University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No ISSN: 0795 – 2120

Author 1 SAMUEL, E. S.

Author 2

Author 3

Title The Role of Good Kitchen and Cooking Habits in The Promotion of Family Health

Keywords

Description The Role of Good Kitchen and Cooking Habits in The Promotion of Family Health

Category

Education

Publisher Journal of Health Education and Sport Science

Publication Date

2001

Signature

b JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION AND SPORT SCIENCE (JOHESS)

ISSN: 0795-2120

NO. 2

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL AND HEALTH P

EDUCATION, -\

I

; - UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

CONTENTS

Baba, M. M. and Omotara, B.A., The sources and effect of information on AIDS among adolescents in Borno State, Nigeria .................................................................. 1

Baba, M. M., Baba, S. S. and Omotara, B. A,, Evaluation of views of adolescents towards management of AIDS patients in ,

the North Eastern Nigeria ............................................... 13

Larduma, M. S, Bulama, K. and Njodi, LA., Awareness of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome among non-literate Kanuri people in Maiduguri: Implications for counselling.. ......... 24

Olaosebikan, T., Nutritional education of women as a solution to undernutrition.. .............................................. 42

Samuel, E.S., The role of good kikchen and cooking habits in the promotion of family health ....................................... 5 2

Dibal, Y.Y., Drug education: The role of Nigerian community.. .............................................................. 5 1

Sanusi, A.A., Perception of teachers towards thc teacliirig of sex education in secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. .......... 73

Gorah, K. K., Death anxiety among adolescents: Implication for health education counsellors in Nigeria. ............ 8 3

Kundiri, A.M. and Buba, A., Fatality rates as a result of ......... drive way related accidents in the North-East sub-region. 96

Tukur, I.T., Chado, M.A. and Gwani, J.A., Relationship between physical characteristics and health relatcd physical fitness performance of security men ................................... 104

Kaidal, A. and Abass, A., Menstrual dysfunctions in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . female athletes: An overview 115

Musa, D.I. Efl'ccts of continuous and intcrmittcrit trailling programmes on aerobic fitness: An overview.. .......................

Gaya, M.W.U., Effect of post-exercise activities on the speed of ,lactic acid removal and its fate during exercise and

.................................................................... recovery.

Ladani, B.A., The role of physical educators as ....................................... counsellors in secondary schools.

I:kcli, ]:.I. Orgill~ization of scliool sporls: An ~ipp~ais;il of ................................... past arid prcsent praclices in Nigeria.

Umeakuka, O.A. The role of sporls in promoting human, ~iatiolial and illtcrnational r-elations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I lamafyelto, S.S. and Enam, A. E., Information technology ........................ and ~iolalional analysis ~I'nlatcllcs: A rcvicw.

Gays, M.W.IJ. and Abdulkarim, I . , Pliilosophicol basis of physical ~ t l ~ ~ ~ i ~ l i o l l arid sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

' I ' r l~lp,lrltip,. N . , I'o1ilic.u ol' I~oslit~p, i~~~cl . l l~~l io t~~i I N ~ O I I N cotnpclilio~~s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vii

CONTRIBUTORS

Abass, A. Department of Human Kinctics and I-lealth Education, University of Ibadan.

Abduikarim, I., Department of Continuing Education and Extension Services, University of Maiduguri.

Baba, M.M., Department of Immunology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri.

Baba, S.S., Department of Community Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri.

Buba, A., Ramat Library, University of Maiduguri.

Bwala, D. W. Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri. 4

Chado, M. A., Department of Physical and Health Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Dibal, Y.Y., Department of Continuing Education and Extension Services, University of Maiduguri.

Ekeh, F.I., Department of Ileaith and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Enam, A.E., Ramat Library, University of Maiduguri.

Gaya, M. W .U., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri.

Gorah, K.Y., Department of Health and physical Education, Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

Gwani, J.A., Department of Physical and Health Education, Ahmadu Be110 University, Zaria.

... Vlll

Hamafyelto, S. S., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri.

Kagu, B., Department of Education, University of Maiduguri.

Kaidal, A., Department of Physical and Health ducati ion, University of Maiduguri.

Kundiri, A. M., Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, University of Maiduguri.

Ladani, B. A. Department of Physical and I-Iealth Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Larduma, M. S., Department of Continuing Education and Extension Services, University of Maiduguri.

Musa, D. I. Department of Physiqal and Health Education, Bayero University, Kano.

Njodi, I.A., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri.

Olaosebikan, T., Department of Physical and Health Education, College of Education, Gashua.

Omotara, B.A., Department of Community Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maiduguri.

Samuel, E.S., Department of Health and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Sanusi, A.A., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri.

Talabi, A.E., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of llorin.

Tanglang, N., Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Maiduguri.

THE ROLE OF GOOD KITCIIEN AND COOKING IIABITS IN 'I'IIE PROMOrTION OF FAMILY 11 EA1,TII

in /he fc~rnily are ns.socia/ec/ ~i)i//l I I I diygienic kitchen e~~vironmen/ and Fad

cooking hal~i/s. Coraeyueitf/y, cooks and /hose who work around food

should he ahsolir/ely clean and healflq~. 7 0 / d cleanliness should prevail

among /hose who prepare or Ircrirdle food in the family. Good cooking

hahifs rekrfiiig 10 persoirul kygieire of the cook, kifcheir, food aird food

cooks fo itlcrrlcafe good kifchcrr and cooking hahifs are sirgges/ed.

Introduction

Kitchen, according to Hornby (1995) is a room in which meals are

cooked or prepared, and for other forms of housework. Specifically, the

kitchen can be described as the production center where all cooking takes

place (Olr~sanya, Eyisi, Anfarii, Oguiiyide and Eguchulam, 1990). Cooking

habits refer to food sanitation, sanitary conditions of the cook and the

cooking environments. Cooking habits are those desirable behaviours

expected of a person preparing food which will promote the health of all

~nembers of the family. Kitchen environment and proper good cooking

habits are very essential in the promotion of family health. Promotion of

family health refers to all the desirable methods adopted by the members to

enhance and improve the quality and level of health.

Food preparation and its liygienc poses oric of the greatest problems

of nutrition in Nigeria (Osamo, 1983). Many of the diseases in the family

ale associated with what is eaten. l'l~is is why care should be taken by

everybody who prepares atid cooks food. Cleanliness of the kitchen a~id

good cooking habits are absolutely essential to Family health. These will

bring about happiness at home arid in the conununity as a whole. This is

important since happy parents create happy hornes. I-lappy homes produce

happy children. Happy children also make as happy community and happy

community makes a happier nation (Anderson, 1975).

The Role of Kilclic~i in the P~~oe io t io~ i of Family Healtli

The kitchen is a laboratory in the home and should be planned and

arranged in such a way as to make the task of food preparation and

utilizatior~ of both the equip~neiit arid tools easy. Broadly, there are two

types of kitchen, namely family and iridustrial kitchens. In either kitchens,

t l~c walls should be strongly impervior~s and easy to clean. They should

have good pairit preferably light colored. 'l'he corners should be sharp in

order iiot tu Ilai.buur dust a~id dirt. 'I'lic kitcllcn cciling nus st bc ficc of

cracks arid flaking. It should not harbour dust and insects. The ceiling

should be reasonably f'ar from the fire place. The floor should be made of

concrcl.~. It must bc evcri aid not slippe~y and should bc easy to clean. The

flooring should be hard-working, non-absorbent to grease, not easily

damaged or discoloured by hot utensils either by cleaning or by the weight

of heavy equipment. The floor should be reasonably resilient. There should

be good water supply and good drainage within the kitchen. Proper

canalizations of used water outside the kitchen is important. This will

prevent development of offcnsivc odour around the kitchen and also

prevent easy contamination of food. Adequate prevision must be made for

cross-ventilation to get rid oL' tlic heat generated during the cooking

process. God ventilation will help to prevent development of undesirable

odour, keep temperature in the kitchen conducive to working processes and

prevent development of high hutnidity, generatcd by slcam emanating from

cooking.

Clcan kitclicn equip~iietit and utcnsils are important. 'l'hc equipment

anti ulct~sils slloultl he catctl f i ~ a~id ~naititaincd. Good carc and routinc

cleatililiess would go a long way to ensuring sanitation thus reducing health

hazards. Confirming this Olusdanya et al. (1990) pointed out that all

equipment used in preparation, service and storage of' hod should be

n~aintained in cxccllcrit conditio~i to ctisu~c sanitation ant! hclp avoid thc

development of germ in foods. All utensils like spoons, plates, forks and

pots should be washed regularly wherc necessary with hot boiling water

(Gba~aba, 1984). 'I'llis will clitninate dirts and discasc bactcrisr hiding in

t l l ~ l l l .

Kilcticn lay-out sliould Iiavc work bcnclies. cooking and Iia~id-

washing fkcilities as wcll as thc sink unit that are conveniently placcd

( I lol)l)s, I 077). Ihst-bills liw I c l iw tlisposiil sllo~~ltl I)c providcd W ~ C I C

reruse is collected.

Kitchen slior~ltl bc tlic clcnticst r.ootii ill tlic Iiousc. 'l'liis is bccausc it

is i t i tlic kitcllc~~ 1I1;it li)ods ; I I ~ prepared, cookcd i111tl kcpl bclim IISC.

Failure to keep the kitchen environment clean will adversely affect health

ol' tllc nicn~bcr-s oI' llic Ihlnily. Will~oi~t h o d o I'n~nily's survival is not

guaranteed. One of the qualities of any kitchen is absolute cleanliness.

Clcan kitcllcti pr-ornotcs iicaltll wldc dirty kitchcti advct-scly all'ccts hcaltll.

5 4

The kitchen if scrubbed and swept helps to ward off germs from inhabitii~g

the kitchen. Germs, as we know, cause discasc to the individual and as such

can afyect the health of the family. Windows are important in the kitchen

bccausc i t gives abutldant sunlight to ~llc kitchc~l and makcs tiic kitchc~l

warm so that disease organistns tind it difficult to multiply. Screened

windows also prevent flies and insects from entering the kitchen.

Irnportnncc of Good Cooking in the Pro~notion of Ihnily I4enM1. . -

.a ,

Good cooking habits are those behaviours expected of a person who

prepares and cooks food. Hence every one who handles food or works in a

place where food is prepared and cooked should follow certain basic

l~ygicllic pi vccdu~.es tbr the promotion of health ol' the fanlily and any other

person who eats the food. These basic hygienic procedures center around

personal hygiene, kitchen and food hygiene as well as food sanitation laws.

I n as mucll as cooking makes food more apyctizing and palatable, the

nutritive value of such foods cannot be derivcd unless when properly

cooked. In other words, protein Sood which Iias a [unction of growth and

rcpi~ir r n n only Iw rlavlilf wlwn ptopctly cookctl In Illis wily Ihc l ~ c n l i l ~ ol'

the members of the family is promoted.

Similarly proper cooking destroys disease-causing germs that may

be present in rneat due to contamination during and after slaughter. This is

more so because sanitary condition in slaughtering houses are not easy to

maintain with the result that flies and other diseasc-carrying animals thrivc

(Selrnon, 1976). Meat should be thoroughly cooked in order for these

organisms not to be taken into the stomach alive. Another importance of

cooking is that it makes food more digestible. There are some foods that

man's digestive systetr~ callnot digest unless they are cooked, for example,

wl~cal 'I'liis is 1111 C X I I I I I ~ I I : of' c~~~l)oliydr:~tcs w I ~ I I ~ I . ~ ~ L I C C S hcnt and

5 5

e~iergy which the body uscs in doiny tvol k When such food is well cooked,

it is easily digcstiblc and supply !lie body with the necessary nutrients

needed fnr energy (IWh, 1975). Alternatively, if such food is not well

cooked it may bring about intligcstion and stomach upset Frequent

indigestion, constipation and stomach upset are harmful to good health.

\7?ol<iliq incl-mses appctitc. I! also incseascs the quantity of food

eaten by the individual and this makes the individual to feed well. By so

doing 11c:dtii of' the iutliviclual and 111~11 r?T the fawily members are

guamntecd. Contral-y to !I:c .\.c,sit~vc - W:,,IS df cooking tliscusscd abovc,

cooking has disativant.agcs. I'xcessivc ;wit call lowcr tlie nutritive value of

food. For instance, in prcparatio~l and sewing of vegetablcs, very high

amount of Im; (Icstsoys the nutritive content. Also, frying of food makes

digestion of food diflicult.

Some of the spccific habits to be obsesved during cooking include

the following

I . Covesiilg of hair - Covering of hair whilc cooking is all

iliiportarit l~abit bcmusc it will pscve~it <lantlrutT usually found

011 the !;airs to be :.I:tr; i::i:> t l~c food. Also, it prevents hairs from

cl?tcriug the food. I f dandruff and hairs get to food, it could be

dangerous to health. 'I'licrefore, the hair should be covered by

cooks so that t . 1 ~ I~calth of the mcnlbcrs of the family will bc

protectcd. , . L. ~ ~ ~ . , ~ l - ; , , , , . ... g ol' cooking :~tcnsils - Most germs infect the family

~hrcjugl~ the cookins utensils, wlien they are not \vashetl

propel-ly. Cooks at h o ~ w ? ::4 :i; m e clean boiling water and

soap lbr washlt:;; r,yol.rir,g u'ii;lls;lt. 'I'his will elimimte dirts and

discasc bacteria hiding on them thus promoting family health.

5 G

3 Clcan body, clolllcs and i lands - Andcrsun (1975) n o t q h a t -

< < Most germs call grow only in warm, moist places sucl~ as thc

rccti~m and ge~ital areas". A cook should wash his or- hcr hands

fi.cquently particulasly allcr visiting tllc toilet, bcrore handling

21"T,,o2. Cooks, tlmcl'ore, should h a w clean bodies, clean dress

arlcl clean hands This is rl-xcssary in the promotion of family

health.

4. Usc of Apron - 'L~is IS used in tile homes and also in the public

cating placcs. Tlie use of apron is important because it will

prevent. dirts Ssom the cook's cloth iiom entering the food. 'The

apron should be washcd regularly to make sure that it is not a

5. Usc ol"~-Iandkcrchic~s - Cooks should Ilavc handkerchiefs which

tlley usc lor covc~-i~!g Lllcir ~tloutll and ~iosc when coughing or

s~leezi~lg and this sliould not bc uscd fc~r any othcr purpose. This

is bccausc most of tlic tiroplcts inl'cctions can be contacted

througll coughing or sncczing by dcpositi~ig the disease -

causing organisms into thc food. Cooks therefore should

nlaintain this habit for the positive promotion of family health

(I'ylic 1975).

6 . Washing of Food - 1\11 limd brought ti om thc market stlould be

~ i - o p e ~ ~ y cvasllcd and kcpt in clea~i closecl co~itrtincrs until it is

ready to be usecl or. cooltcd. It shoulcl bc prcparcd at the earlicst

This will decrease LIIC ratc o? cating spoilt. food which can cause

disease to the individual. Vcgetablcs and fruits should be

thoroughly washed with clean water and rinsed before being

cooked or served. This is especially important for foods served

raw such as salads and fruits.

7. Covering of Food - Cooks should protect their foods fiom flies ' I

and other pests by covering them. Cooked foods should well

covered with plates and in the pots and p; in the cupboard. This

makes it in~possible [or flics which carry disease organisms to

crawl on them.

Nlrat shordd be done to pronwte Kitchen and Cooking Habits in our

Tamilies

In order to promote hygienic kitchen environment and encourage

good cooking and cooking habits the following strategies are

recommended:

1 . Organizing Workshop and Seminars.

Workshops and seminars should be organized by the local, state and

federal governments and agencies whose functions border on food

and nutrition. Every cook or person who prepares food or work

around food for the family should be made aware of the basic

kitchen and working requirements and the dangers inherent in

improper food preparation and se~vices.

2. Public Enlightenment Campaign

Many cooks are ignorant of some of the dangers inherent in

improper food handling and preparation. ?or instance, some people

do not take time to cook their foods in order to destroy the disease -

causing organisms that are found in foods, and some foods also

need short cooking or lower temperature in order to maintain the

nutritive value. Through the rmss media: radio and television many

58

cooks or would be cooks, and lood handlers are enlightened. .2n

example of such radio programme is thc "family menu".

3 . Sr~pervision of Kitclmr 1)) IledtIr Superintenrle~~ts

14ealth superintendents could be of immense value in the promotion

of family Ilealtll. Visit of homes by health superin!endents should be

done once in a while. During such visits ib;spection of the kitchen

and the surroundings are made, and advice given to cooks and

members of the family on how to improve the sanitary condition of

the kitchen and surroundings. Supervision should also be extended

to public eating places and slaughtering houses.

C o ~ ~ c l u s i o ~ i

Cleanliness of the kitchen when maintained can promote the health

of the family. Proper cooking of food increases a appetite, makes food

more palatable, brings out the nutritive value of foods, destroys the disease

- causing organisms that are usually prevalent in foods. Cooked foods are

alsa more digestible. However, excessive cooking has been found to lower

the nutritive value of foods like vegetables. Cooking habits such as

covering of hair, washing of cooking utensils, clcanhness of the body,

clothes and hands, use of apron and washing of fox i as well as hygienic

kitchen environment promote fanlily health. Organizing o f woi-kshops,

public enlightenment campaigns and food supervision by health

superintetidetits are sorne of the reaswes which cwld prom~te and

encourage good cooking habits. 111 order to enhaace family health the

maintenance of food hygiene, good cooking habits, sanitary kitchen

environment, keeping of sanitation are necessary ingredients.