Dehydration happens to us all. If you’ve ever been deathly hungover and felt as though you could drink a river, you were dehydrated. We can’t rely on just water alone to keep us hydrated, especially after a workout. If we don’t eat the right foods, we’ll can start to feel tired and low in energy. Let’s take a look at 10 amazing foods that help you stay hydrated and refreshed.

Watermelons

It’s hardly surprising that this low fibre fruit tops the list. After all, the clue is in its name! True enough, watermelons are packed with water – as much as 92%. That’s a lot. Watermelons also contain 8% sugar, which is not a bad thing. In fact, its sugar and mineral salt content is what makes it so good at keeping us hydrated. Watermelons also contain potassium, magnesium and sodium, all of which contribute to its status as a superstar fruit that quenches our body’s thirst.

Not sure how to eat watermelon? Enjoy it as part of a salad, or just munch on it alone in the morning at breakfast time with a cold glass of orange juice. What a way to start the day!

Cucumbers

This is one of the most well known foods that help you stay hydrated. If watermelons’ 92% water content wasn’t enough for you and you’d prefer to be even more hardcore, try cucumbers. They contain as much as 96% water, which makes them the perfect go-to snack if you’re hungover or you’re recovering from a punishing workout.In fact, cucumbers are a better source of water than water itself because it delivers the same levels of hydration at twice the volume of H2O. This is down to its natural sugars and mineral salts, which copy your body’s electrolyte balance. All the water is inside the body of the cucumber, though, which means that to get the best results you’ll need to peel off its skin. That said, its skin is where all the fibre is. Choices, choices!

Courgettes

Courgette also deserve to be included into our list of foods that help you stay hydrated. They look like cucumber, contain almost as much water, and are excellent in a Mediterranean diet.

Chicken Noodle Soup

When you were feeling under the weather as a kid and needed hydrating, what did your mom give you? If she was anything like all the other moms, she would have given you chicken noodle soup. A perfect winter warmer, chicken noodle soup is also a great way to restore vital fluids in your body. It fights the flu by keeping you hydrated, and contains enough carbs to make sure you absorb all the sodium it’s providing you.

Bananas

Bananas give you more energy than almost any other fruit. They’re the snack of choice for superstar tennis players because they’re rich in potassium, which helps to hydrate you because it’s an electrolyte. An imbalance of these guys can cause dehydration, which means that you don’t need to be a genius to work out that more bananas equals more hydration.

Iceberg Lettuce

Another one of great foods that help you stay hydrated is iceberg lettuce. Just looking at it is enough to make us feel fresher! Okay so iceberg lettuce isn’t as nutritiously dense as other leafy grains (such as spinach), but it’s still worth adding to your diet thanks to its high water content, as well as its high fibre, vitamin K and folate content. It can be a bit boring to the taste, however, which is why you need to add it to some really cool and tasty sandwiches and salads. Chicken salad is good, while adding a few slices of iceberg lettuce to a burger or taco is another amazing option.

Eggplant

If you’re looking to stay hydrated and lose weight at the moment, it’s time to start eating more eggplant. Eggplant is a strange looking vegetable, but once you’ve opened it up and fried it, you’ll be met with a delicious, fibre-rich delicacy that should be a must on everyone’s grocery list. Because it’s rich in water and fibre and low in calories, it makes for the ideal weight loss food.

Radishes

Radishes are such a gorgeous root vegetable that we just can’t believe more people don’t eat them, they are also part of fabulous foods that help you stay hydrated. One of the forgotten ones, radishes are super duper refreshing and make an excellent addition to your summer and spring dishes. And unlike a lot of the options on this list, they have a spicy kick to them that provides an extra kick to your meals. Even better, radishes are stuffed with important antioxidants, including the catechin compounds that’s found in green tea, too. Slice and dice them, and add to your salads and sandwiches this summer. Lovely!

Celery

Be careful with celery, as it’s one of the few vegetables that people can actually be allergic to (yep, as weird as it sounds, celery can actually kill you if you’re allergic). On the good side, celery is crammed with water and contains almost no calories. In fact, it has just six calories for each stalk. Despite this, it’s a good source of fibre, so will help to keep you feeling full for longer. It also contains vitamins A, C and K, as well as folate.

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On 13 October, 2015, the European Commission decided to prohibit the introduction of the five vegetables into EU market for not meeting European standards.

But a statement copied to Citi Business News on November 7, 2017,  indicated that “from 1st January 2018, Ghanaian farmers will be able to resume exports of all plant commodities to the European Union (EU) market”.

The five vegetables are chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants.

According to the statement, exports of the vegetables will also have duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market like any other product from Ghana.

Meanwhile, the 5 commodities would have to fulfill the EU phytosanitary legislation to ensure the freedom of quarantine pests.

This decision follows an audit undertaken by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, and the evolution of the numbers of import interceptions with quarantine pests, notified by Member States for commodities not subject to the ban.

“Since the beginning of the ban in October 2015, the Ghanaian authorities have taken significant corrective measures to improve the inspection and control system for plant health at exit points, in particular at Kotoka International Airport. The European Commission congratulates Ghana for reaching this important milestone and encourages Ghana to consolidate the upgraded system and to continue further improvements in the phytosanitary certification system to obtain full compliance with the EU phytosanitary requirements,” it observed.

It pointed out that, the outcome has been possible due to combined efforts of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Department (PPRSD), and coordinated support from several development partners including the European Union through the Trade related Assistance and Quality Enabling programme (TRAQUE).

Others are the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the Netherlands Embassy through the GhanaVeg project and USAID.

“This harmonized approach has been instrumental to reach the objective of complying with EU requirements this year”.

It added that the resumption of exports of all plant commodities to the EU market will enable Ghana to fully benefit from the 100% preferential access to the EU market provided by the Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement, which entered into force on 15 December 2016.

Background

From 2012 to 2015, the number of intercepted plants from Ghana at the EU borders due to the presence of harmful organisms had increased significantly, leading Ghana to face the highest number of interceptions globally in 2015.

On 13 October, 2015, the European Commission decided to prohibit the introduction of 5 plant commodities from Ghana into the EU market until end of December 2016. The ban was purposely restricted to those commodities that have had the highest number of interceptions.

The five concerned plants were chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants. Following an audit undertaken in September 2015, a decision was taken by the European Commission to renew the ban by one year until December 2017.

Over the past years, the Plant protection and Regulatory Service Department (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has received support from several development partners notably to improve the inspection and control system at the airport, to improve traceability as well as to develop and implement the Ghana Green Label Scheme.

Coordination of the received support has been successfully done through the SPS Task Force setup and chaired by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

–

By: citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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Summer might have already reached its peak for many of us, but that’s no excuse not to get leaner. In fact, starting now is the best time of all. When spring rolls around again, you’ll be more beach ready than you’ve ever been. Yup, autumn and winter are the new seasons of lean. However, getting shredded isn’t easy. The biggest problem most of us face is staying disciplined and seeing it through right to the end. If you follow the advice in this article, you will become leaner – but only if you’re prepared to stick it out. Consistency is the key. If you stay consistent, you can do this! Without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 tips on how to become leaner.

Eat Small And Often

Many of us have a habit of waiting a few hours before eating a massive meal. We have a bit of breakfast, a decent-sized lunch – and then we leave it for a few hours before having a King-sized meal when we return home from work. While this King-sized meal is certainly something we’re ready for, this kind of meal schedule just won’t work if you want to become leaner. Such big meals leave us feeling bloated and sluggish. They hardly leave us feeling energetic and ready to hit the gym! A much better tip on how to become leaner is to eat a few smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Aim for between 5 and 7 smaller meals, and skip the massive dinners that leave you feeling heavy. The goal should be to feel active and light.

Stop Eating When You Are Full

If you do end up eating a big meal (perhaps you’re out for a birthday), it’s important that you listen to your body. Yes, listening to our body when it comes to food isn’t easy for some of us. We want cake, and we’re not going to let our body stop us, despite its protests that it’s “full and can take no more”! So one of useful tips on how to become leaner and healthier is to listen to your body. Eat only when you know you’re hungry, and stop eating when you’re full.

Go Swimming

Most people who want to get leaner instantly hit the treadmill. But especially in the summer months, the treadmill isn’t necessarily the best idea because you’ll get so hot and sweaty. Instead, why not head outside and go for  swim? Swimming is an excellent form of cardio – perhaps the absolute best! It’s good for keeping cool, and it goes easy on your joints. It’s fun too, and you can take your friends along with you. If you’re not a massive fan of swimming, there are other water-based activities you could try, such as kayaking.

Drink Lots Of Water

It’s normal to get dehydrated during a workout, especially during the hot summer months. Dehydration can slow down your performance, ultimately affecting how much fat you manage to burn. As such, it’s important that you drink as much water as possible, it’s not only a good tip on how to become leaner but also on how to feel better overall. Take at least one bottle of water with you each time you hit the gym. It will help you to keep going when the going gets tough.

Eat Fruit and Vegetables

One of the best tips on how to become leaner is to add more of healthy food into your diet. It’s time for a sweeping diet change. It’s time to regularly add fruit and vegetables to your list of groceries. Fruit and veg can be quite filling (apples, for example, are rich in fibre), and they’re also rich in minerals and vitamins. Swapping them for candy, crisps and chocolate is a great way to get lean ASAP. Fruit and veg isn’t as expensive as people often assume it is either. You can buy frozen if you’re worried about the costs, too.

Lift Heavier

In order to get leaner, you will have to hit the gym at some point. IKR. If up until now you’ve been lifting fairly small, fairly light weights, it’s now time to start lifting heavier. The heavier the weight is, the more muscle your body will retain. That said, you can’t jump immediately into the really heavy weights – unless you want to do yourself a major injury. Instead, start small and get bigger. Compound lifts work numerous muscle groups, and for that reason they are the best ones.

Plan Your Meals Ahead

Unless you plan your weekly meals in advance, you may end up bingeing on a takeaway midweek. It happens. So another useful tip on how to become leaner is to plan your weekly meals ahead of time, so that you know what your cupboards are well-stocked with the right foods.

Eat Enough Protein

Protein is one of the keys to being lean and mean. Are you getting enough of it? If not, you need to up your game. It starts at breakfast. Eggs are an excellent choice in the morning because they’re rich in protein. You could scramble them with cheese and add a piece of wild salmon, or fry them and eat on toast. Then, continue to get a good amount of protein throughout the day. Don’t stop when you snack either; instead, munch on seeds and nuts that are stuffed with protein.

Lose The Scales

This tip on how to become leaner might sound strange, but hold on, let us explain. One of the reasons some of us give up too early on our lean goals is because we keep checking the scales and getting dismayed with what we’re seeing. Frustrated, we give up. So, ditch the scales, or what are otherwise known as “the sad step,” and just focus on what you’re doing.

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M?nsa, a member of the FOKN Bois band, has urged musicians to sing about social issues and challenges to drive change. The artiste, who has recently stirred a lot of controversy with his partner Wanlov, says Ghanaian musicians should limit singing about love and women and focus on issues to bring change to the masses.

“In a country like Ghana where politicians do not care about the citizenry, the only powerful tool to get to them and bring to bare the social issues and challenges is music but it hurts that most Ghanaian musicians who are super talented do not even know the power of their http://www.ambien-online-now.com craft and skill and would therefore sing all about women and love,” he lamented in an interview on Kapital Radio.

“We have the power to change the fortunes of our country but we are just lazy. We need to do something different than just jumping to the bandwagon.”

Buttressing his argument and a call for the Ghanaian musician to be conscious of the tool they possess, he quoted Nigerian Afro beat legend Fela Kuti who once said, “the African musician should not sing about love, because we have more important things to talk about”.

By: Kojo Akoto Boateng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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