No one wants to be the fat or obese person that draws the attention of everyone on every street. Almost everyone would prefer to be the one with the hot slim body, the fit one who gets a lot of compliments and followers on social media. A majority of people therefore put themselves on different kinds of weight loss regimens to keep the weight off.
The problem with restricting yourself to a weight-loss regimen, however, is that you may have some difficulties finding suitable meals when visiting destinations that are different from your home base as regards food and lifestyle generally.
If you are visiting Nigeria and are not sure what local meals you can infuse into your diet timetable, Jovago.com, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking site has selected 6 low-calorie local meals that will do just fine.
Moi Moi
Moi Moi is a staple on any Nigerian’s weight loss food time table. A delicacy made with steamed beans, meat (optional) and spices, it is packed with nutrient, especially proteins and fibre, and low in calories. While it is usually served as part of a meal combo, it is best enjoyed as a single meal for weight loss.
Pepper soup
Pepper soup is a favourite Nigerian meal usually served as desert, but if you are serious about your weight loss, it certainly should be on your list as one of the meals for the day. A simple recipe consisting of choice meat (fish, chicken, beef etc), dry peppers and spices, it is super easy to make and very tasty too.
Okro soup and eba
The fact that you are on a weight loss journey does not imply that you should completely abstain from carbohydrate, especially when you can combine it with vegetable. A meal of Okra soup and Eba (made from cassava) is perfect as it motivates your metabolism. You however have to ensure that you consume a small portion of Eba. The okro soup is very easy to prepare and likely the cheapest soup in Nigeria.
Garden Egg sauce and unripe plantain
Garden egg sauce and unripe plantain is the perfect meal to help you burn fat real quick. The garden egg sauce which is made mostly with garden egg, onions and pepper contains a lot of fiber which helps in digestion and spice which also help with fat-burn. The unripe plantain, like beans, is the perfect combo as well as it contains relevant nutrients as well and not as fattening and the ripe plantain and other carbohydrate-based foods.
Bean and vegetable porridge
Any meal that combines beans with vegetable certainly works in favour of weight loss. The meal is high in protein, complex carbohydrates, folate, iron, among other beneficial nutrients. Whether you chose the red kidney beans, brown beans e.t.c, cooking it with vegetables like cabbage, pumpkin leaves or water leaves makes it suitable for kicking up your digestive system and speeding up your metabolism.
Akara and pap
Akara, also known as bean cake is most of the time accompanied with a semi-liquid corn based food that we know as Pap, and they combine to form a staple breakfast meal in Nigeria. While akara provides proteins that help to repair tissues that are worn out, it also is rich in soluble fibre which is known to lower cholesterol level, thus excellent for weight loss.
Ndem Nkem is a Travel/Tech Writer from Lagos
