Adavantages Of Bitter Foods Consumed in Nigeria.

Some of the bitter foods consumed in Nigeria are highly medicinal and have
been employed for centuries for the treatment of various ailments, ranging from
diabetes to heart diseases. One of such foods is the Utazi leaves, very bitter
pale green leaves used in pepper soup and isi-ewu (goat head) flavouring.
A study contained in the Nigerian journal of physiological sciences showed that
Utazi leaves contain properties that can significantly reduce the blood sugar
level in diabetic patients as well as serve as antioxidant.

The study shows that the extracts of utazi may also act by either directly
scavenging on the results that effect of metabolism, due to the presence of
various antioxidant compounds or by increasing the synthesis of antioxidant
molecules. Utazi used locally is very popular as soups for women who have just
put to birth as well convalescing patients.
Another food is bitter leaf. This is not as bitter as the utazi leaf, but it has been
used as complement or as a close substitute.
Bitter leaf is easily grown and is also readily available in the market either as
fresh leaves or washed and scrubbed.
It can also be dried for storage. Bitter leaf is used as a vegetable in stews,
often with egusi. It gives a bitter, mildly astringent quality to the dish.
It is also widely used medicinally. It is a home plant and can be grown as
flower around the house. People have been found to drink bitter leaves juice to
combat blood sugar levels.
Then there is walnut, a rich source of omega-3. The milk-coloured flesh inside
the hard shell is mildly bitter. Walnuts are in season around this time of the
year and many Nigerians eat them a lot crediting them with the ability to
protect the heart and the liver. A study contained in World Health Food Journal
shows that walnut contains many potential health benefits, ranging from
cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function, to anti-
inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
Another food is bitter cola. The flesh is harder than walnut but the bitterness
level is almost the same. It is also consumed as medicinal snack among
Nigerians because they believe it is good for the heart, liver and the lungs.
Nigerians believe bitter cola has cleansing and detoxifying properties and they
eat the fresh juice from the fruit of bitter cola to combat cough and asthma.