In this article, our focus is on Healthy Nigerian food which includes; breadfruit, vegetable soups, beans, unripe plantain … nutritional value and health benefits.
There is a lot of healthy Nigerian food that is easily accessible and available. Having known how important healthy food is to humans it is important that we list out some healthy Nigerian food.
In this article, we will be focusing on the top 10 healthy Nigerian foods that you need to know and incorporate into your meal/diet plan.
Table of Contents
Healthy Nigerian Food
There are many food options available in Nigeria, “are they healthy?” “how do I identify healthy Nigerian food? The above questions are what run in our minds once we think about eating clean and healthy.
There is this popular saying that states that ‘health is wealth’. If you abandon your health in the pursuit of wealth your enemy will surely eat it.
here is the list of some healthy Nigerian food that you must know.
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Unripe plantain
Unripe plantain is a healthy Nigerian food that is rich in nutrients. These important nutrients in unripe plantain include; potassium, magnesium, calcium, fibre, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. It is also a rich source of iron. etc.
Eating unripe plantain comes with many health benefits such as; boosting and strengthening the immune system, boosting blood, preventing anaemia and controlling the blood sugar levels (this health benefit makes unripe plantain suitable for diabetic patients), and improving digestion. etc
Different ways to prepare unripe plantain
There are different palatable ways you can prepare unripe plantain. Knowing the different ways that you can use to prepare unripe plantain and turn it into a mouth-watering meal, will help you to effectively incorporate unripe plantain into your diet.
Below are some of the ways or methods to prepare unripe plantain
- unripe plantain pottage
- boiled unripe plantain and sauce
- unripe plantain pepper soup
- roasted unripe plantain with sauce or roasted groundnut
2. Breadfruit (Ukwa)
Breadfruit is also known as ukwa in Nigeria. it is a nutrient-rich food. It contains riboflavin, iron, flavonoids, antioxidants, niacin, thiamin, and. It also contains minerals like potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese and selenium.
It is important to note that it is low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium.
Ukwa may offer the following health benefits to you; it may aid digestion, encourages new cell growth, provides the body with omega 3 and 6 which are essential for the development of mind and body, and it aids digestion.
Ukwa contains antioxidants which help the body in fighting against infection, it also helps to regulate blood pressure.
Different ways you can prepare breadfruit
Breadfruit is a mouth-watering food regardless of how it is being prepared.
Thinking of different ways you can prepare breadfruit? search no more. Below are some of the ways;
- plain breadfruit; here you simply cook your breadfruit with only water and potash till it softens then you dish it and enjoy. easy right?
- pottage breadfruit
- roasted breadfruit
3. Beans
Beans are seeds from leguminous plants, they are of different varieties but with similar nutritional content.
Beans are a nutrient-rich food, they contain protein, iron, folate, fibre, magnesium, and potassium.
They contain very little or no total fat, cholesterol, sodium etc. you can see for yourself that Beans are a healthy Nigerian food option.
Let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of beans – beans contain protein which helps in maintaining and building the body tissues, may boost your heart health, helps to control high blood sugar, gives a boost to your blood level, aids digestion etc.
Ways you can prepare beans
There are many palatable ways you can prepare and incorporate beans into your food many. Try the different methods to find out the method you and your family appreciate most.
Beans are a very healthy Nigerian food which needs to be present in your food menu.
Below are some of the ways you can prepare your beans;
- beans pottage
- boiled beans and stew
- moi moi (beans pudding)
4. Ofada rice
Ofada rice is local brown rice grown in Nigeria. Looking for healthy Nigerian food? Ofada rice is definitely among the food that tops the list.
Ofada rice contains essential nutrients needed by the body such as folate, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, B, C and D. It also contains fibre, antioxidants, and selenium. etc.
Are you still contemplating whether ofada rice is truly a healthy Nigerian food? let’s look at its health benefits.
Eating ofada rice will help boost and strengthen your immune system, promote healthy bones, helps to protect the human cell against damages that can be caused by free radicals, prevents constipation, may help in the management of diabetes, helps the management and prevention of cancer, helps to maintain a healthy nervous system.
Different ways you can prepare ofada rice
- Ofada rice can be cooked plain with water and served with ofada sauce of any stew of choice or even vegetables.
- Jollof ofada rice, it can be prepared the same way you prepare Jollof rice.
- Fried rice
- Native/concoction rice
5. Okra soup
Okra soup is a healthy Nigerian food that is enjoyed by many. Okra soup is a slimy-like stew/soup, as the name implies it is made with okra as the main ingredient.
Why is okra soup amount the top 10 healthy Nigerian food?
Some of the nutrients present in okra are as follows; protein, folate, magnesium, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C and K.
The following are some of the health benefits of okra; it aids digestion, controls cholesterol levels, is good for weight management, helps to fight free radicals which are the leading cause of a lot of diseases, promotes fertility, helps in the management of diabetes, and good for hair, bones, eyes, skin, brain etc.
I believe that by now (having known of the nutrients and health benefits of okra), should agree with me that okra soup is a highly nutritious and healthy Nigerian food that you should add to your food menu.
6. Vegetable soup
There is no doubt that vegetables are highly nutritious and beneficial to the body, that is why they made it to the top list of healthy Nigerian food.
Vegetable soup is a soup that is made up of mainly dark green leafy vegetables. In Nigeria, there are different types of vegetable soup.
Regardless of the combination of vegetables used in preparing this soup, you are still guaranteed to get the following nutrients; calcium, iron, potassium, dietary fibre, folate, vitamin A and C.
Different ways to prepare vegetable soup
There are different types of vegetable soup in Nigeria namely:
- Edikang ikong; this soup originated from the Calabar people in Nigeria. It is made with two green leafy vegetables namely waterleaf and ugu (fluted pumpkin).
- Afang soup; originated from the Efik speaking part of Nigeria. Afang soup is made with waterleaf and afang leaf also known as ukazi by the Igbo speaking part of Nigeria.
- Gure oloboro; this soup is native to the people of Abeokuta. this soup is made with waterleaf, as the only vegetable to be used.
- Ofe ugu; this soup is native to the people in the eastern part of Nigeria. In preparing ofe ugu the only vegetable used is fluted pumpkins (ugu)
- Efo riro; this soup is native to the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria. Efo riro is originally made with efo tete (spinach) popularly known as ‘green’ all through Nigeria. In the modified version waterleaf is added.
7. Egusi (melon) soup
Egusi soup is a healthy Nigerian food that is made with melon as the main ingredient and garnished with vegetables. This soup is also known as melon soup.
Egusi seeds are protein-rich food. Egusi also contains; calcium, fibre, carbohydrates, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B and C.
Eating egusi soup being one of the healthy Nigerian food has a lot of health benefits; it helps in the management of diabetes, reduce your chances of developing heart diseases, helps to prevent bacterial infections, facilitates the growth and production of red blood cells, helps to maintain healthy skin, helps to fight free radicals which are the major cause of other diseases.
Different ways to prepare egusi
- Egusi being a highly proteinous food is sometimes used as a healthier substitution for meat. As a meat substitute egusi can be moulded and added to any meal of choice.
- Egusi can be prepared as a stew (also known as egusi stew) which is used in eating white rice, yam, pasta, etc.
- Egusi can be prepared as soup and is commonly eaten with any swallow (garri, akpu, amala, semo, pounded yam, plantain flour, etc) of choice.
8. Fish
Fish is among the healthy Nigerian food, In fact, fish tops the list of healthy food around the globe.
Fish is highly nutrient-dense. It contains; omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin D, vitamin B, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
fish consumption which is one of the healthy Nigerian food has been found to be very beneficial to the body as; fish provides essential nutrients that promote a healthy heart and brain, lowers the risk of heart attack and stoke, helps to fight depression, reduces the risk of autoimmune diseases, protects one against age-related macular degeneration, and may help improve quality of your sleep.
Different ways fish can be served
When it comes to preparing fish, you can never go wrong as fish doesn’t need much effort to taste great. Here are some of the ways.
- boiled fish
- fried fish
- roasted fish
- baked fish
- smoked fish
- dried fish
- peppered fish
- bar-b-qued fish
The list is unending.. whichever way you choose to use or prepare it, be rest assured that it will come out nice. fish is very easy to cook, it is easy to add to your meal as it goes well with all meal including cereals and pastries eg. fish rolls.
9. Chicken
Chicken is a meat that is widely available, it is also pretty easy to prepare.
Some of the important nutrients embedded in chicken include; protein, zinc, riboflavin, niacin, copper, potassium, thiamine, selenium, vitamin B6 and 12.
The above nutrient contributes to the amazing health benefits of eating chicken which is outlined below; eating chicken is important for the building and repairing of your tissues and muscles, facilitates proper immune functions, improves brain health, beneficial for weight management.
Different ways to prepare chicken
chicken can be eaten as a meal or added to a meal as a protein source for a balanced diet. There are different ways you can prepare your chicken for utmost satisfaction. You can prepare it as;
- Grilled chicken
- Stir-fried chicken
- Baked chicken
- fried chicken
- boiled chicken
10. Turkey
Turkey meat is a healthy source of protein, fat, folate, vitamin B, zinc, selenium, choline, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus etc.
As you can see turkey meat is highly nutritious and that’s why it is among the top 10 healthy Nigerian food.
Eating turkey meat comes with some possible health benefits, some of which are; building and repairing the skin, muscles, cartilage, bones, and blood. it also reduces the risk of developing cancer, is good for the management of diabetes,
Different ways to incorporate turkey into your meals
- Salads; turkey can be added to salads as a good protein boost.
- Soups; turkey meat is not only great in soups, but you can also use turkey bones to make your own stock.
- Stews; turkey meat when boiled, fried, baked or roasted can be added to the stew.
- Turkey pepper soup; unripe plantain can be added when cooking the pepper soup.
- Curries; although traditionally made with curry. turkey can be used instead of chicken in curries and it will still come out nice if not even better.
- Sandwiches; turkey meat can be combined with your preferred toppings and spreads, such as lettuce, tomato, mustard, or pesto.
- Turkey meat can also be roasted, baked, boiled, smoked, deep-fried, stir-fried etc and enjoyed with your favourite healthy drink.
Conclusion
Healthy food should be everyone’s choice when it comes to choosing what to eat. Considering the many benefit and gains of eating healthy Nigerian food, we advise that you make the right healthy choice concerning all that you consume. Acknowledging that knowledge is power, and having known some of the healthy Nigerian food I believe going forward you will make more informed decisions when it comes to food.
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