5 Healthy Eating Tips for Nigerian Pregnant Women

During pregnancy, the food you eat helps your body to provide nutrients so that your baby can grow and develop normally. But recent discoveries are showing that the nutrients they receive while in the womb have a much greater impact on their future health than was previously thought. Learn how pregnancy nutrition plays a crucial role in your baby’s health beyond birth, and how to maximize your intake from the food you eat. Common sense tells us that eating well during pregnancy is good for mother and baby. But only recently has science revealed just how much impact your pregnancy diet can have. It’s now recognized that the nutrition babies receive during pregnancy does more than support their growth and development in the womb. It also influences their health throughout infancy, childhood and for the rest of their life. This means that by making healthy choices and eating a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet now, you are supporting your baby’s wellbeing for decades to come. A balance of life-sustaining nutrients in pregnancy. During pregnancy, your baby grows from a single cell to a fully formed, unique and beautiful baby. Certain nutrients are essential to this growth, and including them in your pregnancy diet at the recommended levels will help to give your baby the best start for a healthy future. As well as protein, fats and carbohydrates (the macronutrients that provide the bulk of your baby’s energy), many micronutrients are essential to their normal growth and development. A well-balanced pregnancy diet is one that includes a healthy intake of macronutrients and micronutrients.


Although there are many nutrients involved in your baby’s development, the vitamins, minerals and fats explained below are particularly important during pregnancy. Some, such as vitamins C, D, A, folate, thiamin and riboflavin are needed to such a degree that your recommended levels are higher than they would normally be. But with many available from various everyday food sources, the good news is you may already be getting the levels you need.


To learn more about the key nutrients and how to get them, take a look at the articles about the 5 Healthy Eating Tips for Nigerian Pregnant Women.


1. Base meals on starchy food (such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes), choosing wholegrain   options where possible. This is because they provide energy, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. Eating enough nutritious starchy foods can help a person's digestion, satiety, and energy levels.


2. Eat foods with lots of fibre, such as fruit, vegetables, oats, beans, peas, lentils.

The intake of fiber‐rich foods during pregnancy and lactation helps in promoting heart health, decreasing diabetes risk, preventing constipation, as well as reducing risks of preeclampsia risks, together with providing nutrient‐rich food with low energy density.

3. Eat at least 5 portions of different fruits and vegetables each day (3 vegetable if possible)

Fruit is an excellent source of nutrients that are essential during pregnancy. Fruits can provide vitamins, folate, fiber, and more, which all help to keep the woman and baby healthy. These nutrients can also help to relieve some of the common symptoms of pregnancy.

4. Don’t over-eat. 

For the first two trimesters of pregnancy there is no need to eat more than the normal 2,000 calories recommended for women. You can use the NHS Choices calorie checker to count your daily calories.

5. Don't skip breakfast, choosing sugar-free cereals if you have cereal.

Skipping breakfast and [other] meals increases the risk of premature labor.” Without a healthy morning meal, you also may feel sick to your stomach, lightheaded and, soon, famished. Today, nearly all cereals have B-vitamins, magnesium, iron, zinc, and folic acid (source: AAPS). In the US, breakfast cereals are the leading dietary source of folate, an important vitamin during pregnancy that supports a baby's nervous system development (source: Public Health Nutrition).

5 Ways to Actively Include Men in Family Planning Discussions

Family planning refers to use of modern contraceptives or natural techniques to limit or space pregnancies. Modern methods of contraception include the pill, female and male sterilization, IUD, injectables, implants, male and female condom, diaphragm, and emergency contraception. Traditional methods include periodic abstinence, withdrawal and folk methods.

Reason for not using contraception

Preferred method of contraception for future use

Heard family planning on radio and television or in a newspaper or magazine

Acceptability of media messages on family planning

Contact of non-users with family planning providersP

lanning is being used

Was family planning use mainly the woman's/the husband/partner's or a joint decision

Informed choice of family planning methods

Unmet need for family planning Spotting between periods. Breakthrough bleeding, or spotting, refers to when vaginal bleeding occurs between menstrual cycles.

What is male involvement in family planning?

Male Involvement through spousal communication and approval about family Planning. In the current study, nearly 60.0% of men were involved in family planning through spousal communication and approval. Among all respondents, more than half (54.0%) of men have never discussed FP with their partner.

Why is male involvement in family planning important?

Male engagement in family planning (FP) is a subset of male engagement in reproductive health. Gender experts agree that men should be encouraged to be supportive partners of women's reproductive health while also meeting their own reproductive health needs, and engaged as agents of change in families and communities. Men are also recognized to be responsible for the large proportion of ill reproductive health suffered by their female partners. Male involvement helps not only in accepting a contraceptive but also in its effective use and continuation.

Step 1: Define the behavioral aim of your initiative.

Common behavioral aims of male engagement programming include increased male participation as:

Contraceptive users (e.g., condoms and vasectomy) or as partners using methods requiring active cooperation (e.g., Standard Days Method)

Partners engaged in open communication and decision-making about family planning and contraceptives

Advocates for gender equality and family planning in their families and communities

Step 2: Assess mens and boys knowledge and attitudes related to reproduction and contraception.

Knowledge of individual methods, how they work, and their side effects. Ideal family size. Beliefs about how contraception affects health, work, and future fertility

Knowledge of, preferences for, and perceptions of family planning services, for example:

3: Assess how gender norms affect male engagement in family planning.

Men play an important role in challenging inequitable gender norms and fostering positive norms, particularly among their peers and with their children. Failure to address issues such as womens subservient social status, economic dependence on men and limited agency, household power dynamics, and harmful masculine norms are common reasons that investments in family planning service delivery fail to achieve expected results.

4. Identify programming approaches that engage men and boys.

After clarifying the relevant norms, identify the people whose opinions matter to men and may influence those particular behaviors. Such individuals could include community leaders, parents/in-laws, religious leaders, health care providers, or positive deviants (i.e., those already practicing the desired behavior). Also, identify the sources and locations where men and boys prefer to receive sexual and reproductive health information and services.

5. Social and behavior change category

consider integrating information sharing and discussions into traditionally male spaces such as agricultural projects or development committees.

Does Corporal Punishment Deter Children from Bad Habits?

Corporal punishment sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school. Children are better able to make decisions about their behavior, exercise self-control, and be accountable for their actions when they understand the Positive Effects of Corporal Punishment Corporal Punishment is an effective way of disciplining many people. It is a very sufficient method of keeping many of the populace under control. It is used as a warning to show citizens the consequences behind some of the actions that certain people choose to execute. It can also be used in schools. Corporal Punishment has also been used for many years. From the times of the Egyptians to the era of technology that humans live in today, Corporal Punishment is still being used.Many studies have shown that physical punishment — including spanking, hitting and other means of causing pain — can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children.

Death penalty, is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment. To deter means to prevent something from happening. Since 1990, juvenile offenders are known to have been executed in only seven countries,China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Pakistan, Yenen, Nigeria,Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. In consecutive years, The United States of America Supreme court prohibits execution for crimes committed at the age of fifteen or younger years.

George Stinney is the youngest person to be sentenced to death. He was executed by electric chair in June 1944, thus becoming the youngest American with an exact birth date confirmed to be sentenced to death. He was convicted at the age of 14, accused of killing two young girls,age 11 and 7, in his hometown,South Carolina.

The use of  corporal punishment to discipline children remains one of the last  holdouts of old fashioned childrearing experts has ushered in a new set of parenting techniques thought to promote optimal child development. Government have short or long term goals when they use capital punishment to correct a child's misbehavior. The short-term goal is typically to deter another child from engaging in the unacceptable behavior. Some scholars argued that punishment might work fast to stop bad behavior,but it is not effective overtime.

Research shows clearly that the chance of being caught is a vastly more effective deterrent than even draconian punishment. Studies of the death penalty have reached various conclusions about it's effectiveness in deterring crime. In short, capital does save lives. That's certainly not to say that it should be exercised with wild abandon. Federal, state and local officials must continually ensure that its implementation rigorously upholds constitutional protections,such as due process and equal protection of the law. However, the criminal process should not be abused to prevent the lawful imposition of the death penalty in capital cases amongst children.

The most powerful arguments made by death penalty supporters postulates that it is a unique and effective deterrent against murder. Proponents of capital punishment also claim that it deters potential murderers from crime in general and homicide in particular. In some public opinion polls, deterrence appears as the most often cited reason for supporting capital punishment for children.

However, there are major argument against the capital punishment that focus on its inhumane nature, lack of deterrent effect, continuing racial and  economic biases . 

Top 10 UniPort Graduates Making Great Moves in the Entertainment Industry

Every university and tertiary institution with great goodwill would want to produce quality graduates that would compete favorably with their counterparts locally and internationally. In many cases, this is why universities create several programmes with a focus to making their institutions of world class standards in academics, research and development, infrastructure, media, entertainment and much more.

1. Andre Blaze Henshaw

Andre Blaze Henshaw is a well-known TV host, hip-hop singer (rapper) and radio personality in Nigeria. He has hosted the popular Nigeria’s Got Talent show and other reality shows on television. He studied Communications and linguistics at UNIPORT

2. Rita Uchenna Nkem Dominic Waturuocha

Fondly called Rita Dominic, Uchenna Nkem is is an amazing actress whose roles are noticeable and loved by many people; she is a recipient of the Africa Movie Academy Award 6 years ago; she studied arts at UNIPORT. You can read Rita Dominic's full biography here

3. Teria Yarhere (M Trill) 

Teria Yarhere is is a notable rapper (singer) from Nigeria who studied at Port Harcourt; his single ‘Bounce’ brought him a respected award ‘Best West African Act’ Gift.

Read: Everything You Should Know about Female Genital Mutilation

4. Iyumame Eke or Muma Gee 

Muma Gee is very notable for what she is doing (she sings, she acts, she designs and owns a business); she studied Arts at the University of Port Harcourt.

5. Agbani Darego

Agbani is not just a beautiful woman but also a beauty queen, she won Miss World in 2001 and has become the first African woman (native) who received this crown; this notable alumnus studied Mathematics and Computers at UNIPORT.