Blog of the Week: Natural Nigerian

It has most likely crossed your mind that our ancestors lived healthier and longer than we do because they nourished their bodies with unprocessed foods and cared for them using natural products. However, you have also probably thought it impractical to do without processed foods and man-made products. Get ready to change your mind; everything about this blog screams “it’s doable!” and there’s nothing more inspiring than a living example. This blogger would have you know that this is “not just a Nigerian hair blog.” It’s a way of sharing her experiences as a natural girl living in Nigeria, a collection of tips, information and recipes that she has picked up along the way, and a celebration of being a strong, secure female. In case you’re wondering what exactly “natural girl” means, she anticipates that in “Why I Call Myself a Natural Nigerian”. Here’s an excerpt: “Anyone would be excused for wondering why on earth I would classify myself as a Natural Nigerian. Beyond the obvious – I have natural hair; there is a deeper reason why I think I have earned that title. Let’s look at a typical day in the life. I eat natural foods at least 80% of the time. This means that most of what I eat are home cooked meals which are cooked from scratch with as little input from processed helpers as possible. As an example, if I am having French Fries (hardly happens but is a good example), I will usually top it with stew and not ketchup from a bottle. My snacks are usually things that have little or no preservatives like nuts, plantain chips or freshly boiled corn. I typically will not buy granola bars, potato chips or Gala beef roll. When I am thirsty, powdered drinks like Kool-Aid and Nutri-C are not welcome. The same applies to carbonated drinks like Coke, Pepsi and Fanta.” She describes in detail the elements of the natural lifestyle she has adopted in the rest of that piece, focusing on cosmetics. She lays no claim to professional certifications and is simply sharing her personal experience along with information gleaned from books or conversations with experts. And she certainly delivers. In the post, “Are You Pooing The Right Way?”, she shares her discovery that we were designed to “squat to eliminate” and that the sitting method we adopted from the white man when he came with his WC, actually stops the flow of waste as the puborectalis muscle only partially relaxes, instead of fully relaxing to allow the colon empty quickly and completely. In “My Omu Gwo Experience: Local Nigerian Post Pregnancy Care”, she blogs about yet another thing she believes our ancestors got right, summarized in this selection: “I had a baby about 8 years ago. After the baby, my stomach was quite dark, which was alarming as the rest of my body remained fair complexioned.  I was pretty certain nothing would ever remove that color. Also, like Kate Middleton has shared with us, I had a slight bump as a leftover from the pregnancy. Two weeks later, the bump and the dark color were gone. My stomach was flat (even flatter than it is now, 8 years on). I am going to attribute this to genetics as well as the care I was given post pregnancy by my mother. In Igbo tradition, it is called omu gwo. She does go ahead to describe this care in detail. She is also quick to remind you that what works for her may not work for you, and urges you to always be in tune with any changes in your body, hair or skin resulting from changes in regimen. The blogger is also trying her hand at making most of her own things, such as soaps, creams and lotions. So if you’re interested in going natural but wondering how to access reasonably priced natural skin and hair care products in Nigeria, the blog features a market place, Ahia Natural Nigerian, and delivers products to any location within Lagos and other states in Nigeria. In terms of its layout, content, and offerings, Natural Nigerian is still evolving, and in many ways is more than a blog. Yet, a whopping 197 posts have been published so far. So go ahead and dig in; you know you want to! Check it out! www.naturalnigerian.com ConnectNigeria.com…Need it? Search it, Find it!  

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This article was first published on 11th October 2013 and updated on December 18th, 2013 at 10:41 pm

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