand. R. I. P

Eating a lot of sugar cannot directly lead to diabetes but can increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems that are linked to diabetes.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes is a condition in which your immune system destroys insulin-making cells in your pancreas. These are called beta cells. The condition is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes. The insulin producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system. No amount of sugar in the diet – or anything in someone lifestyle – has caused or can cause someone to get Type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent, or adult-onset) results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Sugar doesn’t directly cause Type 2 diabetes, but people are more likely to get it if they are overweight. People gain weight when they take in more calories than what the body needs, and sugary foods and drinks contains a lot of calories.

What is Sugar

Sugar is sucrose, a disaccharide, made up of two sugars (glucose and fructose) bound together, that is naturally made by and found in all green plants. Sugar found in the food supply is harvested from sugar beets and sugar cane. Experts believe that sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as diabetes.

Why Too Much Sugar is Bad

The reasons why too much sugar is bad includes:

1. It Can Cause Weight Gain: Consuming too much added sugar, especially from sugary beverages, increases risk of weight gain and can lead to visceral fat accumulation.

2. It May Increase The Risk of Heart Disease: Consuming too much added sugar increases heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and inflammation. High-sugar diets have been linked to an increased risk of dying from heart disease.

3. It Has Been Linked to Acne: High-sugar diets can increase androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which can raise your risk of developing acne.

4. Increases The Risk of Diabetes: A high-sugar diet may lead to obesity and insulin resistance, both of which are risk factors for diabetes.

5. May Increase The Risk of Cancer: Too much sugar can lead to obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation, all of which are risk factors for cancer.

6. May Increase The Risk of Depression: A diet rich in added sugar and processed foods may increase depression risk in both men and women.

7. May Accelerate the Skin Aging Process: Sugary foods can increase the production of AGEs, which can accelerate skin aging and wrinkle formation.

8. Can Increase Cellular Aging: Eating too much sugar can accelerate the shortening of telomeres, which increases cellular aging.

9. Drains Energy: Foods high in added sugar quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased energy. High-sugar foods can negatively impact your energy levels by causing a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash.

10. It Can Lead to Fatty Liver: A high intake of fructose has been consistently linked to an increased risk of fatty liver. Eating too much sugar may lead to NAFLD, a condition in which excessive fat builds up in the liver.

11. Other Possible Health Risks: Aside from the risks listed above, sugar can harm the body in countless other ways. Consuming too much sugar may worsen cognitive decline, increase gout risk, harm kidneys and cause cavities.

Bean is an important agricultural crop in many countries, especially in those countries with high levels of consumption. Beans are classified as a legume, along with peas, peanuts, and lentils. They are the seeds of flowering plants in the Fabacea family. Beans typically grow in pods with more than one bean inside. They are rich in fiber and B vitamins, helping to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Bean cake popularly known as Nigerian Moi Moi (also Moin Moin) is a great dish accessory in Nigeria. Due to its popularity, Moi Moi is often served at parties, dinners and other special occasions.

Moi Moi can be very challenging to prepare because everything is mixed off the stove before cooking. If the mixing is wrong, there is no going back once cooking or baking commence. LIWONDER FOOD ‘N’ GLOBAL EVENTS can be consulted for mentoring and our day mentoring is affordable and cheap.

Note on the ingredients

1. The red bell pepper is to add colour and a nice flavour to the baked Moi Moi. Use tatashe if you are in Nigeria, if these two are not available to use, use tinned tomato puree. But use that sparingly else the Moi Moi will have a tangy tomato taste.
2. When grinding the beans, use water that will be enough to help blades the beans if using blender. To get a delicious taste, use tasteless and odourless vegetable oils like the vegetable oils sold in Nigeria, for example kings oil, power oil and sunflower oil. Do not use olive oil as part of the ingredients.

Tools and Equipment for Baked Nigerian Moi Moi

• Oven
• Small size baking pan or any other container e.g muffin cup
• Aluminium foil
• Brush
• Measuring cup to dish
• Blender (if using beans seeds)

Containers in different shapes and sizes can be used to bake Moi Moi in the oven but bear in mind that if you use a cake pan and fill it with Moi Moi mix, you will need to bake the Moi Moi for much longer than muffin cups. Muffin cups does not stay longer in the oven.

Serve immediately or store in the freezer. Nigerian Moi Moi stores well in the freezer. It can be serve with jollof rice, fried rice, fried plantain, custard, akamu (pap, ogi). It can also be eaten as a snack with soft drinks, chilled fruit juice or coconut juice.

Butter is a dairy product that manufacturers make by churning cream or milk to separate the solid components from the liquid. The churning process separates the butterfat (the solids) from the buttermilk (the liquid). People commonly use butter in cooking, baking, and as a spread.

Margarine is a substitute for butter. Manufacturers make margarine from plant-based oils, such as canola oil, palm fruit oil, and soybean oil. Both products seem to have advantages and disadvantages for health.

Although butter and margarine have different components, but both contains large amount of different fats. There are still controversies and differing medical perspectives regarding whether butter is more or less healthful than margarine.

Differences Between Butter and Margarine

The most important difference between the two is that butter is derived from dairy and is rich in saturated fats, whereas margarine is made from plant oils. It used to contain a lot of trans fats, but as mentioned above, manufacturers have now started phasing these out.

According to the article of the American Heart Association (AHA) presidential advisoryTrusted Source it suggests that saturated fat raises Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels is due to its effects on overall levels of cholesterol in the arteries. However, saturated fat increases Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels less than trans fats, and it does not affect High Density Lipoprotein (HDL).

Conclusion

There is no 100% healthful option when it comes to butter or margarine. However, a person can choose the most beneficial option for their diet and needs. The type of fat found in butter and margarine is a defining factor that sets them apart. Butter is derived from animal fat, while margarine is made with vegetable oil. This difference has an impact on taste, texture, and nutrition.

Thanks for joining me!

Lily Douere Bandotubo is an agriculturist, an entrepreneur, an author, a blogger. 

The food and health blog (LIWONDER FOOD HEALTH BLOG) will focus on agriculture and catering products including health information. This is because getting the vital health information leads to eating right. According to Rohit Sharma “Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see”. Then, according to Virgil  “The greatest wealth is health” while according to Hippocrates “Health  is the greatest of human blessings.”

The farmer and chef relationship is very vital when it comes to eating right because the chef also requires most agricultural products in preparation of food either baked, fried or cooked food which could be snacks, vegetables, rice, soup etc.