My All-You-Need Guide to Bread. The Age-old Food that Scares Us All.

‘I don’t eat bread’ is a very common statement amongst healthy eaters. People who are critical of their diet are most likely to skip or skimp on consuming bread. Naomi Campbell once said in an Oprah interview when she was famously dating her Russian beau “Vladimir always says to me: don’t eat bread.” I can’t believe I still remember her statement in that Oprah interview. It really did resonate with me.

I have always wondered why we all tend to stay away from bread. Well, there are pretty obvious reasons why. It’s a whole bunch of processed carbohydrate that isn’t necessarily filling. Plus, it hardly has any nutritional value. It’s also a simple carbohydrate, so it spikes up your insulin levels then drags it down in no time, leaving you hungry quicker. It also demands some emulsification/topping, which are usually unhealthy options like butter, margarine, jam, nutella etc. Of course, there are indeed healthier toppings that you can source to make your bread eating a little more worth it.

What exactly is bread?

Bread is made from wheat. Yes, both white and whole wheat bread are made from wheat. White bread is processed and bleached wheat, whilst whole wheat bread is unbleached and unprocessed wheat, which makes it less processed and more fibruous.

Calories?

The average slice of bread is about 96 calories. This estimation is based on Hovis White Bread in England. Now, Hovis bread weighs LESS than our slices in Nigeria so expect that our average slice such as Grand Square, Shoprite bread, Amigo bread, etc will be around 120 calories per slice.

Whole wheat/whole grain bread is also just about the same amount of calories.

Is Brown Bread/Whole Wheat/Whole Grain Bread Better than White?

As a rule of thumb, the less your food is processed, the better it is. Brown bread is different from wheat bread and is also different from whole grain bread. Brown bread is the same as white bread, with some colouring. Don’t even bother if you’re looking to eat healthier. Whole wheat bread and whole grain bread (the latter is best) have complex carbohydrates, unlike white or brown bread. Whole grains contain complex carbohydrates and are a better choice, but must still be eaten with caution. If you’re concerned about calories and simply don’t enjoy whole wheat/whole grain bread, this is good news for you because they are just about the same amount of calories. I do know that the portion of bread and how you eat your bread are more important, though. I’ll expatiate on how best to maximize your bread consumption/the smartest way to eat bread.

Can I eat Bread ‘healthily’?

Yes, you can. It comes down to how often you eat bread, and the portion of the bread you’re eating. It also matters how you pair your bread. Here are some examples:

1.     Bread and avocado. You can pair your bread with this filling, healthy fat. It makes for a good breakfast and the avocado will keep you fuller for longer.

2.     Bread and eggs. I recommend more egg whites than yolk. If I need some substance with my eggs in the morning, I use 2 or 3 egg whites and one yolk. The yolk contains amazing vitamins so I do encourage you to have one yolk.

3.     Bread and peanut butter. Peanuts are a healthy fat and a filling one indeed. I would be careful with the store brand ones- it’s quite easy to make at home. Hawkers in Nigeria also sell the unadulterated versions in little plastic bags, which contain no preservatives or extra sodium and the like.

4.     Healthy sandwiches. Bread can be made into awesome (half) sandwiches. Chicken breasts, beef slices, tuna etc.

5.     Pairing bread with lean protein. Bread can be paired with beans, moin-moin, lentils, lentil soup etc

How about Portions?

One slice of bread or one bread roll is sufficient. When making a sandwich, develop the habit of making half sandwiches. It’s not just for the ‘diet’, it’s a lifestyle. I don’t remember the last time I had a full sandwich (when I indulge in bread, that is). I do think that bread should be treated as an indulgence, because it isn’t a required food.

What to do?

1.     Stick with whole grain bread. This is the best option for bread eaters. Whole grain bread contains a high amount of fibre and it will keep you fuller for longer. Be careful though, to read that the grain is “whole”. Ensure the load says “whole grain”.

2.     Many bread eaters don’t like to waste their bread, so they ensure they eat it on a daily basis. My trick is to freeze the bread. When I was weaning myself off bread, I would buy a mini loaf and freeze all the bread. It toasts just fine right from frozen, in case you didn’t know. It also preserves the bread for weeks and helps you forget it’s there, so you seek better breakfast carbohydrate alternatives like bananas, oatmeal, muesli etc

3.     Don’t get too used to bread. Treat bread as a treat, if you really like it. And if you’re really into bread, just don’t buy it. Buy it when you’re ready for your treat and take only what you’re treating yourself with.

4.     Reduce, reduce, reduce. Try not to go over one slice or one roll. That’s usually an alright portion. And don’t be a daily eater of bread.

What are your bread ‘rules’? Share them with me and other readers in the comment section!

Ways to Manage Calories on a Nigerian Diet (Portion # 2)

Hello all! This is the 2^nd part of my first post on how to manage calories on a Nigerian diet – you can click here to access the post. I received a lot of feedback on this post, especially from disgruntled readers who said the portions were too little. I have since repented and increased the portions in this meal. I do however want to note that more food doesn’t necessarily keep you full for a long time. However, healthy, fibrous foods with complex carbohydrates and proteins with healthy fats will definitely keep you full for a really long time. Surprisingly and fortunately for we healthy eating family, these foods usually carry less calories than empty carbohydrates that mount up on our plates.

I had this meal for my lunch on Sunday and it was really filling. I didn’t need to finish the entire meal though – I saved 2 pieces of plantain (half a medium sized plantain) and one piece of grilled Titus fish for my lunch the following day. (The-measuringcup nugget: when your food is so delicious but you don’t want to consume all the calories in one sitting, pack and prepare it for another meal. That way, you have delayed your gratificiation while simultaneously meal-prepping a heathy meal for another time). This was such an awesome idea because I was absolutely stuffed without the extra plantains and fish.

I want to leave you with some pointers on Wholesome eating:

1.    On Wholesome Eating: Wholesome eating is when you focus on complex carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, and leafy vegetables. These foods are usually more filling than simple carbohydrates, popularly known as ‘empty carbohydrates’.

2.     On our Model Meal: This meal in the photo is a wholesome meal. It consists of all your food groups, but does so without compromising on healthy calories and flavor. Beans, a legume, is replete with protein, complex carbohydrates, fibre, amino acids, magnesium and other vitamins. It’s also very filling and can be made in various ways. It also doesn’t need a lot of oil to be flavourful; it can be seasoned well with fish to enhance its flavor and minimal oil for emulsification. The “efo” or “vegetable” can also be enjoyed with almost no oil, onions and peppers to enhance flavor. Do ensure to throw some crayfish in there to boost the flavor of the leaves. The plantains were grilled. I grilled one whole medium sized plantain but ended up only having half of it. Plantain is loaded with fibre and potassium. And Titus fish, or ‘frozen fish’ as we commonly call it in Nigeria, is happy to provide you with protein and healthy fats. I recommend more meals like this so that you’re full for a long time, without compromising on satisfaction and flavor.

3.     On Fighting Empty Meals: When you’re served a meal, have a glance and think to yourself: will this meal keep me full for at least 4 hours? If it won’t, then there’s no point enjoying it as a full meal. It’s better to cut it in half and supplement it with a filling fruit or a salad. Or drink a glass of water before the meal. I make it a point never to suffer calories that won’t benefit me, especially when the meal is your mundane, heaped carbohydrate with very little vegetables and protein.

Calories in Model Meal

Plantains (grilled): 130 calories

Vegetable: Free

Beans (1 ramekin of stewed beans): 173 calories

Titus Fish: 154

Sauce (there was some oil in it): 50 calories

Total Calories: 507.

Calories in Model Meal (Less 2 Plantains if you’re being skinny on carbs)

Plantains (grilled): 65 calories

Vegetable: Free

Beans (1 ramekin of stewed beans): 173 calories

Titus Fish: 154

Sauce (there was some oil in it): 50 calories

Total Calories: 442

till next time,

anu.

Demistifying 'Swallow'. Should you Swallow your Fears?

A lot of awesome people out there including myself love their ‘swallow’. Swallow is a term used to denote solid carbohydrates that are molded and consumed with some type of sauce, soup or stew. It’s sort of like a gigantic dumpling. At this juncture, I can’t think of any comparison to Eba, Amala, Semovita, Pounded yam, Wheat, Tuwo Shinkafa, Ground Rice or Fufu save for maybe mashed potatoes and polenta. But it’s just not eaten the same. Anyway. There’s this fear of eating swallow for Nigerian dieters/ health ‘freaks’ aka ‘#fitfam’. Is this fear valid? I actually think not. Swallow is just like any other carbohydrate and can be enjoyed with reasonable caution.

If I attempt to analyze all forms of “swallow” on here, it would make for a boring read. There are some key points I want you to know before you glorify the famous “Wheat” and castigate the famous (my favourite) garri/eba.

After lots of research here and there, I’ve finally come up with a table that shows you just how much is in “swallow”.

Swallow Type	Dry Serving for typical meal	Calories in typical Serving Size – After cooking
Poundo (Ola Ola, Ayoola)	130g	520 calories
Pounded yam (real Pounded yams	5 small-medium slices	600 calories
Amala	120g	460 calories
Semovita (Regular Tuwo)	130g	520 calories
Wheat	130g	520 calories
Cassava (gari)	90	342 calories

Here are a few points that I’d like you to take to your kitchen:

1.     All swallow are not equal: -  I used to think that calories were equal, but now, I totally disagree. A large banana at 100 calories cannot possibly be equal to an All Butter Shortbread at 102 calories! Cassava (gari), which is from the ground, cannot possibly be equal to semovita, a form of processed wheat. I categorically state that it is always better to eat natural foods in their unadulterated state. They digest better and they’re free from preservatives that you can’t pronounce. Also, not too much is lost vitamin wise.

2.     Carbohydrates: - The grams of carbohydrates are almost equivalent per serving/weight. Of course, due to the different types of carbohydrates i.e. cassava, yam, rice, your dollop of pounded yam (with real pounded yams), and the same dollop of eba (cassava grits) wouldn’t weigh the same per serving, after cooking. Density also affects the amount of carbohydrates in swallow. Pounded yam is denser than all other swallows, so a fist sized portion will have more calories than a fist sized portion of amala, which is not very dense and requires a lot of water to prepare. A smart swallow would be eba, because it has been blessed to rise in water—which translates into needing a lot less of the dry serving than other swallows. And of course, it’s closest to the ground than all other swallows.

3.     Wheat: - I chose to do a “wheat” point differently because people have said the most incredulous things to me. Someone confidently told me wheat has no calories. Another said wheat burns fat. Another said wheat is all water. These are all mistruths. Try this experiment at home: make some “wheat”. Then make semovita. Close your eyes and taste both. Don’t they taste the same? Yes, because they are the same thing save for the fact that one has a higher incidence of fibre, which is known to keep you fuller for longer. Unfortunately though, because it’s been processed, it’s not better than semovita. They have the same amount of energy (calories). They have the same amount of sugar. And they’re both OK to eat. Just OK. Not the best option out there because they are quite empty, but if you must, you can. Don’t eat Wheat because you think it’s healthier, eat it because you enjoy it—because it really isn’t that much different from semovita. As long as your portion is no more than your palm size if you’re that famished and the 4’oclock mark hasn’t hit, you can still lose weight and enjoy your semo, or any “swallow” you want to for that matter.

4.     Pounded yam / Poundo (dried pounded ‘yam’) : - Companies that make powdered pounded yam state that it’s ‘dried yam’. But I’ve also read that potato starch is used to make poundo. But if amala is dried yam, why is it so different from poundo? It confuses me. Anyway, on to the real pounded yam. One medium slice of yam that’s about an inch thick is just about 120 calories. You probably need about 5 slices of that to make the average serving of pounded yam. The math is simple. Pounded yam should be consumed in very little portions. Not only because of the calories, but because you’re consuming a carbohydrate that isn’t exactly the most nutrient packed food, making it ‘empty’, much like most white carbohydrates.

My apologies that this has been a lengthy read. I actually wanted to add more information but I’ll just leave that for the question section or another post. Overall, portion sizes are key. The average serving of swallow requires 130g of the dry serving, which comes up to well over 430 calories on average. You haven’t started calculating how much oil your stew/soup contains and the hidden fats in your protein, especially those you don’t consider to carry any calories, such as shaki (tripe). Please try to eat your swallow before 4pm, for those who sleep a bit later (11pm). And also try to pick swallow like eba, because it’s the least processed and it has quite a bit of fibre. Eba also swells! So you’re not going to need so much to make a good serving. This automatically shaves off calories. It’s also very filling. Amala is also good because you need so much water to prepare it, which automatically means you’re having lesser calories with a palm size serving. And of course, blended Oatmeal is a great option too. But remember, it’s also a carbohydrate!

My ratings 10 being the most desirable and 1 being the least desirable:

Eba – 8/10

Amala- 6/10
Tuwon shinkafa – 3/10

Semovita – 2/10

Wheat - 2/10

Pounded yam – 2/10

Ground rice- 2/10

Fufu- 1/10

Till next time,

anu 

What’s On YOUR Workout Playlist? Let Music Work For YOU

A reader requested that I and others share what’s on our workout playlists! For me, the more pertinent question is: what’s on my running playlist?

Music really aids the workout process, especially when you have a goal and the road seems really long. I’ve tried to push my personal limits by completing a couple of 15km runs lately and my running playlist really has helped me. I literally get through my first 8km(or more) by listening to 10 of my favourite songs without looking at the distance or time I’ve been running. It’s an amazing tactic and I want you to try it out.

Here's my playlist

Might I add another tactic to enjoying your running playlist? Only listen to the songs in your playlist whilst working out. If you get sick and tired of the songs, you’ll end up pressing the “skip” button half the time! I try to stay away from my running playlist unless I’m running –because it’s that sacred.

Lastly, I want to hear what your favourite workout songs are? Mine are:

-       Usher’s Good Kisser,

-       Olamide’s “Eleda Mi” and

-       JT's "Mirrors".

Till next time,

anu

Exercise vs Food: The Dilemma

I always get this comment (because I do eat a lot): “Anu, you can eat whatever you like because you can always run it off” (errr, not really).  Or “yeah, I’ll just burn those couple of pizza slices off tomorrow” (errr, not exactly). But listen, I learnt that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps’ daily diet lands him a whopping 12,000 calories daily! And he’s quite lean too.

So, which outweighs which? Is it the food we eat that really matters, or can we sweat out whatever we’ve eaten? And what really counts when it comes to fat loss? Food or exercise?

It really does go without saying that Diet is extremely important. Eating clean and training dirty would be the perfect balance, but it’s always a challenge to achieve both.  There’s always a struggle and complexity that accompanies a clean and balanced diet; and even a greater struggle (more disciplinary, however) that embodies consistent exercise that counts. So let’s look at some options.

Weight and Fat Loss: I take it many of us know the Golden Rule of weight and fat loss: diet and exercise. It’s easier to lose weight by changing your diet than by exercising because it’s neater to cut out 500 calories than try to burn 500 calories. And truth be told, that’s not how the body works. Because you eat a quarter-pounder doesn’t mean that when you burn the same amount of calories as a quarter-pounder, your body has forgotten the quarter pounder. I can’t really explain it, but you’ll need to do a lot more than the calories in that quarter pounder to fool your body into forgetting it was ever consumed.

If you eat 1,200 calories a day and you’re strict about it, you will lose weight. This is why Diet is crucial for weight loss. Calories consumed are non-negotiable. Now, your body burns fat all by itself without any exercise, but you will speed up your weight loss by exercising. Even if all you do is a 30 minute walk 4-5 times a week, it’s better than going with dieting alone. From my research and interaction with people, those who don’t exercise tend to plateau quicker than those who exercise. Exercise is amazing for maintaining weight loss and for people who have naturally slow metabolisms, exercise increases your metabolism.

Reducing belly fat: I had to address this issue because I’ve gotten this question a gazillion times. You cannot reduce belly fat by doing 1,000 sit-ups daily. The only thing you’ll achieve is lower back pain and frustration from the lack of seeing visible results. If you’re looking to reduce your tummy, you need a combination of diet and exercise. Your body parts cannot and do not work in isolation—targeted fat loss is a myth. If you need to lose belly fat, you will (need to) lose overall body fat. And it goes back to diet AND exercise. But diet is the winner here – to an extent. Diet is a winner in the initial stages because the type of food you’re consuming will need to change. You’ll need more roughage, water, less processed carbohydrates and lean protein as opposed to fatty protein. To maintain, tone and accelerate the reduction, you need cardio (jogging, fast walking, skipping, jumping jacks, swimming, sit ups etc).

You’ll also need to stop eating after a certain time of the day. This one again, goes back to diet. Eating late causes indigestion and bloating. Half the time, your belly probably looks bigger because you’re actually bloated and are having a hard time digesting your food. But when your dinner time doesn’t go beyond 6pm, you have time to digest your food and have some tea (sugar and honey free) which will aid digestion and you’ll feel much lighter in the morning.

Exercise is Golden: I’m partial to exercise, so excuse me. I can confirm that exercise gives much better sleep, because you’re exhausted by the time you hit the pillow. People who have trouble sleeping should try exercise. And if you have trouble sleeping, you’re more likely to have difficulty losing weight because research has shown that sufficient sleep helps to maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise also releases endorphins which make you a lot happier. How do you usually feel after a workout? Doesn’t it give a “high”? Oh, it certainly does for me and members of my running group. We may arrive a bit groggy, but after that run, we’re stretching like there’s no tomorrow and smiling, laughing, taking photos, and even talking about the next time we’re going to run.

Sustainable Weight Loss: Try adding exercise to your Diet for ‘health best practices’. By the way, “Diet” means food. Those who have burgers and fries as their daily staple are on a diet too –albeit a detrimental one. Exercise actually burns calories, and calorie-burning leads to fat loss. You’ll maintain your goal weight if you’ve reached it, and lose weight if you’re still striving to attain your goal weight. People who exercise are less likely to put on any weight lost, too. And of course, exercise gives a hot figure!

All this being said, you are what you eat. The body needs sufficient water as opposed to sugary drinks, browner foods as opposed to whiter foods, and boiled/grilled foods as opposed to fried foods. Sometimes, I can spot the no-go areas when it comes to food by merely looking at it. When you’re consistent, it becomes easier for you to separate the wheat from the chaff.

And with exercise, you maintain weight loss, burn fat, sleep better, look better, and have more energy. Discipline yourself till you’re addicted to it :D

Till next time, 

anu