Ways to Manage Calories on a (Nigerian) Diet. (Portion No.1)

So I am reading an article in a magazine. A Nigerian ex-beauty queen was asked about how she keeps in shape and what foods she consumes. Her response has stuck with me even 4 years after reading that article. “I don’t eat Nigerian food. I only treat myself to amala once in a while, because it is one of my favourites”, was her response.

… Wait. What?

There is this totally misguided and uninformed perception about Nigerian cuisine. And the repercussions are grave, because it slowly erodes our livelihood and sells our culture cheap. It also contradicts itself because when you examine our staples, they are foods high in fibre, vitamins and protein - which are key ingredients to healthy living. What our issue is, however, is portion control.

Cc and double Cc Nigerian eateries, where one serving of rice is about 2 or 3 cups of cooked rice. In Weight Watchers (WW) land, this is a whopping 16 Points! The average daily allowance was 29-30 points (of course, depending on sex, weight and height. Imagine how much unnecessary energy you’re piling up and NOT using. What happens to it? It turns into fat. Those love handles and flabby belly -- that’s where they emanate from!

Not to worry, you definitely can eat your rice and lose weight. As Nigerians, jollof rice, fried rice and white rice are cherished. And this is perfectly OK. Some health nuts won’t eat rice because it’s an “empty carb”. Empty carb means a carbohydrate without fibre or protein. In all fairness, rice isn’t the healthiest of foods and there are alternative ways to enjoying rice which I will share now and in the near future, but rice in a small proportion gives you the satisfaction from “eating rice” without causing a detriment to your weight loss.

My mum returned from Kigali with an entire basket of tree tomatoes (tamarillo) and passionfruit. I wish everyone reading this could taste the ah-ma-zingness that is tamarillo. I didn’t have any greens at home so I settled with these for my Sunday lunch.

1cup jollof rice – approximately 300 calories 

½ wrap of moin moin (bean cakes) – 150 calories

A slice of pan seared steak – Varies mightily, depending on size and cooking method. This piece is no more than 100 calories.

Rice:

If your aim is to lose weight, you have no business having more than one COOKED cup of rice. There’s just no point. And here’s why: rice is a simple carb so it doesn’t keep you full for a long time. This reason basically encompasses the reasons rice should be limited in diet. I could go on and on, but that’s the gist of it. Should you require more information, I am more than happy to write another post on rice.

Moin-Moin:

Beans is a complex protein. It is so complex that it has both protein and carbohydrates in it. And in amazing proportions. Beans is a full meal. It actually needs no addition. It’s packed with vitamins and fibre.

What to watch in moin moin:

The oils. Ensure that whoever is making your moin moin does not use more than one cooking spoon (per 10-15 servings). If you like it velvety, an egg will give you just that velvety feel and emulsification you need without packing on extra calories.

The egg yolk: I would stay away from egg yolk because it carries 55 calories whilst the egg white carries 17 calories. In addition, the bulk of the protein is in the White AND whites are fluffier, anyways ;)

After watching these, you are perfectly OK with one leaf of moin moin, which is usually about 1 (measuring) cup.

I'm all for working with what you have at home. If you don’t have lettuce/greens, slice some tomatoes, perhaps carrots if you have any, or whatever vegetable you have (watch the sweet corn if you must have it). I have Tamarillo as my vegetables to accompany my meal because I was out of greens. Every little helps.

Pps: In case you’re wondering, I will give more information on other Nigerian foods and portions you should be having in the near future.

Till next time,

anu