Even though indigenous African foods, eaten mostly in rural Africa and among low-income populations, are rarely promoted by mainstream healthy living analysts, they have some of the greatest health properties imaginable.
Preventing breast and cervical cancer
The massive shift from traditional diets to modern diets is one of the major reasons behind increasing incidences of breast cancer. Wild mushrooms and tamarind, a sweet and sour wild fruit, are among countless foods that have several powerful cancer-fighting nutrients. Both tamarind and mushrooms are rich in selenium, a nutrient widely renowned for not only preventing but also slowing the progression of cancer cells. These wonder foods are also packed with potent anti oxidants while tamarind boasts high levels of vitamin C, nutrients that work efficiently to scavenge cancer causing radicals.
Folate, also called vitamin B9, in amaranth and cowpeas, is a perfect antidote for cervical cancer. This amazing nutrient protects the cervix from the cancer-causing human papillomavirus in the event of exposure. And if cervical cancer already exists, folate immensely slows the progression of cancer cells.
For anti-aging
Indigenous African foods are endowed with unmatched anti-aging nutrients. The tartaric acid in tamarind, for example, is rich in strong antioxidants that slow down aging, keep skin looking young, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles while the amaranth plant has a unique mineral combination that delays grey hair and fights balding.
For fertility and healthy pregnancies
The tons of folate in amaranth and cowpeas increase a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant. And during pregnancy, folate safeguards against miscarriages and is instrumental in the formation and development of the spine and the brain of the unborn child. Folate is so vital to this process that lack of folate in the diets of pregnant women has been tied to birth deformities of the spine and brain. Iron, another key nutrient abundantly present in amaranth and cowpeas, ensures the supply of blood and oxygen to both mother and unborn child.