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 […]
Next to the plate is a glass of milk to serve as a reminder to make sure that you include dairy products in your meal. Given the high rates of lactose intolerance (abdominal discomfort after eating some dairy products) amongst people of African descent, and the evidence suggesting that too much dairy intake may increase […]
The Recommendation: Make 1/4 of your plate from the protein group. When most people think of protein, they see visions of a nice piece of sizzling nyama choma (fire roasted meat). However, there is more to protein foods than our beloved Nyama Choma. Some plant foods as well as other animal flesh and animal products all contribute […]
The Recommendation: Make a quarter ( 1/4) of your plate from the grain group. Grains are truly the staple of the African diet. From maize and sorghum to rice and teff, the continent boasts one of the world’s largest varieties of grains and it is not uncommon to hear people complain that they are not satisfied […]
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” […]
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 […]
A quick note to reader: There are various names for this staple and to minimize the tediousness of calling it Sadza/Ugali/Pap/Isitshwala/Nshima, I am simply going to call it “Sadza.” Ever wonder how much nutrition is really in that serving of Sadza? At a recent gathering, we measured the portion of Sadza that people consumed and noted […]
Just when I thought I had heard it all, this one takes the cake. An acquaintance recently called to ask me if I knew the name of the worm she could take to lose weight. Yes, you read it right, ”worms for weight loss!” Yikes! I was speechless. Apparently, you take a concoction of which a parasitic worm […]
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