Aunt Porridge boosts the silver in Silver Fish!
A few clients have expressed discomfort about the presence of Silverfish (mukene) in Aunt Porridge. The abhorrence of silverfish is usually a result of cultural biases, fear of its smell, and suspicion of poor handling which results in poor quality and the mukene being mixed with sand and animal droppings. The elites tend to leave silver fish for the poor and low-income groups who cannot afford larger and popular types of fish, such as Nile Perch and Tilapia.
Some clients have requested that we remove silver fish from Aunt Porridge components and, for most of them, we have had to make special orders without silver fish. Aunt Porridge is a composite of 12 different flours designed to boost its nutrition value, energy, immunity, and appetite. In it, there is energy giving (millet, maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, cassava), body building (soybeans, pumpkin seeds, silver fish), and body protection foods (amaranth, pumpkin).
Why silver fish?
Silver fish is the only marine component of the Aunt Porridge composite and this is not by accident. The fish may be small in size but they are quite nutritious and good for the body. It has 42% protein, the highest concentration of all its nutrition value. The proteins are essential for building and repairing muscles, organs, skin, hair and other body tissues.
It is a source of amino acids that boost immunity, prevents malnutrition and helps to fight diseases. Its Omega-3 fatty acids make up 25% of its value. Its good cholesterol and Omega-3 are important for the development and keeping the heart and brain healthy as well as reducing inflammation.
In terms of minerals, silver fish contains calcium (4%), which is good for strengthening the bones and teeth. There is sodium (3%), which helps maintain normal blood pressure, supports the work of nerves and muscles, and regulates the body’s fluid balance. Its iron (2%) is essential for preventing anemia and maintaining energy levels. Iron is very important for young women in the age brackets of pregnancy because it prevents many deformities at conception. It is also important for the babies especially those feeding on cow milk which lacks the required iron amounts. Its phosphorous promotes the development of the brain, which boosts memory and helps children perform well in class.
Silver fish is also rich in vitamins. It has Vitamin A and E, which not only promote eye tissue and prevents poor vision, especially among the elderly and children with eye problems, but it also maintains healthy skin. Vitamin A also assists in night vision. Its Vitamin B12 is good for nerve health, Vitamin D for bone health
Lastly, it is low in Calories, with no carbohydrate, making it suitable for weight management.
Composite advantages
Aunt Porridge’s interest in Silver fish is also hinged on its composite advantages. For example, cereals like rice, sorghum and millet, lack an essential amino acid, lysine, which is then got from their combination with silver fish.
Millet too, another good food with micro-nutrients such as calcium and iron, becomes more useful to the body if combined with Silver fish. If eaten in isolation, the millet can only be broken down by the body to take up just about 15% of the total nutrients. But when added with Silver fish, the haeme iron enhances the availability of other irons from the millet.
Food combinations play a major role in whether you will get the best or inhibit the release of nutrients that you could have derived from a meal.
Win-win solution
Good food is the foundation of healthy living, immunity and intellectual abilities. Good feeding is not just eating to fill the stomach, but getting the best out of a meal in terms of nutrients. To take advantage of silver fish, without risking its perceived biases, the company takes great care to procure only quality silver fish, well preserved, dries and without stones.
The company also uses de-scented silver fish, which has gone through a process of neutralizing its smell to become odorless. Nevertheless, the silver fish flour is again mixed with sweet oats from Germany, to shroud any possible fish smell. All these processed aim at removing the feared fish smell without affecting the basic nutrition of the silverfish.
However, for people whose rejection of silverfish is about a cultural bias, we can make a special order without silverfish that caters to their needs!
