Healthy Nigerian Foods

There are healthy Nigerian foods, and you can learn to switch over to them.

I will start this article by reiterating the age-old saying “health is wealth”. I suppose we have validated this statement over the years as people are learning how to improve their health by improving their recipes. Saving money that should have been spent in hospitals.

We cannot overemphasize the importance of eating healthy foods. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks, by far.

By eating healthy Nigerian foods, you will visit the doctors less often.

I have emphasized in time past that this healthy eating habit will, in no way displace any of the delicious foods you love to eat. You will keep your yummy recipes; we can just make them better.

People sometimes imagine that healthy foods would be less delicious.

Take Ginger for instance.

I wouldn’t ask you to eat them raw as I do occasionally, but you can add it to some of the wonderful foods you make every day.

Ginger can single-handedly save your sex life (for married folks). No Kidding. Sugar kills your cells but ginger kills the sugar, I think ginger is one of the best herbs created by God.

Ginger as Spice in Foods

I use ginger for jollof rice, stew, peppersoup, porridge beans, pap, etc. I use fresh ginger; I pound or blend them. Try ginger and save yourself lots of money.

Healthy foods no doubt ensures longevity, I have fully stressed this point in a free ebook I wrote a while back. You should have it if you are subscribed to my newsletters.

So, if you want to live long and live well, you must watch what you eat, I will list some of the healthy Nigerian foods below. Incorporate these foods/spices into your diet, you will thank me later.

More Of Fish and less of meat

Fish, when compared with meat appears to be a healthier alternative. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, plus that fishes are high in omega-3 fatty acids or the “good” fats. Since the human cell can’t make significant amounts of these essential nutrients themselves, we get them from fish.

There are hundreds of fish species in Nigeria If you don’t like catfish you can try Mackerel, Cod or Tilapia. We have lots of different beautiful fishes in Africa.

There are more than a thousand ways to prepare fish. You can, cook, grill or roast them. We all know that a well-grilled fish taste way better than red meat.
Have you tried Catfish Peppersoup? You can check it out.

Replace Red Meat With Chicken

If you have the money, eat more chicken and less red meat. Red meats (beef, pork, and lamb) have more cholesterol and saturated fat (the bad fat) than chicken. Cholesterol and saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol and cause heart disease. Chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat.

Don’t forget the vegetables.

Carrot/green beans is a perfect combination and they are pretty cheap this season. Observe the plate of rice below.

That is plain tomato stew with turkey meat. Simple right? Just slice the carrot/green beans and add them while you are boiling the rice. 3 minutes before you turn off the heat.
Try porridge yam or porridge plantain with some vegetables.

Also, there are lots of fruits to enjoy in Nigeria. Try some of them, you can even make fruit salads and fruit juice

Spice up with garlic.

Most People avoid garlic because of the accompanying smell that ruins your breath afterward.

I get it, it is amazing how something that makes food smell so nice and yummy can make a person smell so differently.

However, garlic has a list of gory health benefits that are not easily disputable. From helping to manage cholesterol and blood sugar levels, to the prevention of gynecological disorders, to supporting immune function, the list is endless.

Don’t make a pot of stew or peppersoup without one or two cloves of garlic

Aloe Vera is wonderful

I recently created a drink recipe with aloe Vera as its key ingredient. You can find my Detoxifying Aloe Vera plus lemon juice here

These herbs are meant to heal and nourish our cells, but we avoid them for several reasons.

Ginger is hot

Aloevera is bitter

Garlic smells

But you will do yourself lots of good by incorporating them into your diet. We live in a toxic environment, some of these wonderful herbs and fruits help in detoxifying our cells and we are as healthy as our cells.

What do you think? Are you going to try some of these? Use the comment form below.

Learn more about Nigerian foods

See this recipe for Vegetable Soup