This superlight food has been around for decades and is consumed by a large number of Nigerians.
Corn pap, also known as akamu, ogi, koko, or eko, is a Nigerian fermented maize cereal pudding.
Despite its sour taste, pap is widely known to go well with many food combinations such as fried plantains, pancakes, akara, fried yam, okpa, bread, puff puff, and beans. When combined with pap, any of these make a delicious breakfast meal. The health benefits of pap are discussed in this article.
1. Good source of energy
It goes without introduction that pap is a source of carbohydrate, therefore, energy. And in it’s paste form, it is easily digestible. That is why it’s occasionally recommended to athletes in order to keep them running throughout the day.
2) Blood pressure
Pap is high in potassium and low in sodium, making it an ideal food for people with high blood pressure, as well as those who want to keep their blood pressure in check or avoid developing hypertension. Another benefit of eating potassium-rich foods like pap is that it helps to reduce sodium’s effects in the body while also easing tension in your blood vessel walls, protecting you from a variety of health problems that could arise.
3) Boosts health of kidneys
The kidneys are one of the most important organs in the body, and any damage to this area can have serious consequences for the human body.
Some of the things that can harm this vital organ include uric acid, urea, toxins, waste, and other harmful substances.
The good news is that drinking pap can help you get rid of these substances by assisting in the elimination of unwanted elements from the body through urine. When you drink pap, you tend to urinate more.
4) Promotes healthy pregnancy and lowers risk of neural tube defects
Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients for pregnant women to have a healthy pregnancy. A lack of this acid may cause underweight babies to be born, as well as neural tube defects in newborns. On the plus side, pap is high in folic acid, making it a good choice for expecting mothers. Apart from that, you might be interested to know that the same pap also encourages the production of breast milk after childbirth.
Rather than just a meal for the common man, pap is loaded with nutritional values that have other more expensive sources. Eat it knowing there’s a veritable trove of nutrients in every spoon!