Key points
- Nigerian home cooking can help you lose weight. Soups full of leafy greens and okra, beans, fish and yam are a good base. Most extra calories come from the size of the swallow or rice, the oil in the pot, fried snacks and sweet drinks.
- Keep your dishes, change the amounts. Make half the plate soup greens and vegetables, a quarter fish, meat, eggs or beans, and a quarter swallow, rice, yam or plantain.
- Measure the oil. One tablespoon of palm oil or groundnut oil has about 120 kcal. Two teaspoons per portion of soup instead of a free pour is one of the biggest savings in a Nigerian kitchen.
- Beans are your friend. Ewa, moi moi and beans with rice bring protein and fibre that keep you full on fewer calories.
- Talk to your doctor first. Get a check-up before changing your meals, above all if you live with diabetes, raised blood pressure or kidney problems, or if you use daily medicines.
Can you lose weight on a Nigerian diet? The short answer
Yes. You can lose weight eating Nigerian food, because so much of it starts from good ingredients: leafy vegetables, okra, tomatoes and peppers, beans, fish, yam and plantain.
What usually tips the balance is not the food itself but the amounts around it. A swallow that grows bigger every year, a second plate of party rice, a pot of soup that takes half a bottle of oil, puff-puff with the evening news and a cold malt drink in the afternoon all add energy quietly.
How diets in West Africa have changed
Researchers call this shift a nutrition transition. A review of diets across West Africa found that people now take in more energy, fat and sugar than before, while fruit and vegetable intake is low almost everywhere in the region.
The same review noted that in big West African cities, children eat sweets, ice cream and sweet drinks up to seven times as often as fruit and vegetables. Most of what people eat is still traditional food, which is good news: the base is there to build on.
A review focused on Nigeria described how fast-food outlets have spread with city jobs, and how labour-saving devices leave many city workers moving far less. The authors argued for promoting healthy indigenous foods, not replacing them.
A small trial in Tanzania points the same way. Seventy-seven young men switched for two weeks between a local heritage diet and a Western-style diet.
The Western food pushed their blood towards more inflammation, while the heritage diet had a mostly calming effect. This trial measured blood markers, not weight, so it does not prove a heritage diet makes you slimmer.
If you want to read more about why obesity has risen so quickly in Nigeria, our page on obesity in Nigeria covers the figures and the causes. This page stays in your kitchen.
What actually makes the scale move
You lose weight when your body uses more energy than you eat over several weeks. You do not have to count every spoon to get there; smaller swallow portions, measured oil and water instead of sweet drinks often create that gap by themselves.
For a personal estimate, our calorie deficit calculator works out a gentle daily target from your height, weight and activity. A loss of around half a kilo a week is a realistic pace.
The Nigerian plate for weight loss: half vegetables and soup greens, a quarter protein, a quarter swallow, rice or yam
The easiest way to eat Nigerian food and lose weight is to share out the plate differently: half soup greens and vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter swallow, rice, yam or plantain.
In many homes the ball of eba or pounded yam is the biggest thing on the plate, with soup poured around it. Turning that round, so the soup and its vegetables lead and the swallow follows, cuts the energy in each meal while the bowl still looks generous.
| Share | Foods from a Nigerian kitchen | How this supports weight loss |
|---|---|---|
| One half: greens and vegetables | Efo (spinach or amaranth), ugu, bitter leaf, okra, garden egg, cabbage, tomatoes and peppers, a cucumber and carrot salad | Lots of food for very few calories, plus fibre that slows down eating |
| A quarter: protein | Fish, chicken without skin, eggs, lean beef or goat meat, beans, moi moi | Protein keeps you full and helps protect muscle while you lose fat |
| A quarter: starch | A fist-sized swallow, a small serving of rice, boiled yam or boiled plantain | Gives energy and comfort without taking over the meal |
| To drink | Water, or zobo made without sugar | No hidden sugar to undo the rest of the plate |
The plate model works for any cuisine. Our page on portion control explains how to judge amounts with your hand and why a smaller plate helps.
Making it work at the family table
- Dish the soup first. Fill the bowl with soup and its vegetables before you cut the swallow.
- Mould the swallow yourself. A ball the size of your fist is simpler to stick with than a portion cut by someone who loves you.
- Ask for more vegetables in the pot. Extra efo, ugu or okra stretches the soup for everyone at almost no cost in calories.
- Cook one pot for the whole family. Children, teenagers and people with heavy physical jobs simply take a bigger swallow, while you keep yours modest.
- Eat slowly with your hands or a spoon. Swallow goes down fast; pausing between mouthfuls gives your stomach time to notice it is full.
Eba, fufu, pounded yam or amala: which swallow is best for weight loss?
No swallow is best or worst for weight loss on its own. The size of the ball matters much more than whether it is eba, fufu, pounded yam, amala, semo or tuwo, because all of them are mostly starch.
A fist-sized portion is a good starting point for most adults. If you are used to two fists or more, come down a little at a time and fill the space with more soup greens.
| Staple | Serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boiled yam (the base of pounded yam) | 150 g | 175 | 2 | 6 |
| Boiled green plantain | 150 g | 180 | 2 | 4 |
| Cooked white rice | 150 g | 195 | 4 | below 1 |
| Cooked brown rice | 150 g | 185 | 4 | 2 |
| Cooked millet | 150 g | 180 | 5 | 2 |
| Raw cassava root (before fermenting or cooking) | 100 g | 160 | 1 | 2 |
| Cooked cowpeas (black-eyed beans) | 150 g | 175 | 12 | 10 |
| Eba (garri), amala, semo, fufu | fist-sized | no reliable figure | – | – |
All figures are rounded estimates based on the USDA SR Legacy database. The cassava row is for raw cassava root, so it does not tell you the calories of fufu, which is fermented and cooked with a lot of water.
Why we give no number for eba, amala, semo and fufu
Garri, yam flour (elubo), semolina and fermented cassava are missing from the USDA database, and we could not check a published West African value we trust. The calories of a ball of eba also depend on how much water goes into it, so any single number would be a guess.
What we can say is that all of them are mainly starch with little protein or fibre. The practical rule is the same as for pounded yam: one fist-sized ball, more soup greens, and a clear protein in the soup.
A useful trick is to weigh your usual swallow once on kitchen scales. Seeing what 150 g looks like on your plate makes it easier to judge by eye afterwards.
Swallow and blood sugar
A review of glycaemic index studies of foods eaten in Nigeria listed most everyday staples as high: amala, fufu, eba, pounded yam, rice, plantain and tuwo among them. A few, such as moi moi and acha (fonio), were reported with lower values.
In a study from Ibadan, healthy young adults ate amala and pounded yam made from three popular white yam varieties. Every product raised blood sugar quickly, and amala raised it faster than pounded yam. A study in Côte d’Ivoire also found pounded yam to be a high glycaemic food.
Glycaemic index matters most if you have diabetes or prediabetes. For weight, the total amount you eat still counts more than the type of swallow you choose.
For the wider evidence on starchy foods, see our page on carbs and weight loss.
Jollof, fried rice or white rice: how much rice for weight loss?
You can eat jollof rice and still lose weight. Keep it to about 150 g cooked, roughly a cupped double handful, and fill the rest of the plate with vegetables and a protein.
A 150 g portion of plain cooked white rice has about 195 kcal. Jollof and fried rice add oil, and often more of it at parties than at home, so the calories of a plate depend largely on the cook.
- At home, measure the oil for jollof. One teaspoon of oil per person is enough to fry the tomato and pepper base. The flavour comes from the base and the smoky bottom of the pot, not the oil.
- Add vegetables to the rice. Peas, carrots, green beans and cabbage stir into jollof and fried rice well and bring the calories per spoon down.
- Try beans and rice. Mixing cooked beans into rice, or serving them side by side, gives more protein and fibre for the same plate size.
- Try brown rice now and then. It has a little more fibre than white rice, and unpolished local rice such as ofada can be used the same way. It helps a bit; the portion still matters more.
- Serve protein with it. A piece of grilled chicken or fish, or an egg, makes a small plate of rice more filling.
We give no figure for a plate of jollof or fried rice, because recipes and the amount of oil differ so much. For more on rice itself, including the white versus brown question, read white rice vs brown rice for weight loss.
Nigerian soups for weight loss: egusi, efo riro, okra, ogbono and pepper soup
Nigerian soups can be some of the most useful dishes for weight loss, because they carry a lot of vegetables in a warm, filling bowl. The calories mostly come from two things: the oil, and ground seeds such as egusi or ogbono.
Leafy greens and okra are very light. Boiled okra has about 22 kcal per 100 g and cooked spinach or amaranth about 21 to 23 kcal, according to the USDA tables, so a large serving of greens adds bulk for very little energy.
Oil: measure it with a spoon
Palm oil and groundnut oil both have about 884 kcal per 100 g, which is about 120 kcal per tablespoon and 40 kcal per teaspoon. When oil is poured straight from the bottle, two tablespoons or more per portion of egusi or banga is easy to reach, which is about 240 kcal before anything else goes in.
Start by measuring what you use now, then cut down step by step. About two teaspoons of oil per person in a soup keeps the colour and taste for most families.
Palm oil also matters for your heart. A review of clinical trials found that palm oil raised LDL cholesterol, the harmful kind, by about 0.24 mmol/L compared with oils low in saturated fat. Our page on cholesterol and weight loss explains what that means for you.
Using less palm oil, or mixing it with a little groundnut or another vegetable oil, keeps the flavour while lowering the saturated fat. All oils have the same calories, so the amount matters most. Our page on nuts and healthy fats covers cooking oils in general.
| Soup | Where most calories come from | Lighter way to cook it |
|---|---|---|
| Efo riro | Oil, and fatty meat or offal | Lots of efo, measured oil, fish or lean meat |
| Okra or okro soup | Oil and the amount of meat | Plenty of okra and greens, fish or chicken, two teaspoons of oil per person |
| Egusi | Ground egusi seeds and oil | One or two tablespoons of egusi per portion, more ugu or bitter leaf |
| Ogbono | Ground ogbono and oil | Less ogbono with okra added for thickness, measured oil |
| Pepper soup | Mostly the meat or fish itself | Fish or skinless chicken; already one of the lightest choices |
| Banga or ofe akwu | Palm fruit extract, which is rich in fat | A smaller bowl, eaten less often, with extra vegetables |
Egusi and ogbono seeds have no entry in the USDA database, which is why this page leaves out a calorie figure for them. Like other seeds, they are rich in fat, so a heaped extra spoon adds up quickly.
Other easy changes in the soup pot
- Taste before you add stock cubes. Many soups are salty already; less salt is kinder to your blood pressure.
- Let a pot cool and lift off the oil. When soup or stew stands, a layer of oil rises to the top that you can spoon away.
- Choose fish or chicken more often than fatty cuts, cow skin (ponmo) or a mix of offal.
- Serve a bowl of pepper soup first. A light, hot starter can take the edge off hunger before the main meal.
Our page on soup for weight loss explains why a bowl of soup can help you eat less at a meal.
Protein on a Nigerian diet: beans, moi moi, fish, eggs, chicken and suya
Eating enough protein ranks high among the helpful steps in a Nigerian diet for weight loss, because it keeps hunger away for longer and helps you hold on to muscle as the fat goes. Nigerian food already has excellent protein choices; it is mostly about putting one on the plate at every meal.
Beans, ewa and moi moi
Cooked cowpeas, the beans behind ewa, moi moi and akara, have about 116 kcal, 7.7 g of protein and 6.5 g of fibre per 100 g. That makes a bowl of beans one of the most filling foods you can eat for its calories.
A review of 21 trials found that people who added about one serving of beans, lentils or peas a day lost a little weight, about 0.34 kg over a median of six weeks, even when they were not trying to eat less. It is a small effect, but beans also replace less filling foods on the plate.
The way you cook beans changes the numbers. Moi moi is steamed, so it stays light if you go easy on the oil in the mix. Akara is deep-fried, which adds a lot of fat; our page on breakfast for weight loss has ideas for both at the start of the day.
For beans in general and which beans fill you up best, see are beans good for weight loss.
Fish, eggs, chicken and meat
Fish is a strength of Nigerian cooking. A 100 g piece of cooked tilapia has about 130 kcal and 26 g of protein, and catfish is also lean when it is not fried. Mackerel (titus) is an oily fish with about 260 kcal per 100 g, so a smaller piece goes a long way.
Two boiled eggs give about 155 kcal and 13 g of protein, and 100 g of roasted chicken breast without skin about 165 kcal and 31 g of protein. Lean beef and goat meat also fit, in a portion about the size of your palm.
Suya is grilled, which is a good start, but the spiced groundnut coating adds energy and the portions at a suya spot can be large. Order a smaller portion, eat it with the onions, tomatoes and cabbage, and skip extra fried sides.
For a closer look at lean cuts and fish, read meat and fish for weight loss. For a ready-made breakfast with yam and eggs, try the Nigerian egg sauce with yam recipe.
Plantain, puff-puff, chin chin and groundnuts: lighter swaps
Plantain is good for weight loss when it is boiled, roasted or grilled, and much less so when it is fried. Boiled green plantain has about 121 kcal per 100 g, while fried green plantain has about 309 kcal, more than two and a half times as much.
Ripe plantain is sweeter, and dodo is usually made from ripe plantain, so its values differ a little. The same rule holds: frying is what makes the big difference. Boli, the roasted plantain sold by the roadside, is a far lighter choice than dodo.
Groundnuts: a small handful
Roasted groundnuts are rich in protein and healthy fats, and also in energy: about 587 kcal per 100 g. A small handful of about 20 g has roughly 115 kcal, which makes a good snack, while a big handful of 60 g eaten in front of the television has about 350 kcal.
Puff-puff and chin chin
Puff-puff, chin chin, buns and meat pie have no matching entry in the database behind our figures, so we leave them without numbers. They combine flour, sugar and deep-frying oil, which makes them very rich in energy for their size.
You do not need to ban them. Keep them for occasions, eat one or two pieces slowly, and on ordinary days reach for fruit, boiled groundnuts, garden egg or roasted corn instead.
| Instead of | kcal | Try | kcal | You save (kcal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fried plantain (100 g, green) | 310 | Boiled or roasted plantain (100 g) | 120 | 190 |
| A big plate of rice (300 g cooked) | 390 | 150 g rice with 150 g steamed cabbage | 230 | 160 |
| Two tablespoons of oil in a portion of soup | 240 | Two teaspoons of oil | 80 | 160 |
| A large handful of roasted groundnuts (60 g) | 350 | A small handful (20 g) | 115 | 235 |
| A 35 cl bottle of cola-type soft drink | 150 | Water | 0 | 150 |
| A glass of zobo with 4 teaspoons of sugar | 60 | Zobo without added sugar | close to 0 | about 60 |
Figures are rounded. The zobo row counts only the added sugar; hibiscus brewed in water on its own has almost no calories. Puff-puff and malt drinks are left out because we could not find reliable values.
For more snack ideas with calories and protein, see our page on healthy snacks.
Malt, soft drinks, zobo and palm wine
Swapping sweet drinks for water is one of the simplest ways to lose weight on a Nigerian diet. Drinks with sugar add energy without making you feel full, so the calories come on top of your meals.
A large review of studies found that sugar-sweetened drinks lead to weight gain in children and adults. In the trials in adults, people who were given extra sweet drinks gained close to one kilo more than those who were not.
- Soft drinks: a 35 cl bottle of a regular cola-type drink has about 150 kcal, almost all of it sugar.
- Malt drinks: they are often seen as nourishing, but most are sweetened. We found no reliable calorie figure for the malt drinks sold in Nigeria, so check the label and treat them like a soft drink.
- Zobo and kunu: homemade zobo with ginger and a little pineapple can be lovely without added sugar. Sweetened zobo, kunu and Chapman count as sweet drinks.
- Tea and coffee: condensed milk and two or three spoons of sugar add up over several cups a day.
- Water first: keep a bottle of cold water in the fridge and drink a glass before each meal.
For a full list of drinks and how they compare, see weight loss drinks. Palm wine, beer and spirits also bring calories and can make it harder to stop eating; our page on alcohol and weight loss explains why.
Teas and waters made with bitter leaf, scent leaf, moringa, garlic or ginger are often sold as weight-loss or “detox” remedies. We know of no good evidence that they melt fat; enjoy them as unsweetened drinks if you like them, nothing more.
A 7-day Nigerian meal plan for weight loss
Below is one possible week of Nigerian meals for losing weight. Every lunch and dinner has a soup or stew full of greens, a protein food, a fist-sized swallow or modest rice, and oil measured with a spoon. Adjust it freely; it is not a fixed diet, and there is no PDF to buy.
Talk to your doctor first before starting this or any eating plan, especially if you live with diabetes, kidney disease or high blood pressure, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medicines that lower blood sugar. A doctor or dietitian can adapt the portions to you.
| Day | Morning | Midday | Evening | In between | kcal (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oats with half a banana and a few groundnuts | Ewa (beans porridge) with boiled plantain | Okra soup with fish, fist-sized pounded yam | Orange, small handful of groundnuts, plain yoghurt | 1,290 |
| 2 | Two eggs in tomato and pepper sauce with boiled plantain | Jollof rice (150 g) with chicken and steamed cabbage | Efo riro with fish, boiled yam | Watermelon, banana | 1,390 |
| 3 (vegetarian) | Moi moi with an orange | Boiled yam with egg sauce | Efo riro with beans, boiled plantain | Groundnuts, pawpaw, plain yoghurt | 1,400 |
| 4 | Oats with half a banana and a few groundnuts | Fish pepper soup with boiled yam | Brown rice, chicken in tomato stew, steamed cabbage | Banana, plain yoghurt | 1,250 |
| 5 | Two eggs in tomato and pepper sauce with boiled plantain | Beans and rice with stew and cabbage | Okra soup with chicken, fist-sized pounded yam | Orange, plain yoghurt | 1,360 |
| 6 (vegetarian) | Moi moi with pawpaw | Jollof rice with beans and steamed cabbage | Efo riro with eggs, boiled yam | Small handful of groundnuts, banana | 1,280 |
| 7 | Oats with half a banana and a few groundnuts | Chicken pepper soup with boiled yam | Efo riro with fish, millet swallow | Watermelon, orange, small handful of groundnuts | 1,260 |
What the portions are
Swallow, boiled yam and rice are 150 g cooked, and plantain is 100 g boiled. Each soup has about 150 to 200 g of okra or greens, 100 g of fish, chicken or two eggs, and two teaspoons of palm oil per portion.
Stews and egg sauce also count two teaspoons of oil; jollof, ewa and moi moi one teaspoon per person. Ewa, moi moi and the beans in other dishes are 150 g of cooked cowpeas; beans and rice, or jollof with beans, is 100 g of each.
The oats are a 40 g dry portion made with water, the yoghurt 150 g of plain low-fat, the groundnuts 20 g (10 g on the oats), and each fruit a single medium one or a 150 to 200 g slice.
Pounded yam is counted as boiled yam and the millet swallow as cooked millet, since that is what they are made from. Pepper, crayfish, seasoning and onions are not counted. All figures are rounded and approximate.
If you prefer eba, amala or semo
Swap them in for the pounded yam or boiled yam in the same fist-sized portion. We cannot add a reliable calorie figure for them, so the daily total becomes a rough guide only on those days.
Pap (ogi or akamu) is a common breakfast that is also missing from the table we use. If you love it, make it with little or no sugar and eat it with moi moi or an egg so the meal has protein.
Is this enough food?
Each day adds up to around 1,250 to 1,400 kcal. Treat that as a floor to adjust from, not a goal: men, tall people and anyone with an active job will usually lose weight comfortably on more.
If you feel hungry or low on energy, add a second piece of fruit, a little more swallow or rice, or an extra portion of beans. A slow loss on meals you like will last; a plan so strict that you quit by Friday will not.
For more recipe ideas from the region, try red red with baked plantain or West African maafe. The free eating plan for weight loss uses the same half-quarter-quarter idea for any kind of cooking.
Buka, mama-put and owambe parties
Eating at a buka or mama-put, or at an owambe, does not have to undo your week. The same plate rule works: ask for more vegetables or soup, a fist-sized swallow or a small scoop of rice, and fish or chicken rather than a mix of fried meat.
At parties, the jollof, fried rice, small chops and drinks keep coming. Choose one starch, take a small portion and drink water between soft drinks. Tomorrow, simply return to your normal meals.
Our page on eating out for weight loss has more tips for restaurants, takeaways and eating with friends.
What studies of West African diets show
The research on food and weight in West Africa is still thin, and we want to be clear about that. When we searched the medical literature, we did not find a randomised trial in Nigeria that tested a home-cooked Nigerian diet for weight loss.
What exists are reviews, studies that describe what people eat, blood sugar studies of local staples, and one trial elsewhere in Africa that measured blood markers. They are useful, but they do not prove what works for weight in a Nigerian kitchen.
| Study | Who or what | What they found | Type of study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrition transition in West Africa | Published data from countries across the region | More energy, fat and sugar in diets; low fruit and vegetable intake everywhere | Review |
| Nutrition transition in Nigeria | Nigerian and international studies, field experience | Weight gain in city workers linked to energy-rich food and less activity; calls to promote indigenous foods | Review |
| RODAM food study | Ghanaian adults in rural Ghana, urban Ghana and Europe | Rural diets centred on starchy roots, tubers and plantain; urban diets on animal foods; diets in Europe were the most mixed | Survey at one point in time |
| RODAM diabetes study | 4,543 Ghanaian adults in Ghana and Europe | A pattern of rice, pasta, beans, meat and fish (with some cakes and sweets) was linked to a lower chance of type 2 diabetes; for the traditional pattern the link was unclear | Survey at one point in time |
| Heritage versus Western diet | 77 young men in Tanzania, two-week switch | Western food raised inflammation; the heritage diet had a mostly calming effect on the immune system and metabolism | Randomised trial (blood markers, not weight) |
| Diabetes remission through lifestyle alone | 16 trials from 10 countries | Remission was possible, and losing about 10 % of body weight was one of the predictors; none of the trials took place in Africa | Scoping review |
Surveys at one point in time show links, not cause and effect. People who ate one way may differ from others in income, work or health, and the researchers can only partly correct for that.
What this means for you
In the meantime, the best evidence comes from studies done elsewhere that apply to any kitchen: beans help a little, sweet drinks add weight, palm oil raises LDL cholesterol, and eating less energy over time leads to weight loss. This page applies those findings to Nigerian food.
With prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, a modest weight loss can already bring blood sugar down. To learn which tests show early changes, read about insulin resistance and prediabetes.
Walking and movement that fit a Nigerian day
Walking is the simplest way to add movement to a Nigerian day, and it works well with a lighter plate. Start with a short stroll of around ten minutes after the evening meal.
- Avoid the midday sun. Go out at dawn or once the sun has gone down, pick shady streets and take water with you.
- Walk part of the way. Get off the bus or keke one stop early, or walk to the market instead of driving when it is safe.
- Use the rainy season wisely. On wet days, walk indoors, along a covered corridor or in a large shop, or follow a workout video at home.
- Walk with company. A friend, a neighbour or a church or mosque group makes it easier to keep going and safer after dark.
- Dance. Dancing at home or at a party counts as movement too, at whatever pace your knees allow.
Living with heart problems, sore joints or diabetes? Ask your doctor first how far to go. The walking plan for weight loss begins gently and adds a little time each week.
Free help to lose weight with good food and walking
At Obesity Foundation we support people to lose weight through good food, suitable exercise and daily walking. It costs nothing, and you do not have to give up Nigerian cooking to take part.
- Eating plan: a plan based on ordinary meals, easy to fill with soups, beans, fish, yam and rice. Ask for your free eating plan.
- Workout videos: sessions at Start, Build and Strong level, for days when it is too hot or wet to go outside. Watch the free workout videos.
- Video meeting: a free video meeting (in English) with a volunteer, to talk over what you eat and how your days go. Plan your free video meeting.
- Club account: a free place to note each walk and workout and watch your progress grow. Join the Obesity Foundation Club.
Pick one thing to try this week: a fist-sized swallow, a teaspoon for the oil, or water in place of a soft drink. Habits built on food you already enjoy are the easiest to keep.
Frequently asked questions
Which swallow is best for weight loss?
None of them is clearly best, because eba, fufu, pounded yam, amala, semo and tuwo are all mostly starch. What makes the difference is the size of the ball and what you eat with it. Keep to a portion about the size of your fist, and eat it with a soup full of greens and a piece of fish, chicken, eggs or beans.
Is garri (eba) fattening?
Garri is not fattening on its own, but it is mostly starch with little protein or fibre, so a large ball of eba every day can add many calories. We could not find a reliable calorie figure for eba, because it depends on the garri and the water used. Keep the ball fist-sized, add more soup greens, and avoid drinking soaked garri with lots of sugar and milk.
Can I eat jollof rice and still lose weight?
Yes. Keep your portion to about 150 g of cooked rice, roughly a cupped double handful, and add vegetables and a protein such as chicken, fish or beans. At home, one teaspoon of oil per person is enough for the tomato and pepper base. At parties, take one small serving and skip a second starch.
Is plantain good for weight loss?
Boiled, roasted or grilled plantain is a good choice when you want to lose weight. Boiled green plantain has about 121 kcal per 100 g, while fried green plantain has about 309 kcal, so frying more than doubles the calories. Choose boli or boiled plantain on most days and keep dodo for an occasional treat.
How much palm oil can I use in my soup?
A good target is about two teaspoons of palm oil per person in a pot of soup, which adds roughly 80 kcal per portion. One tablespoon has about 120 kcal, so pouring straight from the bottle adds up fast. Palm oil is also high in saturated fat, which can raise LDL cholesterol, so measuring it helps your heart as well as your weight.
Is moi moi or akara better for weight loss?
Moi moi is usually the better choice, because it is steamed rather than deep-fried. Both are made from beans, which give protein and fibre that keep you full. If you love akara, eat a few pieces with a vegetable side, drain them well, or try baking or air-frying them to use far less oil.
Sources
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