Health Zone: Don’t eat suya without onion, cabbage – Professor of Nutrition

Regular consumers of grilled and  barbecued beef and chicken popularly called  suya, have been advised to always eat the delicacy with generous portions of the slices of onions, cabbage, tomatoes and other vegetables usually served along with the meat.

Giving the advise in Lagos, a Professor of Nutrition and Director of Academic Planning at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo,  said research has shown that while there is a strong link between consumption of suya and increased risk of cancer,  consumption of suya garnished with onions and other vegetables, has a strong cancer-lowering effect.

Speaking during the nutrition workshop organised by Coca-Cola Nigeria for health writers, the nutrition expert remarked that dietary habits play a major role in outcome of our health and one of this is the issue of cancer.

Suya preparation:

“During preparation of suya, the  meat is cooked over an open fire, and oils from the meat undergo complex chemical reactions that produce toxins that are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in nature.
Meat cooked over open flame often causes the formation of toxic compounds known as Heterocyclic Amines, HCAs, which are carcinogenic compounds. The more well-done a meat is cooked, the higher concentration of carcinogenic HCA’s can form.

Explaining that cancer is due to  oxidative processes in the body, He said onions are powerful antioxidants  that  effectively stop the oxidative process triggered by consumption of suya from  taking place,

Further, Onimawo said one of the outcomes of the findings was that women who consume suya, are more prone to cancer (breast cancer) than men because they (women) tend to consume just the suya and ignore the vegetables.

Men eat onions, women eat suya: “This is practically proven. Many young men, take girls out and buy suya to entertain them. Normally, apart from the spices sprinkled on the meat, the suya is served with slices of onions, cabbage and tomatoes in some cases.

“The onion and other vegetables are actually added to act as antidote to the effect of the oil from the suya. Onions neutralise the oxidative effect of the chemicals in the oil and help prevent cancer,  but because the young man wants to impress the girl, he will be eating the onions, while the girl eats the suya. At the end of the day he is preventing cancer, unknowingly, while the girl is eating the cancer.

“Much of this information needs to be made more available. I’m not saying suya is bad, on the contrary, it is a great delicacy, but beneficial only when eaten in moderation and along with the onion and cabbage, he stated.”