If you are trying to eat clean or lose weight on a Nigerian diet, there are healthy swallows you can enjoy. These foods are often very nutritious and serve a great purpose for cardiovascular and gut health. The best options are often fermented in whole form.
Below are some healthy swallows:
1. Eba
A byproduct of fermented cassava. By itself, cassava is a great source of carbohydrates, yielding about 159 calories and 38g of carbohydrates. Fermenting and processing cassava into garri converts the carbohydrate to protein. Also, the water absorbability of cassava is drastically increased through processing, which makes it a high satiety choice. The average healthy adult should aim for 1/3 cup per meal.
2. Elubo (Amala)
Yam powder/flour is one of the worst things you can eat whether you are trying to lose weight or not. It’s often filled with other fillers like potato powder and chemicals; it also has high calories and carbohydrates per portion.
Because the yam hasn’t gone through any nutrition-enhancing process, water absorbability is very low. Because such a large amount of carbohydrate is processed and packed into a very small volume, the impact on your blood sugar is high. This is why you might feel very lethargic shortly after eating yam flour.
Elubo, on the other hand, even though a byproduct of yam, goes through extended fermentation. This process again introduces amazing microbes and increases water absorbability.
3. Fufu, Pupuru and Amala Lafun
These are all byproducts of fermented cassava and excellent choices due to the added health benefits of fermentation as stated previously for elubo.
4. Whole Grain Swallow
Pick any whole grain product that you like—brown rice, whole millet, guinea corn (oka-baba), fonio (acha), etc. You can turn all these options into swallow; all you need to do is ferment them in water for about 4 days and then blend into a thick paste.
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5. Fresh Plantain Fufu
Plantains are a good source of healthy food, but you do have to keep in mind that they are high in calories. The average medium-sized plantain (200g peeled) has about 244 calories and 58 grams of carbohydrate.
Article credit: 9Jafoodie
