Best Nigerian Delicacies to Eat When You're Sick

Most times, we don't feel like eating any food when we are sick. Eating healthy foods is important and could help speed up the recovery process. It is advisable to eat foods that are highly enriched with healthy nutrients. In this post I will share with you best foods you can eat to help you recover from illness quickly.

1. Fresh Fruit Juice
   Most sick persons find it difficult to hold anything down especially solid foods. So it is easier to just take a sip of fruit juice, natural fruit juices like Oranges, Apples grapefruits are enriched with vitamins and nutrients a sick person need. Orange juice help to heal wounds faster, if you have common cold or flu, then avoid juices and drink green tea instead. Green tea makes you feel better during illness and it contains natural anti-inflammatory compounds.

2. Foods Enriched with Vitamin B12 and B6
   Vitamins B12 and B6 have great healing powers and it is very beneficial for a sick person. Eating healthy foods like cereals, turkey, milk, spinach, potato as well as lettuse are great foods that will provide good content of Vitamin B12 and B6.

1. Vegetables
   Vegetables are great anti oxidants and they help protect the body from infections. Veggies like broccoli, watermelon, cabbage contain glutathione. The major function of glutathione is fighting against infections due to its great anti oxidant compounds.

2. Yogurts
   When I fall sick yogurt is always my favourite drink anytime. If you have a flu or cold, yogurt is great for you. It has active probiotics which help to strengthen and improve the immune system of the body especially during sickness. Greek yogurt is great and it contains about 10 grams of protein.

3. Water
   Hydration is so important when one is sick, during illnesses the body needs extra fluids to replace the lost fluids due to lack of appetite or vomiting. Not getting enough fluids can affect the body's ability to fight infections.
   If you notice one or more of these signs then your body is not getting enough water: headaches, dry lips, less urination, fatigue. It is good to drink 8-ounce glasses of water daily, though you can increase the intake when you are sick.

4. Uyayak Soup
   

Lastly, Uyayak pepper soup is a spicy soup here in Nigeria, it is called pepper soup because the soup is always hot and spicy. This soup can help clear your throat during illness and soothes cold symptoms. You can make the soup with chicken and add spices like garlic, ginger, healing herbs like uyayak (Aidan pod)
The uyayak is rich in some macro-elements like iron, magnesium and potassium.
Let me quickly share with you how to make Uyayak soup.

Ingredients
1 small medium chicken
1/4 Uyayak pod( Aidan fruit)
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dry pepper
Local spices( seasoning)
Salt to taste

Method

1. Break the Uyayak into two halves, take one quarter and grind it into a smooth powder. Mix it with some water and sieve the mix and set it side.
2. Cut your chicken into chewable size and put it inside a pot spice it with ginger, garlic, seasoning cubes, dry pepper and salt. Allow the meat to absorb the spices.
3. Cook the meat without water (Steaming it) for about 1 minute, then add water, check for seasoning and cook till meat is tender. Pour the sieved uyayak liquid into the pot and cook for 5 -10 minutes. You can add enough water to give it that soupy feel.

Please also note that you may use the uyayak pod without grinding it. Just cut it into four halves, wash thoroughly to remove any dirt and put into the meat stock directly and cook. This will give more flavour. You can remove them when you want to eat.
Eating these natural foods can help build your immune system and help you recover quickly from sickness.