#2 Nigerian healthy drink recipes

Zobo is a healthy Nigerian drink made from the dried red calyces and sepals of the Roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as Zobo leaves in Nigeria. The drink is  known by different names all over the world , Zobo, Hibiscus tea, bissap, wonjo. It's a rich and natural health drink filled with enormous health benefits.

Health benefits of zobo:

• It has long been used traditionally as a natural diuretic and in the treatment of several diseases such as Urinary tract infections. It Promotes kidney functioning.
• Zobo drink is a veritable source of vitamin A
• According to nutritionists, it has been found to be very effective in the management of hypertension due to its anti-hypertensive properties.
• It also helps in lowering blood pressure as it contains an enzyme inhibitor which blocks the production of Amylase
• It reduces the cholesterol in the body
• It aids in digestion and acts as a Natural health tonic
• It has Antibacterial properties
• It helps Decrease spams in the stomach
• It Soothes colds and provides similar cold relief obtained by consuming antioxidant drinks.

Ingredients for zobo drink:

- 1 cup Zobo leaves 
- Half of a small Pineapple
- Pineapple peels (the skin of the pineapple you're using) 
- 5 to 6 cups of Water
- 1 teaspoonful Cloves (optional)
- 1 tablespoonful Ginger (Grated or chopped Ginger) (optional)
- Sugar or Honey or any sweetener of choice(optional)

Preparation:

1. Rinse the Zobo leaves in sufficient water and set aside.
 Wash the unpeeled pineapple thoroughly,peel of the skin and cut into chunks, but don't throw away the skin, because you'll be making use of it too.

2.  Now, place the washed zobo leaves into a clean pot, add the water, the pineapple chunks and skin, the grated ginger, cloves(if using) and any other ingredients you'll like to add.
  Cover the pot and let the Zobo leaves boil on medium heat for 35 minutes. 
  Turn of the heat and leave the pot covered, so that the ingredients can steep a little longer in the hot water and also cool down completely.

3. When the drink cools down,  pour the Zobo leaves and all the contents of the pot through a sieve and into a clean container.
 
4. If you want to, you can add sugar, honey or any sweetener of choice to the strained Zobo drink.
 You can drink it right away, topped up with some iced cubes OR
 If you'll rather store it for later, pour into an airtight container and chill in the fridge.
 Zobo drink keeps for up to a week or more in the fridge.

KUNU ZAKI DRINK :

Kunu drink is a popular drink made from whole grains of millet and sometimes sorghum or corn. Its quite popular in most parts of Nigeria especially the northern part,  this drink has two forms depending on the main ingredient used; Kunu Zaki from millet and Kunu Gyada from rice. Preparation of this drink takes about a minimum of 2-3 days. This is because for the first two days, it’s left to soak in water so as to trigger the process of fermentation.  

Ingredients:

- 3 cups Millet
- 1/2 cup Sweet potatoes (Fresh or Dried)
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger (Fresh or Dried)
- 1 teaspoon Cloves
- Sugar to taste
- 2 Litres Water

Preparation:
1. Wash millet to remove stones (incase there are any), Soak Millet for 10 hours in cold water (preferably overnight).

2. Pound sweet potatoes, ginger and cloves. Put millet and all the other things you’ve pounded together and ground or blend.

3. Mix the blended or grounded millet into paste and divide the paste into two parts. Set one part aside.

4. Boil some water. Pour the boiling water into the remaining paste and stir until it’s thick, just like pap(akamu) leave it uncovered and allow it to cool.

5. Then pour the other part you’ve kept aside and stir (after sometime it’s going to be a bit watery, which is ok).Leave it to stay over night (it’s better to do the whole thing in the evening except for the soaking that should be done in the morning).

Sieve it in the morning. Add sugar to your  taste.
 

#1: Nigerian healthy drink recipes

Drinks loaded with sugar are not the right choice of drinks, we should avoid drinks like soda, energy drinks and the rest.
In this post we'll be looking into healthy drinks basically Nigerian drinks by the way.
Here are a few Nigerian drinks recipes.

- Tiger nut drink:
Kunun Aya ,also known as Ofio Milk, is a nutritious and refreshing drink, made with Tiger nuts. 

It has lots of health benefits and the milk can be used as a substitute for the regular cow's milk.

 Kunun Aya (Tiger nuts Milk) is native to the Hausas' in Nigeria and quite easy to prepare.

Ingredients:::

-  200gram of tiger nuts

-  600 to 700ml cool water 

-  Medium size Ginger (optional)

Directions:::

Step 1: Soak the tiger nuts in clean water Overnight. if you are using the dry tiger nuts you'd need to soak it overnight to get re-hydrated and swells a little. 

Step 2: Rinse the soaked tiger nuts and place in a blender.  Wash and place the ginger in the blender a little water and blend.

Step 3: Pour through a sieve with a tight mesh and let the milk strain out. The first milk strained would be thick. Place the chaff back into the blender , add some more water, blend & strain again till the whole milk is extracted. The subsequent milk strained would be lighter than the first.

Step 4: Place the extracted milk drink in a refrigerator to chill up. Serve cold!

Soya bean milk:

Soya bean milk is a very healthy drink, I remember the first time I had a cup of soy milk it was beautiful. Making the milk from scratch is not so tiring. If you are interested in giving it a try check out the ingredients and preparation process below.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried soyabeans(soy beans)
 - 5 cups Water
- Sugar/Honey to taste 
- Flavor of choice(optional)

Steps of preparation:

Step 1: Clean the soya beans and soak them in water over night.
After soaking pour out the water and pour in fresh water, then wash the soyabeans, peeling off the coat.

Step 2: . When you now have coatless(de-hulled) soybeans, place in a blender and grind Sieve the mixture trough a cheese cloth and recover the soy milk. 

Step 3:  Transfer the Soya bean paste into a clean pot, add about 3 cups of water and boil for about 30 minutes stir constantly to prevent browning or burning after boiling  leave to cool.

Step 4. While the hot milky paste is cooling, place the muslin cloth over the sieve and place on a bowl. Then pour in the milky paste and gently press down or squeeze the cloth to extract all the milk from the paste. After sieving, you'll be left with a rich soyabean sweeten the soyabean milk to your taste, serve and enjoy.

How to improve your health naturally.

There are various things you can do to improve your healthy naturally, all you need is discipline and dedication so as to achieve a perfect end result.
The major key to good health is living right(living a healthy lifestyle).
Here are ways in which you can improve your health.

Drink water:
Roughly 60% of the body is made of water, drinking enough water maintains the body's fluid balance, it helps transport nutrients in the body, regulate body temperature and more.

Eat nutritiously:
Eating right is very important, its important to eat natural, unprocessed food.
- Eat whole grains
- Eat low fat food
- Eat sea food
-Eat fruits and vegetables

Always eat breakfast:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Having a little something to eat can make a big difference. Do not skip breakfast.

Meditate:
Meditation helps improve your health by reducing your blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels. There are so many benefits one can get from meditation.

Control stress:
Stress affects one's health without one realizing it, stress can be managed .Way's in which you can manage stress  are
-Get enough sleep
-Maintain positive attitude
-Limit alcohol and caffeine.

No smoking:
Smoking only damages the body systems. It is very important to avoid smoking so as to live healthy.

Maintain a healthy weight:
This is also important for good health, with this many diseases can be prevented and controlled.

Stay positive:
Staying positive helps manage stress and improves one's health. Positive thinking helps to expel doubts and low thinking.

Forgive:
A free mind is a healthy mind, give no room for hate. Life is too short to be wasted on keeping grudge. Love yourself by letting go of all the pain and hurt.

My apologies.

So sorry about the long break guys. I simply got caught up in so many stuffs, which is not a good excuse and I really missed you guys.