Therapeutic diets for the management of diabetes and arthritis among adults using selected indigenous foods as recipes in Aluu Community, Rivers State

Abstract

Background: In the prevention and management of chronic diseases, intake of a healthy and adequate indigenous diets are found to be essential hence the need for them to be prioritized.

Objective: This study prepared diets intended for the management of diseases such as diabetes and arthritis, from developed recipes using selected indigenous foods and evaluated their nutrient compositions.

Methods: Ten diets namely: sweet potatoes vegetable pudding (SPV), fried tapioca salad (FTS), vigna pottage delicacy (VPD), steamed whole cowpea (SWC), pleurotus wheatmix flakes (PWF), corn garden egg pudding (CGP), papaya fruit salad (PFS), savory star ginger fruitveg drink (SGF), pumpkin squash cucumber salad (PSC) and avocado cucumber salad (ACS) were prepared from developed recipes. AOAC analytical methods were used in determining the nutrient compositions. Sensory characteristics were done using the nine point hedonic scales by 12 trained panelists. One way analysis of variance was used for data analysis.

Results: The diets from developed recipes contained appreciable amount of nutrients especially vitamin C, fiber and protein with PWF having the highest contents of fibre (1.68g/100g) and vitamin C (68.15mg/100g). With reference to protein, SWC diet had the highest content (1.80g/100g). VPD had the highest content of vitamin E (7.80mg/100g) and calcium (2.66mg/100g). The carbohydrate (2.30-20.05g/100g) and fat (0.35-4.41g/100g) contents of the diets were low. The result also showed that SWC has got highest acceptance by all sensory parameters except for its aroma.

Conclusion: The therapeutic diets developed and analysed in this study contained appreciable mount of nutrients especially vitamin C, fiber and protein. A well combined indigenous foods could be used for the management of diseases such as diabetes and arthritis and for improvement of general nutritional status.