CORNMEAL HEALTH BENEFITS(agidi, eko, pap, akamu)

It may be surprising to know that corn qualifies as a medicinal plant. It is also a nutritious food plant that is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins B (pantothenic acid – B5, niacin – B3, riboflavin and thiamine – B1), folic acid, vitamin A and C, potassium, chromium, selenium, zinc, phosphorous, magnesium and many others.

Corn oil which is also extracted from corn is a very healthy oil variant and is good for the heart. Scientifically known as Zea mays, corn is the basis of a lot of dishes used as main meals, but it is also a popular snack in Nigeria.

The dishes made from corn can be consumed at any time of the day. A popular staple use of corn is the corn pap.

Corn pap ( Eko, Koko)

Some people (especially from the Western world), refer to it as “corn gruel”. Locally, it is called Ogi, Agidi, or Akamu.

It is mostly consumed as breakfast and it is healthy and nutritious. It beats the Western staple “cornflakes” by far.

Discussed below are some of the health benefits associated with consuming cornmeal as against cornflakes;

1. Corn pap is 100% natural. It has no additives or artificial content whatsoever.
   
   
2. It has no sodium and contains potassium. This means that it helps to maintain normal blood pressure, effortlessly, which makes it a perfect food for hypertensive people and those who do not want to develop high blood pressure. So many of our grandmothers still marsh Agidi, packaged with leaves, (not those in nylons which are common today) and drank with water routinely. This is very common at Iwo, a part of Osun State, Nigeria.
   
   
3. Pap has high water content and helps to supply the daily requirement of water. As a result of this, it is advised that nursing mothers consume it to boost the flow of breast milk (lactation) after delivery.
   
   
4. The texture of corn pap makes it very easy to digest and a perfect food for convalescent individuals who are recovering from illness. Till date, in most Yoruba villages, people who lose their appetite as a result of an illness are always fed Agidi, Eko, or Ogi at least.
   
   
5. The texture also makes it an ideal breakfast food because it exerts very little stress on the digestive system when instant energy is required after an overnight sleep.
   
   
6. The carbohydrate in pap is very beneficial, even to athletes. As funny as it seems, pap is a perfect meal for athletes like footballers during halftime when they need to refresh, but cannot take anything heavy which might hamper their movement on the football pitch. It will also help to replace some of the fluid that has been lost from profuse sweating.
   
   
7. Corn has an adequate protein score i.e. the protein in it is more than the 8% required in food. The problem with pap is the volume. This is why our ancestors (in their wisdom), complement corn pap with a protein-rich food e.g. Akara (bean cake), Moi-Moi (bean pudding).
   
   
8. Corn pap does not go through the long manufacturing process as cornflakes do. As a result, it retains more nutrients; this is especially so with the cornmeal which is not sifted i.e. the corn is blended to smoothness and used like that for pap. Corn pap that is prepared this way is high in fibre because of the outer coat covering the grain. It is healthy and helps to increase the amount of fibre in our diet. This type has to be prepared by yourself because most people who sell corn usually remove the fibres and it serves as food to animals.
   
   
9. The fermented water from soaked milled corn is very nutritious and has a lot of use traditionally. In Yoruba Traditional Medicine, it is called omidun which literarily translates to “sweet water”. It is used in the preparation of several herbal recipes used in treating ailments ranging from malaria, typhoid, cancer amongst others.

Cornflakes

It is sad to know that cornflakes has become a fashionable breakfast meal, especially amongst children (not mine!). This is a typical case of using your money to buy what is inferior, surprising right? Cornflakes is expensive, not because it is richly packed with additional nutrients but because the companies producing it have to pay for all the machines and the staff used in production. Maybe also, the snob appeal of being modern which I find rather ridiculous.

The Japanese and Chinese have earned the respect of the rest of the World for their local dishes and traditional cuisine because they are proud of their heritage and pass the knowledge of their nutritional benefits from generation to generation. People will respect you for what is genuinely yours and not when you are trying to imitate them!

Cornflakes is a highly processed food and therefore NOT natural. It contains preservatives so that it can stay on the shelf in stores and supermarkets for months.

It is high in sodium and all the potassium in it has been processed out. This means that cornflakes is not good for people who are trying to reduce their sodium intake so as to control their blood pressure.

Some cornflakes varieties are very high in sugar which is very bad for adults and children alike. Short and long-term health problems resulting from high sugar intake could include dental issues (like rotten teeth), obesity, insulin resistance among many others.

The nutrients in cornflakes are artificial minerals and vitamins which are added during the manufacturing of the flakes (this is after the natural ones have been lost during processing). Thus, it is very difficult to add trace elements like selenium and zinc. The former is a powerful antioxidant while the latter is very important in some metabolic processes in the body.

Relevance of Cornmeal (Agidi, Eko-elewe) in Yoruba Herbal Medicine

In Yoruba herbal medicine, there are several recipes prepared in powdery form that you have to mix with marshed agidi, Eko, cornmeal using little water to get the best results.

This new generation that pays more attention to packaging than content has not allowed the aforementioned process to gain prominence, hence, everything has to be well packaged so as to appeal to patients. This is sad because we are gradually losing our heritage.

As physicians, we have the responsibility to build our patients’ trust in our judgment of which method of medicine preparation and administration should be adopted to get the desired results.

In Yoruba medicine that corresponds to energy medicine, when a man’s energy level is too low, he can marsh agidi, eko-elewe every night with activated charcoal and water and drink it for seven consecutive days to revive his strength.

In this article, we have discussed the numerous health benefits of eating the locally processed and prepared cornmeal (the ones wrapped with leaves). It can be consumed at any time of the day, however, one will have to contend with frequent urination since it increases urine production.

Noteworthy to say then that cornmeal is a super African meal!