Dr Ireti Adegbite

28/08/2026

Today, I made myself a fresh ugu juice with apple and lemon.

The lemon wasn’t just there for flavour.

Ugu contains iron, and vitamin C can enhance the absorption of non-haem iron from plant foods. That’s one reason I like combining leafy greens with a vitamin-C-rich food such as lemon.

I also drank mine soon after making it. Fresh juices can lose some nutrients and plant compounds, particularly vitamin C during storage.

This is one of the ways I enjoy making healthy eating practical—using familiar Nigerian foods and finding simple combinations that make sense nutritionally.

Have you tried making ugu juice before? What do you add to yours?

08/08/2026

This week I made my own ginger powder from fresh ginger.

The aroma was noticeably stronger than many commercially packaged ginger powders I’ve used before.

It reminded me that whenever it’s practical, preparing certain ingredients ourselves can be a simple way to enjoy fresher flavours while knowing exactly what we’ve added to our food.

This doesn’t mean everything needs to be homemade.

For busy women, that’s simply not realistic.

However, when time allows, preparing foods or ingredients like spices, herbs or simple snacks at home can:

✔️ Give you more control over ingredients.

✔️ Reduce unnecessary additives that may be present in some processed products.

✔️ Allow you to enjoy fresher flavour and aroma.

Ginger itself contains naturally occurring bioactive compounds such as gingerols and shogaols, which have been studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds contribute to ginger’s distinctive flavour and potential health benefits.

Today’s takeaway

Healthy living isn’t about making everything yourself.

It’s about recognising opportunities to make simple choices that fit your lifestyle.

Every small choice adds up.

What’s one ingredient you enjoy preparing yourself rather than buying ready-made?

07/08/2026

One healthy habit I’ve been building recently is rotating the fruits and vegetables I buy each week.

Rather than buying the same combination every time, I intentionally choose different fruits and vegetables over the following weeks.

Why?

Because variety matters.

Different fruits and vegetables provide different combinations of vitamins, minerals, fibre and naturally occurring plant compounds. Including a wider variety over time is one practical way to improve the quality of your diet without making healthy eating complicated.

This week’s bowl included:

🍆 Garden egg

🥕 Carrot

🍎 Apple

🫐 Blueberries

🍉 Watermelon

🥜 Cashew nuts, almonds and walnuts

Next week’s bowl will probably be different.

That’s the idea.

Healthy eating doesn’t require perfection.

Sometimes it simply means making small, thoughtful choices that help you enjoy a wider variety of nourishing foods over time.

Today’s takeaway

You don’t have to change everything.

Even rotating the fruits and vegetables you buy each week is a simple habit that can add more variety to your meals.

Which fruits or vegetables are in your kitchen this week?

06/08/2026

Many busy women believe they need to change everything at once.

In reality, small, sustainable habits are often easier to maintain—and that’s what leads to lasting results.

Here are five habits worth focusing on this month:

💧 1. Drink more water
Adequate hydration supports normal body functions and can help make healthy habits easier to maintain.

🥗 2. Include vegetables more often
Vegetables provide fibre, vitamins and minerals that support overall health.

🚶🏽‍♀️ 3. Move your body regularly
A daily walk or another enjoyable activity contributes to physical and mental wellbeing.

😴 4. Prioritise sleep
Sleep supports recovery, energy and healthy lifestyle habits.

🧘🏽‍♀️ 5. Create a daily pause
Whether it’s prayer, journaling, deep breathing or quiet reflection, taking a few minutes to slow down can support emotional wellbeing.

Research consistently shows that sustainable health improvements come from realistic behaviour changes that can be maintained over time—not from extreme short-term efforts.

Today’s takeaway

Don’t try to change everything this month.

Choose one habit and become consistent with it.

Small changes, repeated consistently, create meaningful results.

Which one of these habits are you committing to this month?

03/08/2026

When many women think about improving their health, they often imagine making big changes all at once.

A complete diet overhaul.

An intense workout routine.

A perfect week of healthy eating.

While enthusiasm can help you get started, it is rarely what keeps you going.

Research on behaviour change consistently shows that long-term success comes from small, repeatable habits that become part of everyday life rather than short bursts of perfection.

For busy women, those ordinary habits might include:

✔️ Eating a balanced breakfast.

✔️ Drinking enough water.

✔️ Taking a 20-minute walk.

✔️ Going to bed a little earlier.

✔️ Including vegetables more often.

Individually, these actions may seem small.

Together, practised consistently, they can contribute to meaningful improvements in health and support sustainable weight management.

Today’s takeaway

Don’t ask yourself,

“What’s the biggest change I can make?”

Ask,

“What’s one healthy habit I can repeat consistently this week?”

Small habits, repeated consistently, often lead to the biggest changes over time.

Which healthy habit are you working on becoming more consistent with?

30/07/2026

If you’ve been trying to lose weight, you may have been taught to focus mainly on eating less and exercising more.

Those things matter.

But sustainable weight management is more complex than that.

Your body also needs the foundations that help you adhere to healthy behaviours over time.

Think about:

🥗 Nourishing food — enough nutrients and a dietary pattern you can sustain.

🚶🏽‍♀️ Regular movement — not punishment, but activity that supports fitness and health.

😴 Adequate sleep — because poor sleep can make healthy eating and activity habits harder to maintain.

🧠 Behavioural and emotional support — because knowing what to do isn’t always enough to make it happen consistently.

💧 Hydration and other basic health habits — the everyday things that support how you function.

And here’s the important part:

You don’t have to “fix” every area of your life before you can lose weight.

Rather, these are the areas we can work on alongside weight loss to make the process healthier and more sustainable.

Research supports comprehensive approaches to weight management that combine dietary changes, physical activity and behavioural strategies rather than relying on one intervention alone. Sleep is also being increasingly studied as a modifiable factor in weight regulation and adherence.

Today’s practical takeaway:

Instead of asking:

“What can I cut out so I can lose weight faster?”

Try asking:

“What does my body need more consistently so I can become healthier and sustain my progress?”

That question can change the entire approach.

Which of these areas do you think deserves more attention in weight-loss conversations: nutrition, sleep, movement or stress?

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

If you’re trying to lose weight, the scale can be useful.

But when it becomes your only measure of progress, it can also become a source of unnecessary frustration.

Here’s what I want you to remember:

Weight is one health marker—not the entire picture.

For example, as you work towards better health, you may notice:

✔ Your waist circumference is reducing.

✔ Your energy is improving.

✔ You’re sleeping better.

✔ You’re becoming more physically active.

✔ Your meals are becoming more balanced.

✔ Your cravings feel more manageable.

✔ Your clothes fit more comfortably.

✔ You feel stronger and more capable in your everyday life.

These are meaningful changes.

Research also supports looking beyond weight alone. Waist circumference provides additional information about health risk beyond BMI, while weight-management interventions can be accompanied by improvements in physical functioning, vitality, and overall quality of life.

Today’s practical takeaway:

Don’t track only your weight.

Choose 2–3 additional markers that matter to your health and your life.

For example:

📏 Waist circumference
⚡ Energy levels
😴 Sleep quality
🚶🏽‍♀️ Physical activity
👗 How your clothes fit
🍽️ Meal consistency

Your goal is not simply to become lighter.

It’s to become healthier and better able to live your life.

That’s the thinking behind Beyond the Scale.

What other sign of progress do you think deserves more attention during a weight-loss journey?

26/07/2026

When people think about healthy habits, food and exercise usually come to mind first.

They’re important.

But they’re not the only habits that support our health.

One healthy habit I’ve genuinely come to enjoy over the years is journaling.

It started as a simple way to organise my thoughts and plan my days.

Over time, it became a space to reflect, practise gratitude, process challenges and become more intentional about how I responded to stress.

Research suggests that expressive writing and gratitude practices can support emotional wellbeing, reduce perceived stress and improve psychological resilience. While they aren’t a replacement for professional mental health care when needed, they can be valuable tools for many people as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy living isn’t only about nourishing your body.

It’s also about caring for your mind.

I’d love to hear from you.

What’s one healthy habit you’ve genuinely come to enjoy over the years? It could be walking, reading, gardening, praying, journaling—or something completely different.

25/07/2026

A few days ago, I was chatting with a friend, and somewhere in the conversation she said, ‘I’m really struggling to drink enough water these days.

I smiled because I’d been thinking the exact same thing……

I noticed that once the weather became cooler, I simply wasn’t reaching for my water bottle as often.

Not because hydration suddenly became less important.

But because my natural thirst seemed less noticeable.

So I went back to using a water tracker app as my accountability partner.

It’s a simple reminder, but it’s been making a real difference.

Research suggests that cooler weather can reduce our perception of thirst, even though our bodies still require adequate hydration. While thirst is an important signal, it isn’t always the best reminder to drink enough fluids throughout the day.

Today’s takeaway:

Don’t rely on memory alone.

Build a system.

Whether it’s:

💧 A water tracker app.

💧 Keeping your bottle within reach.

💧 Drinking a glass of water before each meal.

Small systems often create lasting consistency.

That’s one of the principles I believe in.

Healthy living isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about making healthy choices easier to repeat.

👇 What’s one thing that helps you remember to drink enough water when the weather is cooler?