5 BENEFITS OF EATING EGGPLANT!

The benefits of eggplant are very famous, as it is very popular for treating various kinds of illnesses and different kinds of diseases. Eggplants belong to the family of vegetables in which sweet potatoes and tomatoes are also included. They originated in India and were first cultivated in ancient China. They have a glossy beauty and are purple in colour. They grow in a manner similar to that of tomatoes, i.e., they grow by hanging out from the vines of the plant that is several feet tall.

These vegetables are of the best quality from August to October, though they are generally available throughout the year. Eggplants vary a lot in their taste and texture. However, the general characteristics of the eggplants are that they are quite bitter in taste and are spongy in nature. Eggplants are also called by different names such as brinjal or melongene.

Health Benefits

•    Prevention of cancer:
Eggplant prevents cancer, especially colon cancer. This is because eggplants have very rich fibre content, which is a porous nutrient. Because of this nature, it absorbs the toxins and the chemicals, which might provoke the outbreak of the colon cancer. It does so as it moves through the digestive tract of the body. It is due to this reason that people who want to reduce the chances of having colon cancer should include eggplant skin in their daily food as different researches have proven that the skin of this vegetable has more fibre than the actual vegetable itself.

•    Reduces cholesterol level:
Eggplant also affects cholesterol level. Various studies have shown that consuming the eggplant juice lowers cholesterol level in the artery walls and the aortas. People who drink this juice benefit from a better flow of blood because the walls of the blood vessels are relaxed. Thus, they enjoy a balanced level of cholesterol.

•    Helps against Type 2 diabetes: 
Eggplant treats and manages Type 2 diabetes because it is rich in fibre and low soluble carbohydrate. Studies have shown that the phenolic-rich  extracts of this vegetable inhibit the enzymes which provide a strong basis of biochemical nature by inducing proper control of glucose and reducing high blood pressure condition resulting from hypertension. In this way, eggplant helps in the Type 2 diabetes management.

•    Presence of anti-oxidants:
Eggplants are very rich in anti-oxidants. The anti-oxidant called nasunin guard the cells from the harmful effects of the toxic and free radicals, whereas, the anti-oxidant phenolic protects from different infections caused by bacteria and oxidative stress.

•    Controls weight:
 Eggplants are devoid of any fat content and very rich in fibre, which gives a filling effect when the vegetable is consumed. Moreover, the calorie count is also very low. Thus, another factor of eggplant is that it controls weight

BY DOMEHEALTH

Yaya Toure Had Been Named CAF African Player of The Year 2013

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure has been named the African Player of the Year 2013 by the Confederation of African Football at an awards ceremony held in Lagos on Thursday evening.
The Ivoirian won the title for a third straight time beating off competition from compatriot Didier Drogba and local favourite John Obi Mikel to the title.

In a ceremony dominated by Nigeria who swept the Coach of the Year and Team of the Year awards, many had expected Chelsea’s Mikel to win the top gong on the back of the Super Eagles’ victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, it was the Ivoirian Toure who was called up to the podium again, walking in the footsteps of Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o who won it thrice between 2003 and 2005.

Toure told media that he felt ‘lucky’ to win it considering the size of the competition. In the other awards given on the evening, Egyptian Mohamed Aboutreika won the award for best African player based on the continent. It was a good send off for the 35-year-old who announced his retirement from football at the end of last season.

Aboutreika beat off competition from compatriot Ahmed Fathy and Nigerian midfielder Sunday Mba.  It wasn’t all gloom for Nigeria as their coach Stephen Keshi was named best coach and the Super Eagles won the award for Team of the Year.

Youngster Kelechi Iheanacho who led Nigeria to the Fifa U17 World Cup victory was named Promising Young Player while his team was named the Youth Team of the Year.

Four Nigerians also made it into CAF Team of the Year.

The Full Awards
National Team of the Year
Nigeria
Youth National Team of the Year
Nigeria U17
Club of the Year
Al Ahly of Egypt
Fair Play Award
Nigeria Supporters Club
Referee of the Year
Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)
Most Promising Talent
Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria U17)
Coach of the Year
Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
African XI:
Enyeama; Fathy, Benatia, Constant, Mikel, Yaya, Aboutreika, Pitroipa, Emenike, Gyan, Aubameyang
Coach: Keshi
African Player of the Year (Africa-based)
Mohamed Aboutreika (Egypt)
African Player of the Year
Yaya Toure (Cote D’Ivoire)
CAF Legend Award
Bruno Metsu
Jose Mehdi Faria

Culled from:247nigerianewsupdate.com

BOUNDARIES

Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. Genesis 1:9

The third protocol is 'boundaries'. God established boundaries for the waters and the dry land. Each had their space of operation. Each knew how far it had to go.

To have order in our lives, we must establish personal boundaries. We must know our limits. We must determine the kinds of things we would do and the kinds of things we will not do.

We must know how far we can go in a relationship so that it does not degenerate to bring dishonour to the Lord.

Personal boundaries can also serve as limits or borders that define the amount of physical and emotional space you allow between yourself and others.

The type of boundaries you set defines whether you have healthy or unhealthy relationships.

Setting clear personal boundaries will ensure your relationships are mutually respectful and supportive.

They also will protect you from exploitative relationships and help you avoid getting too close to people who don't have your best interests at heart.

On the other hand, weak boundaries leave you vulnerable and likely to be taken for granted or taken advantage of by others.

Setting personal boundaries will also protect you from violating God's eternal principles, and make your journey to success and prosperity a joyous adventure.

Where there are no boundaries, chaos and disorder reign. So set some personal boundaries for yourself.

Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom to set boundaries for myself

Scriptural Reading: Genesis 1:9-13

The Norwegians become crown millionaires, in oil saving landmark

OSLO (Reuters) - Everyone in Norway became a theoretical crown millionaire on Wednesday in a milestone for the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund that has ballooned thanks to high oil and gas prices.

Set up in 1990, the fund owns around 1 percent of the world's stocks, as well as bonds and real estate from London to Boston, making the Nordic nation an exception when others are struggling under a mountain of debts.

A preliminary counter on the website of the central bank, which manages the fund, rose to 5.11 trillion crowns ($828.66 billion), fractionally more than a million times Norway's most recent official population estimate of 5,096,300.

It was the first time it reached the equivalent of a million crowns each, central bank spokesman Thomas Sevang said.

Not that Norwegians will be able to access or spend the money, squirreled away for a rainy day for them and future generations. Norway has resisted the temptation to splurge all the windfall since striking oil in the North Sea in 1969.

Finance Minister Siv Jensen told Reuters the fund, called the Government Pension Fund Global, had helped iron out big, unpredictable swings in oil and gas prices. Norway is the world's number seven oil exporter.

"Many countries have found that temporary large revenues from natural resource exploitation produce relatively short-lived booms that are followed by difficult adjustments," she said in an email.

The fund, equivalent to 183 percent of 2013 gross domestic product, is expected to peak at 220 percent around 2030.

"The fund is a success in the sense that parliament has managed to put aside money for the future. There are many examples of countries that have mot managed that," said Oeystein Doerum, chief economist at DNB Markets.

 

Norway has sought to avoid the boom and bust cycle by investing the cash abroad, rather than at home. Governments can spend 4 percent of the fund in Norway each year, slightly more than the annual return on investment.

Still, in Norway, oil wealth may have made the state reluctant to make reforms or cut subsidies unthinkable elsewhere. Farm subsidies allow farmers, for instance, to keep dairy cows in heated barns in the Arctic.

It may also have made some Norwegians reluctant to work. "One in five people of working age receives some kind of social insurance instead of working," Doerum said, despite an official unemployment rate of 3.3 percent.

-By Alister Doyle

 

Just Break Out of Mediocrity

When my husband and I went out to dinner recently, we were served by an extremely helpful waitress. This woman seemed to anticipate our every need; she even suggested an item that was not on the menu.

Throughout the evening, she served us with both joy and efficiency. She made our evening so pleasant that the next time we went to that restaurant, we requested her as our waitress.

In a society in which mediocrity has become the standard, she distinguished herself by her excellence.

In the same way our waitress rose above the crowd, believers in Christ should strive to shine as lights in the world's darkness.

Unfortunately, too many believers are content to just get by; they don't try to reach for the greater things God has for them. They're satisfied to live mediocre lives.

Jesus spoke against this kind of mediocrity in Matthew 5:46-47 when He said: "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" (NKJV).

Anybody can love someone who loves him. The question Jesus asked was: "What do you do more than others? Where do you exceed expectations?"

Our call as believers is not only to love others but also to love others more than the world expects. It's when we take the extra leap to love and forgive our enemies—not just our friends—that we step out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.

Reaching for More
The Bible is full of stories of people who chose to live their lives at more than a mediocre level.

Moses is described as a man who was more humble than any other man on the face of the earth. Nehemiah is described as a faithful man who feared God more than others did.

John the Baptist is described in Scripture as more than a prophet. And the Bible says that Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness more than His companions.

All of these were "more than" people—people who would not, could not be satisfied with the ordinary or the usual. Consequently, each of them was used by God in an extraordinary way.

Joshua 7 tells the story of the Israelites going off to conquer the city of Ai after their great, supernatural victory in the city of Jericho. In the afterglow of Jericho, they felt confident that Ai could be defeated with a minimum of fighting men.

But there was something they didn't know. At Jericho, a man named Achan had disobeyed God's directive to destroy everything in the city. He had kept for himself a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold, thinking no one would know.

Isn't it silly to think we can hide something from God? Because of Achan's hidden sin, the Israelites were routed when they went up against the men of Ai. Approximately 36 Israelites died as they fled before a weaker enemy.

Distraught after the defeat, Joshua wept before the Lord. Then he cried out a question: "Why couldn't we have settled on the other side of the Jordan?

"Why couldn't we have been satisfied with just enough? Why did we have to take a risk for something more?"

The answer is actually quite simple: It wasn't in Joshua's spiritual nature to settle. Though Joshua's carnal nature would have been content with a level of mediocrity that required less effort and sacrifice, he was, deep in his spirit, a "more than" person.

The Bible says that whenever Moses worshiped at the tent of meeting, Joshua would linger in the presence of the Lord long after Moses left (see Ex. 33:11). Joshua wanted more of God. He could never have settled on the other side of the Jordan because there was still more land to be conquered for the Lord!

"More than" people cannot resist the challenge of increasing their territory. Remember The Prayer of Jabez? The widespread acceptance of that little book by Bruce Wilkinson showed that its message struck a chord deep in the hearts of believers.

Many of us began to pray diligently for God to increase our territory. But perhaps we didn't really understand what we were praying.

To increase your territory, you have to take it from the enemy. You have to fight for it! You can't settle for the status quo.

God's kingdom is an ever-increasing kingdom. The very nature and essence of His kingdom requires increase.

For us, the people of God, the challenge to enlarge the place of our dwelling and expand to the outermost bounds is intrinsic. It's who we really are! As Romans 8:37 says, we are "more than conquerors."

God has placed the desire in our hearts to excel, to increase our territory, to pursue something greater. And when we do that, we become more like Him.

After all, He is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who is more than enough. His love for us is extravagant; He

Try this Butterscotch Banana Bread

I like having a stockpile of healthy goodies in the freezer for the kids when I am packing lunchboxes each morning. This banana bread is a favorite of ours. It is moist and flavorful and holds up well to freezing. I can freeze it for up to one month, and when I thaw it, it still tastes as fresh as the day it was baked. I usually add chocolate chips but this time I used butterscotch chips and it tasted amazing. I swear, I don't know why I waited so long to do so. Double this recipe and make two loaves to help yourself out. That way you'll have one for right now and one to freeze for later!

Butterscotch Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas mashed with a fork
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a standard 9×5 loaf pan.
2. Mix together butter and sugar until fully combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mix well. Add mashed bananas, mix again until completely combined.
3. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butterscotch chips. Stir this mixture a few times and make sure the chips are fully coated with flour.
4. Working slowly, stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Keep stirring until all flour is fully incorporated. The batter may still be a little lumpy from the bananas, this is normal.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack before serving.

-By Kelsey Banfield

 

6 Things To Do In 2014, If You Had a Bad Year In 2013

On Dec. 29, 2013 I sat in a meeting with 500 leaders from around the world who were strategizing about reaching the nations with prayer, evangelism and the Word of God. I was blown away as I sat and listened to some of my heroes of the faith who wrote books that I read in college. The night ended with my son, Alex and I standing on the stage watching his favorite band. The capstone to 2013 has been an amazing challenge to dream again.

2013 brought unprecedented open doors and opportunities that I could only have dreamed of in years past. But before 2013, I had a lot of mundane years where I wanted to quit, give up and lose hope. For my friends who had a bad year, I offer this advice from the word of God.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” (Philippians 3:12-16)

1. Let Christ Possess You.

“But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Philippians 3:12

The ideal of being possessed by another spirit is the stuff of spooky movies. But how many of us have let money or lust makes decisions for us? For that moment when money made the decision, you were possessed by fear or greed depending on the situation. When food called you, your lust or stomach possessed you for that moment.

I believe that we make more decisions from being possessed by another spirit than the spirit of Christ than we think. I know I have let money or food call me instead of God more than I ever want to admit. The first step to changing our future is to let Christ possess you.

Let His word be your word. Let His motivation move you. Let His Spirit take over.

2. Change Your Focus.
Focus is an asset that needs to be protected. Your focus will determine your path. Focus on the wrong person or wrong idea and you’re going to go off track. I’ve had at to literally fight to keep my focus on the things of God. Here’s a simple tactic I’ve taken to focus on God – believe His word and not mine.

The enemy’s main battlefield is my mind. Whenever I’m thinking, “I can never do that, I will never be picked or I’m such a loser,” I know that God isn’t saying that to me. Someone else who hates me is speaking that to me in my own voice.

Choose to focus on the word of God and what God says about you. He believes in you more than you believe in yourself. Meditate on this – the God of the Universe has faith in you. That’s a scary thought but it’s true. He has no Plan B. We are the plan for advancing His kingdom.

3. Forget the Past.
The enemy will remind you of your past failures and disappointments. God is always looking to your bright future. I’ve had some bad years but I can barely remember them because during those hard years I chose to focus on His word. I’ve let what He thinks take over and interpret those bad years for me. Choose to forget the past to make way for God’s future for you.

If you’re experiencing the consequences of bad decisions in the past, pray for crop failure! Or speak the word of God over your past. Let God define your future.

4. Look Forward to What Lies Ahead.
The ability to look forward is a gift. I’ve had days when I was inundated by voices to quit and give up. During those moments, I would cry out to God and pour out my heart. Then I would get a glimpse of my future – the friends I have yet to meet, the grandchildren that I will hold in my arms some day and being with my husband as God forms him. The looking forward takes over as I get a glimpse of what lies ahead.

5. Press on.
The definition of press is:
verb (used with object)
1. To act upon with steadily applied weight or force.
2. To move by weight or force in a certain direction or into a certain position: The crowd pressed him into a corner.
3. To compress or squeeze, as to alter in shape or size: He pressed the clay into a ball.
4. To weigh heavily upon; subject to pressure.
5. To hold closely, as in an embrace; clasp: He pressed her in his arms.

Notice that you have to take the action of pressing on. You have to move, apply weight or force, you have to take action. No one can do this for you. Your pastor, favorite bible speaker or leader can’t do this for you. You have to choose to act, apply force and move.

When I’ve been overcome by hopelessness or fear, I’ve had to literally force myself to open the Bible and speak it over myself. I’ve stood in the bathroom, speaking the scripture to myself in the mirror. Let me tell you, the Word of God is the number one weapon you have for your future.

Don’t take the Word of God for granted. I heard in that meeting with leaders that there were almost 2,000 tribes that had no access to the scriptures because it wasn’t printed in their language. Here were have the most powerful force on the planet that has taken down empires, changed nations and cultures in our hands. Use it!

The Word of God was meant to be spoken, sung, preached and acted on. It is not meant to stay on a piece of paper but to come out of your mouth. So press on to your future by speaking the Word of God over your life!

6. Remember you have a heavenly prize that Christ is calling you to reach!
You have the God of the Universe and all of the hosts of heaven cheering you on in your race. There are rewards waiting for you ahead.

“Trouble chases sinners while blessings rewards the righteous.” Proverbs 13:21

I’ve seen the rewards in my own life – a godly husband and children that love God. Right now you may be recovering from your own bad choices or you’re ending a hard year. Take heart! Focus on the Word of God, press in to His Word and remember you have rewards in this life for following Him and a heavenly prize waiting for you. God and the hosts of heaven are cheering you on.

What are you believing for in 2014? Let me know and I’ll pray for you! May 2014 be a mind-blowing year for YOU

By: Leilani Haywood