Nigerian dishes are relatively healthier and more nutritious when compared with those of the western world. We love our foods and most times we can’t go a day without them. I can’t go a day without some Nigerian foods, so asking you to stay away from these foods like some blogs do would be hypocritical of me.
And do you know seemly healthy foods can also be packed with loads of calories? Sometimes, much more than the so called unhealthy foods. Now if you are conscious about your weight, then I am sure that got your attention.
Basically, to lose weight, you just have to use more calories than you are getting. And that can be achieved in numerous ways. Cutting down on your calorie intake is one of them, which is what this post is all about.
So if you are on a weight loss plan or you find yourself adding extra pounds and wondering why, this article may help you solve part of that problem. These foods although packed with a lot of nutritional benefits can be suspects and cutting back a little on their intake would help you keep some extra pounds away.
Okay, let’s arraign these suspects one after the other.
Suspect #1 | EGUSI SOUP|
Charges: Carries out its dark plans in a deceptive and good looking way.
Evidence: 700 calories in a single serving
This ‘yummiscious’ looking dish will make you bite your finger off. It is almost impossible to neglect.
Good looking and very nutritious when prepared the right way. But as jaw dropping as this delicacy can be, it is made up of 60% fat with a whopping 700 calories spinning down your throat in one typical Nigerian serving. But that’s not the only problem, Egusi soup doesn’t ball alone. It has partners in crime.
Pounded yam contains 400 calories per cup while Eba has about 360 calories. So in one serving of Egusi soup and pounded yam, you get a massive 1,100 calories, WOW! That’s almost half of your daily requirement.
Judgment: Reduce your intake
Suspect #2 | NOODLES/PASTA|
Charges: guilty of making students overweight.
Evidence: A popular medium size noodles is packed with 640 calories in a pack.
Gone are the days when university students go back home looking like skinny bones. Not the case anymore. Aside other numerous reasons why that may be so, this easy going food may just rank high on that list.
Quick and easy to prepare, noodles and pastas are the darling of most homes and hostels. The noodles for example, innocent looking as it may be, one medium pack of it deposits 640 calories into your system. Double the pack as most people do and that gives you 1,280 calories but in return gives you little nutrient. Simply junk!
Judgment: By all means elimination is the best therapy
Suspect #3 | WHITE RICE |
Charges: won it ways into our heart for deceptive purposes.
Evidence: 700 calories per cup.
Rice is our staple food. From our homes to parties and back to our homes, we can feed conveniently on this food for days. We simply can’t do without rice. And on Sundays, we let lose, rice becomes a hit, we consume it back to back from the church to our homes to parties, like we are all signatories to an unwritten rice pact. And we know how to bring this dish to life.
A typical Nigerian rice and stew serving would hit the 1,000 calorie mark before we are done with it. That’s huge considering the number of times we can eat rice in a day. Surprised how much I know about this, well it was a common thing in my house as a child.
No wonder my teacher back in school once referred to me as ‘fat athlete’.
Judgment: 1. Replace white rice with brown rice if you can. 2. Reduce your portion.
Suspect #4 |WHITE FLOUR|
Charges: may spike sugar levels if taken continuously leading to diabetes especially in older people.
Evidence: it is refined! Contains unhealthy amount of carb and sugar. 460 calories per cup.
This manly looking swallow naturally balls with soups. E.g: Egusi soup. I had to charge it separately because of the havoc it is causing. It goes about deceiving people that it is the healthiest, “you can eat me as much as you want”, bla…bla…bla.
But do you know, during the process of turning whole wheat into powder, an unhealthy amount of carb is cramped together and its continuous consumption can spike blood sugar level. wheat flour as refined flour has a high GI, it releases sugar into the bloodstream quickly. Which can lead to diabetes.
Judgment: Elimination! Go for garri, fufu or Amala
instead. And as usual be mindful of calories.
Suspect #5 | BEANS |
Charges: deceives people into consuming a lot of it with it’s holier than thou status.
Evidence: Contains 378 calories per cup.
Like I always say, just because it is healthy doesn’t mean it won’t make you add an extra pound if taken more than you are required to. And that’s one thing beans is so good at. Deceit!
When it comes to beans, a lot of people who are on a weight loss plan eat beans without paying attention to their calorie intake. After all, since we’ve been told it aids in weight loss, so the more beans I eat, the more weight I lose right? Wrong!
The human body has its specific requirement of the various classes of food. Protein is one of them. No matter the amount of protein you send down your stomach, your body takes its requirement and the rest is stored for future use. A single serving of beans contains about 520 calories. Relatively low compared to others on the list though. But with its ability to make you eat more than required, I had to charge it.
Judgment: Never eliminate! As long you get your portion right, you are safe with beans.
In rounding up, never go on dieting otherwise you’ll end up being a Yo-Yo dieter. Its unsustainable. Especially if you are a Nigerian. How long can you keep off that delicious Egusi soup with Amala or Eba. Not sure you can for long. Instead try to figure out the healthy foods and a lot of Nigerian foods fall under this cycle, then mind your portion.
But if you realize you have eaten more than you are supposed to, don’t kill yourself by starving all through the next day. Your body doesn’t work that way.
And more importantly, Diet and workout goes together. One without the other simply cannot work. So mind what you eat and workout more often. This way you will be slim and bold.
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