There are a lot of health problems caused by the things we eat daily. Like they say, you are what you eat. That's why we have to be careful with the things we put into our body.

Recently, I had an experience at the market which got me not only surprised but also sceptical about all the things we eat. That's why in this post, I'm sharing with you how to distinguish between organic and chemically treated vegetables (njama-njama) in the market.




If you want to eat right and stay healthy, you should be searching for organically grown food to eat. So here is how to identify organic vegetables.

How To Distinguish Between Organic & Chemically Treated Vegetables (Njama-njama) In The Market

Organic vegetables usually have some holes in their leaves

This is because plants and animals grow together. There are insects and tiny animals such as snails and caterpillars that feed on the leaves of these vegetables. That's why they have holes. If there are no holes it means some chemical products have been used to make sure that the leaves are not eaten at all.

You can find some insects or tiny animals on organic vegetables

This point is related to the first one as when you see some insects on the leaves or stems of the vegetable it means that chemical pesticides were not used and the vegetable is organic.

Organic vegetables have smaller and darker leaves

Organic vegetables are generally darker than chemically treated ones. Their leaves are equally smaller.

Chemically treated leaves and stems are very fragile while organic is stronger. 

Chemically treated vegetables contain more water than organic vegetables.

That's why when you cook them they 'fall' or reduce a lot.

Chemically treated vegetables easily wither or get rotten.

They don't take long to wither or decompose.

Chemically treated vegetables are more attractive than organic vegetables

They have bigger leaves, and brighter colours and look very much ok without holes or imperfections on them. This is because they have been pumped with chemicals to look their best.


The problem with most of these products is that they can cause strange and incurable sicknesses in our bodies if we keep consuming them. Our forefathers ate naturally grown products and lived for donkey years. But these days, without hospitals and medical help most people will not live up to 50.

This is because of what we eat. We want to produce more and better but in the course of doing that we are destroying our beautiful bodies.



Most Africans don't know that moving from organic to chemically treated production is impoverishing our soils and killing our bodies and those of our children, therefore, making us poor. The western world is moving towards organic products because they have realized the bad effects of it while we are moving towards producing chemical food for ourselves. This is so sad!


I hope this post enables us to realize that we are killing ourselves by eating chemically grown food. If you have parents, brothers, sisters or friends who are using chemicals to grow food, discourage them today! Tell them why it's bad for them and for us to use chemicals to grow food! Let's save our continent and world from killing itself!

While people are watching Big Brother Naija, I'm doing my usual surfing the internet and living life. It's hard to ignore Big Brother as from what I see on social media, the drama has started. I'm looking forward to that when I start watching it. Apart from Big Brother updates, I came across this blog post on career tips on the blog A Cup Of Jo which I highly recommend you read.

Weekend Vibes

Overall, this weekend is going good so far. Today is Saturday and it's been tiring for me because I had to go to the market and do some cooking. It took me longer than I expected and besides, markets on Saturday are usually very full. This Saturday is a 'month-end' Saturday so salaries are out. Social distancing is forgotten at this point as everyone is trying to shop as fast as they can. There were long queues in cold stores where women were buying fish and also around 'Okrika' sellers who just opened new bails of clothes.

Apart from these things that caught my attention, I was shocked by a new discovery while I bought njama-njama (huckleberry).

Shocking but true!

I got to a vegetable seller whose njama-njama (huckleberry) seemed good. When I took a closer look, I noticed some blue stains on the leaves. This stain comes from insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals that are often sprayed on plants especially vegetables like green pepper and tomatoes. It was my first time seeing it on njama-njama and I was shocked!

I wondered if that chemical will ever get off those leaves completely when washed. It made me scared and I decided not to buy them. This discovery made me look at all the vegetables I saw with a lot of suspicions. I know that chemicals are used on crops but I couldn't imagine that they spray njama-njama which we eat the leaves directly.  I finally got to another vegetable seller whom I asked if her vegetables were treated with chemicals and she told me the ones with chemicals had all been bought already. She gave a few factors to help me distinguish the chemically treated njama-njama from the organic one which I will share with you in another post.

Update: Here is How To Identify Organic Vegetables

I bought from her feeling relieved but hoping that she was saying the truth about her vegetables being organic. When I cooked the vegetable I was satisfied as I confirmed that they were truly organic. I'm eager to share with you how to recognize organic vegetables in my next post.


I made a good meal with the help of my little assistant, lol.

Our meal. Plantain, country-style njama-njama and canda stew featuring some smoked fish. Delicious!

My plans for the rest of the weekend (Sunday) are to plant some new vegetable stems, onion and leeks. Today (Saturday) is my spa day but I was too tired to take care of myself as usual so I'll do that tomorrow.

Njama-njama seeds. I hope they will grow

Njama-njama stems I kept to plant later

Onions to be planted

Me, after cooking. So tired and worn out.

Feeling good after a refreshing bath.

Surprisingly this week kicked off on a good note for me and I am so grateful for that. It has been evident in the increased desire to get things done and move on.

My Week So Far | Feeling Better & Wishing I Could Watch Big Brother Niaja Lockdown

After what happened on Sunday, I was surprised that I was able to feel better so quick by Monday afternoon. Maybe I've learnt to manage my hurt better. I'm working on doing another GLB hair products review video and blog post pictures. I hope it comes out better than the one I lost.

Related: I Lost Everything! The Weekend Didn't End Well

Moving on, I heard that Big Brother Africa Lockdown started this week! I haven't looked forward to watching Big Brother in the last few years but I wished I could follow up this season. Last year's show made a lot of news that I felt like reliving the vibration of Big Brother Naija. You may ask why I only heard that the show had started and that is because I haven't had the cable connected to my TV for many months now. My landlady who is meant to negotiate for that (because I paid a cable fee before moving in) is doing her own thing and I realized she doesn't want to pay the registration fee for me to be connected.

A cable guy came today and it's obvious that I have to register to get cable. That registration fee isn't small money oh (5000frs/$10) plus the monthly bill which he said is 2500frs. I wish to follow up on Big Brother Naija this year so hopefully, I'll connect the cable when I get the money. We may even talk about the highlights here on the blog from time to time especially as I have a number of Nigerians who read my blog.

Apart from that, my week is going on smoothly. I'm blogging and working on my school project one day at a time and it feels good. May this good feeling never depart from me in Jesus' name! Amen!

I hope you are having a wonderful week yourself. I pray that whatever thing you may be dealing with or going through will turn around for the better. Keep believing that things will change.

I expected my weekend to end on a very high happy note.

This Sunday, I had to help someone prepare for a meeting they were hosting. I was happy to help and also happy because I was going to take pictures for blog content.

I Lost Everything! The Weekend Didn't End Well

Everything started well as I helped out with the cooking and took pictures at the same time. When we were almost done with most of the cooking, my hone system crashed and I had to restart my hone for it to work again.

After restarting it, I noticed that I had lost everything in the form of pictures and videos on my phone. Among these videos was a video I filmed and edited already. It just needed to be posted on Youtube. The video was a review for GLB hair products which I have been using for a month now.

On Sunday, I was too busy to evaluate everything I had lost but on Monday morning I was so sad and even cried especially because of the review video I made. Thinking of doing it again from scratch is not easy to sink in.

I feel so bad that all the content I had planned to share with you guys just went down the drain. There were going to be at least three Cameroonian recipes and another post on 'how to host a typical Cameroonian meeting at home'. But because I lost the pictures I cant share that with you guys. I could write out the steps but the post will be better with the pictures.

This is not the first time my phone is doing this and this is beginning to worry me. I had the same issue when I returned from my trip to my mom's to harvest groundnuts. I also lost lots of beautiful pictures and interesting videos of our stay there.

Related:  Life Lately || Travelling To Harvest Groundnuts, Weaning My Baby & Getting My First Brand Deal!

I want to thank all of you who have recently joined my blog. I'm also grateful to those who have been reading my posts for a while now. Blogging gives me so much joy and I'm glad you are part of this journey with me.

Ngumabi's Get To Know Me Tag

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It's painful to start breastfeeding and it's also painfully to stop. Dealing with sore breasts which feel like they are going to explode is not easy and makes you restless. It can make you sick. The last thing you want to care about at that time is if your boobs are going to sag after it's over but how you manage your sore breasts counts.

Weaning my baby was an experience I didn't know was going to end. It was a long week of pain and somehow I managed to worry about making my breasts sag. When your breasts are sore, you need some remedy to help you soothe the pain and reduce the milk piled up in your breasts. Here are the methods that I used to soothe my breasts and this is what I did to make sure that my boobs don't sag after it.

How To Soothe Sore Breasts During Weaning And Prevent It From Sagging

1. Hot and warm massages

The milk that fills the breasts needs to be evacuated and sometimes your breasts may leak very slowly or may not leak at all as in my case. A hot or warm massage helps the veins to relax and also the milk to flow out.

This is what I used to massage them. Just make sure you are careful and don't burn yourself with hot objects.

- Coconut shells

This method really helped the milk to flow out very fast. Make sure the shell is smooth so that it doesn't feel uncomfortable or hurt during the massage. Do it gently and take your time.

How to use it:

I let heat the shell by the fire and massage the breast from downwards going up. This means, you start massaging around the nipple and move upwards towards your chest. Don't do it in the opposite direction as it will make your boobs sag.

How many times can it be done a day? 

This can be done twice or thrice a day. Or when you feel the need to help the milk flow out.

- Hot or warm water

This gave me some relief from the pain and relaxed my chest.

How to use it:

Heat the water and dip a towel into it. Squeeze the towel and use to massage each breast especially around where you feel much pain. Another way is to hold the entire breast in the hot or warm towel for a few seconds then take it off.

How many times can it be done a day?

I recommend doing the water massage after the coconut shell massage so you can follow the same twice or thrice a day schedule.

2. Wearing firm bras

After massaging and soothing your breasts, wear a firm bra to hold them together. A firm bra which is still very comfortable and fits well. The bra should be able to keep your breasts in one place to reduce your pain.

I recommend body or sports bras that cover you up and hold your breasts well without feeling tight.

Also, get some good sleep, eat well and rest. Avoid bending over to the front too much and get some healthy comfort food. My comfort food was boiled fresh groundnuts as we were visiting my mom and it was the groundnut harvesting period.

Related: Travelling To Harvest Groundnuts, Weaning My Baby, & My First Brand Deal

3. Hand and oil massage

When the pain is over and your breasts are getting to normal, start using your hands to massage them. Apply some oil to make it easier to massage. Place both hands above and under your breast and massage clockwise and anti-clockwise gently. This will make them firm and reduce wrinkles.

Related: 6 Ways To Care For Your Breast While Breastfeeding

Those are my tips for you to wean your baby and prevent saggy boobs.

There are things that you wouldn't understand until you experience them. Breastfeeding and weaning are some of those things.

I weaned my baby a month ago and from time to time I still feel a void and an interruption in our bond. I miss breastfeeding her when we lay down after she wakes u at night and is crying. The easy way has always been to breastfeed her back to sleep and I've gotten used to that. Even one month after weaning her it still comes like a reflex.


It's not like the whole breastfeeding process has been enjoyable for me. Not at all. The first three months especially were so painful. I almost gave u breastfeeding. But later it was so enjoyable as it created a very special bond between my baby and me. I planned to continue till she is two years but I just had to stop her now at one year and three months. This is very long for some people I know. Everyone I knew asked me to stop already and for some other reason, I decided to stop.

Related: Why I Stopped Breastfeeding My Baby At One Year Three Months Instead Of Two Years As I Planned

It wasn't just the physical pain of weaning that got to me, but also the psychological. I missed breastfeeding her. I loved and enjoyed her dependence on me for that. It made me feel good and accomplished as a mother. I felt like I actually fed my baby. I was happy that she was happy that I breastfed her. It made me feel satisfied. Weaning was taking that joy away.

It hurt even more when my breasts were full and sore and she was crying so much but I couldn't give her. She even wanted me to carry and hold her but I couldn't because my chest and breasts hurt so much.

It was hard I tell you. But I'm happy we are both recovering from that. She is picking up with eating very well and though she misses breastfeeding from time to time, she is visibly moving on. So am I.

Related: How To Stop Your Baby (Or Kids) From Running Your Life

I never expected that it would affect me mentally. I always thought it was just physical. But a bond is really created between a mother and a child during breastfeeding and that bond can be so strong.

There are many things we plan to do and end up taking a different courses. Breastfeeding is one of them for me.

Before having my daughter, I told myself I will breastfeed for a maximum of only six months. Then I enjoyed breastfeeding my baby so much that I decided to do so till she is two years.

Everyone was shocked because of my previous view on the matter but because it's difficult to see women who breastfeed for that long nowadays. I was determined though.

Related: How Weaning My Child Affected Me Physically And Mentally

But when my girl turned a year three months, I couldn't continue to breastfeed her and I had to stop.

Here is why.

5 Reasons I Stopped Breastfeeding My 15-Month-Old

1. She demanded it too much

Her demand and need for breastmilk increased and it was hard to keep up as she wasn't eating much at the time. She would even just suck for the pleasure of it. Her waking up in the night to breastfeed made me worry about not having enough breastmilk for her.

This made me worried and I preferred to stop breastfeeding her.

2. My nipples became sore again

I suffered sore nipples at the beginning of my breastfeeding journey and it was so painful. This time, because she had developed teeth she was fond of holding my nipple with them so it gave me wounds which were hard to health as she breastfed.

This also pushed me to wean her before two years as I planned.

3. I didn't have much time to dedicate to other projects.

Breastfeeding puts you in one position for a while and I was doing that many times a day and even at night. It took away time that I could use to work on my projects.

4. She still woke up in the night to breastfeed

While most kids slept till morning since they were one month old, my daughter still woke up at night to breastfeed. This habit I thought was going to stop somewhere along the line but it didn't.

So I decided to wean her in order to change that.

5. I felt it was better to stop her from breastfeeding for fear that it may be more difficult to stop her at two years old.

It seemed like in two years she will be more addicted to breastfeeding so I had to stop her so that it doesn't get more difficult to wean her in the future.

Those are the things that made me stop breastfeeding my 15-month-old.