EB's Dietetic Clinic

03/11/2025

Sometimes, it’s the “extra effort” your kidney no ask for that causes the real damage.

For kidney health, small protein wey the body fit manage is better than plenty protein wey the kidney can’t handle.

Bello:
Zainab, I hear say people wey get kidney problem dey avoid too much protein.
But no be protein dey build muscle and keep person strong?
Why dem go avoid am?

Zainab:
Good question, Bello.
Protein is important for everybody, but the issue starts when the kidneys no fit filter properly again.

Bello:
Ehen? Explain am like person wey dey chop jollof for party.

Zainab:
When you eat protein like meat, fish, beans, egg, your body uses the useful part, but the waste products must be filtered out by the kidneys.
Those wastes include urea, creatinine, and nitrogen compounds.

If someone’s kidneys are weak, those wastes start to build up inside the blood and that’s when symptoms like: tiredness, swollen body, nausea, loss of appetite, aging starts to show.

Bello:
So the kidney dey struggle like person wey dey push wheelbarrow uphill?

Zainab:
Exactly. Too much protein go give you too much waste.
A healthy kidney can handle it.
But a damaged kidney?
The load is too heavy.
So, always go for the “Right Amount plus the Right Type.”

Bello:
So dem no dey remove protein completely?

Zainab:
No o!
We just control the portion and choose high-quality protein that gives more benefit with less waste. example na egg and fish

Bello:
Hmm, so the real issue no be protein itself, na the load wey weak kidney no fit carry.

Zainab:
Exactly.
And when we manage protein well, kidney patients feel better, stay stable longer, and delay dialysis.

EB’s Sample Plate for Someone With Kidney Issues:
Small protein portion
Plenty vegetables (based on potassium level)
Controlled carbs (rice, yam, garri)
Low salt

DM for menu plan.

Healthy oils

02/11/2025

Hypertension doesn’t fear medication, it fears consistency, smart swaps, and a well balanced plate.

One small change in your kitchen can save your heart.

Bello:
Zainab, my neighbour just found out he has hypertension. Since then, the man dey fear salt like poison.
He even hide his seasoning cubes inside freezer so temptation no go catch am again.

Zainab:
(Laughs) Bello, people sabi fear salt o. But the truth be say you no need to remove salt completely.
What you need is better swaps, not suffering.

Bello:
So what swaps you dey talk about?

Zainab:

High sodium makes the body hold extra water, the water increases pressure inside blood vessels, blood pressure rises.

But instead of removing taste from your food, you can swap smartly.

1.
Swap half or all cubes with:
Crayfish
Garlic
Ginger
Curry, thyme
Onion
Fresh pepper
Scent leaf / basil

Bello:
So taste go still show?

Zainab:
Of course. Sometimes na the natural spices dey make food sweet pass self.

2. White bread for Whole wheat bread (lower sodium, more fiber)

3. Canned foods for Fresh versions
Many canned foods are loaded with sodium brine. Go for fresh fish, fresh beans, fresh vegetables.

Bello:
Hmm… so hypertension management no be hunger punishment?

Zainab:
Never.
It’s simply choosing the better version of the food you already love.
You still enjoy rice, swallow, soups, just with less sodium and more natural flavour.

finish!

01/11/2025

Diabetes doesn’t win when food is removed, it wins when understanding is missing.

Because living with diabetes no mean say food don turn enemy.

Bello:
Zainab, my uncle just find out he has diabetes. The man don panic. He say he no fit eat rice again, no bread, no yam, nothing sweet.
The guy just dey look food like suspect.

Zainab:
(Smiles) Ah Bello, that fear dey common.
But many people don misunderstand diabetes.
It’s not “don’t eat this, don’t eat that.”
The real key is portion control, not full prohibition.

Bello:
So he fit still chop rice?

Zainab:
Of course!
He just can’t eat a mountain of rice and call it breakfast.
Rice no be the problem… na how much, how often, and what you combine it with.

Bello:
Hmm… I like this. Explain small.

Zainab:
When someone has diabetes, their body struggles with insulin — so sugar stays too long in the blood.
But the body still needs energy from food.
So instead of cutting everything, we teach balance:

This approach prevents sugar from spiking like NEPA transformer.

Bello:
So all those people wey dey shout “if you eat bread you go die” na overdo?

Zainab:
(Laughs) Bello, na serious overdo.
Bread is allowed, but preferably whole wheat, and one or two slices, not half the loaf.

Same thing for other foods.

Food no be enemy.
Portion is the real medicine.

Bello:
So person fit enjoy life and still manage diabetes?

Zainab:
Absolutely.
The problem no be food, na portion, pattern, and planning.

01/11/2025

Eat that popcorn you crave for, no fear!

01/11/2025

31/10/2025

Your bag of rice clearly wrote PARBOILED.

you went ahead to still PARBOIL it.
What are you looking for?

31/10/2025

That water you threw away from your boiled rice.

What's your reason?

30/10/2025

Every mood, every cycle, every curve, all connected to one tiny hormone that carries a big weight. 💗

Bello: Zainab, abeg no vex, I hear say na “oestrogen” dey cause fibroid for plenty women. Na true?

Zainab: Hmm… Bello, you like gist sha 😅. No be lie, but e get levels to the matter.
Oestrogen no bad o, in fact, na one important hormone wey women no fit do without.

Bello: Ehen? Wetin e dey do sef?

Zainab: Plenty things. E dey control the menstrual cycle, keep the bones strong, maintain skin freshness, even affect mood and heart health.
But if e too much, wahala fit start. And if e too small, another type of wahala go follow.

Bello: So this hormone na like person wey you no fit too vex or love too much. Balance na key.

Zainab: Exactly, my brother! When e too high, e dey cause fibroids, breast tenderness, and heavy periods.
When e too low, like after menopause, you go see hot flashes, dryness, and even bone loss.

Bello: I don hear say soy milk and flaxseed dey act like estrogen too. No be dangerous?

Zainab: Those ones na phytoestrogens, small small plant hormones wey resemble estrogen, but dem no strong like the real one.
If your estrogen low, dem go gently fill the gap.
If e too high, dem go help calm am down.

Bello: So dem be like small gatekeeper, e no go let too much wahala enter.

Zainab: Exactly! Think of them like “weak keys”, dem fit enter the same lock but no go open the door fully.

Zainab: You see, fibroids love estrogen, that’s why women wey get plenty body fat dey risk more, because fat dey produce extra estrogen.
But food fit help balance am: things like soybeans, flaxseed, chickpeas, sesame seed, all dey help control the hormone.

Bello: Hmm… so if woman dey chop well, she fit manage fibroid better?

Zainab: Yes o, but moderation dey key. If she go drink soy supplement every day, e fit backfire. Nature no like excess.

Zainab: Another thing people no dey remember be say your liver and gut dey control how estrogen behave.

Bello: So food still be the real medicine.

Zainab: Always! Hormone balance starts from your plate, not your pills.

30/10/2025

Just imagine all the foods you eat and love are demonized.

They either cause this or that.
wetin you go chop now?

29/10/2025

Sometimes, what you call “stress” is really your body begging for iron.

Bello:
Zainab, you don dey look pale lately. Hope everything dey okay?

Zainab:
(Laughs) I think say na just stress, but when I do test, doctor talk say my iron low.

Bello:
Iron deficiency? I thought na men dey lack that one pass.

Zainab:
Na the opposite o. Women lose blood every month, and if we no replace the iron well, body go weak. You fit feel dizzy, tired, even your skin go dull small.

Bello:
So wetin I fit chop wey go help?

Zainab:
You get two types of iron. the strong one wey dem call heme iron dey for liver, beef, fish, chicken, and snail.
Then the non-heme iron wey dey for plants — beans, ugu, spinach, millet, soybeans.

Bello:
But if person no too like meat nko?

Zainab:
No wahala. Combine plant foods with vitamin C — like orange, tomato, or pineapple juice. E go help your body absorb the iron better.

Bello:
So that’s why I dey always feel weak when I skip proper food.

Zainab:
Exactly! Iron-rich meals no just add energy, dem keep your blood strong. Even two solid servings a week fit change everything.

At EB’s Dietetic Clinic,
We help women build strength and balance through food, not fear.