A few weeks ago I shared a picture of Madagascar Pink Rice that I had purchased at a local organic food store. After weeks of just gawking at how pretty it looked, I decided to cook it. I wanted to taste the true unadulterated flavor of the rice so I simply cooked it in water […]

 Obesity is rapidly becoming a public health challenge on the African continent. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Infobase, women aged between 15-100 years living in The Seychelles, Lesotho, South Africa, Mauritania and Mauritius suffer the highest overweight/obesity prevalence rates with averages ranging between 56.8% to 73.8%.  Amongst African men of the same age, prevalence rates are lower with averages ranging […]

Until recently, research regarding the nutritional content of African foods has been scarce or at best out dated. However, in recent years the research has expanded with organizations and institutions such as the Harvard School of Public Health, United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and Biodiversity International exploring the food of the continent and publishing […]

Plantain is a fruit that is enjoyed in many parts of Africa, the Carribean and Asia. In Africa, it is commonly enjoyed deep fried or boiled. Both of these cooking methods however may be detrimentral to the overall nutritional content of the fruit. Frying creates a beautifully golden brown product but adds unnecessary calories negating the […]

The African continent boasts a wide variety dishes and tastes. Some dishes are the same amongst regions, some have variations while others are simply limited to single countries and areas. I asked a few of my favorite African food bloggers to share their favorite recipes and they delivered.  In today’s posting, I introduce you to 8 dishes you have […]

I will be the first to admit that fast food (aka quick serve) is nothing new to the African continent. From the man selling local favorites over a fire to franchise restaurants such as Debonairs, Steers, Wimpy and Nandos, Africa has been enjoying fast food for decades. However, the thought of KFC (and other franchises) […]

Two of the most common questions I  receive from  The African Pot Nutrition Community are, “How should I eat” and “how many calories are in this particular African food?” This week I will answer both these questions in the series “My African Plate.” Based off the “My Plate” concept unveiled by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011,“My African Plate” […]

 The New Year is a few days away and before you embark on your resolutions I highly encourage you to watch one of my favorite motivational videos from http://www.ted.com, “Try Something New for 30 days” by Matt Cutts. It generally promotes what I, as a dietitian encourage my clients to do….JUST  START!  Habits are rarely formed overnight. So, as […]

Growing up in Zimbabwe there was this commercial that I loved. It was played around Christmas,  at almost the same time every evening  and the tag line in the jingle was “When it’s Christmas in Africa, you have to look good……” Thirty-some  years later, I sit at my computer with a huge smile on my face […]

During a recent visit  to my local “African Store” I overheard two ladies debating the use of palm oil when cooking. One lady stated that she had read that palm oil was bad for the heart while the other lady claimed that it contained “many vitamins” and should be used everyday. I was so tempted to give my opinion on […]