Nigerian swallows are common staple food eaten in Nigeria. Most swallows are made up of starchy ingredients, which are rolled into food balls, and eaten with stews or soups in which they are dipped in and swallowed, hence the name ‘swallow’.
There are so many healthy Nigerian swallows that you can eat with a variety of delicacies. However, most people don’t consider swallow as healthy. They are often associated with weight gain and a lack of nutrients. Nevertheless, that notion is not true. Nigerian swallows are very healthy and nutritious.
But when it comes to eating swallow, a lot of people who want to eat healthily or follow a weight loss diet often wonder which is the healthiest Nigerian swallow. This brief article helps you find out which swallow in Nigeria is the healthiest.
When it comes to determining the healthiest Nigerian swallow, there are a number of factors you need to take into consideration. Generally speaking, a healthy food is food that provides you with the nutrients you need to sustain your body’s health, functioning, and retain energy. For most people, though, healthy food is one, that has the fewest calories.
Taking these two factors into consideration, let’s see which swallow is best in each category.
Most Nutritious
Eba is the most common swallow in Nigeria, and it fairly nutritious because it contains a decent amount of nutrients. The same can be said of Fufu or Akpu. However, Akpu is slightly more nutritional than eba. There are other swallows that have a high number of useful nutrients.
Pounded yam swallow made from fresh boiled yams or yam flour is rich in vitamins and nutrients. Plantain swallow, made from fresh plantains or plantain flour is high is potassium. While wheat swallow from wheat flour is equally packed with nutrients. Also, Amala is a very healthy Nigerian swallow that is full of protein.
However, the Nigerian swallow with the most nutrients is oatmeal swallow. Oatmeal swallow is loaded with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant plant compounds. It also has the most beneficial effects on the body.
Fewest Calories
Most Nigeria swallows are high in calories. Many people who want to lose weight are often wondering which Nigerian swallow is good for weight loss. Let us compare the calories in some Nigerian swallows:
- 1 cup of Amala contains 352 calories
- 1 wrap of Fufu or Akpu contains 330 calories
- 1 cup of eba contains 360 calories
- 1 cup of pounded yam contains 400 calories
- 1 cup of semolina contains 600 calories
- 1 cup of tuwo masara contains 450 calories
- 1 cup of tuwo shinkafa contains 366 calories
- 1 cup of starch (Deltan swallow) contains 350 calories
- 1 cup of oatmeal swallow contains 280 calories.
From this run down, oatmeal swallow is the best swallow for weight loss in Nigeria. But that is not just because of its low amount of calories. Oatmeal swallow is also rich in soluble fibre. Foods that are rich in fibre can help you feel full more quickly after eating it than after consuming other foods. Eating oatmeal can help a person reduce their portion size and achieve weight loss.
Bottom Line
All Nigerian swallows are very healthy. But I believe oatmeal swallow is the healthiest swallow in Nigeria because it is loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, fibre and has the most benefits to the body. Oat Meal is also low in calories and supports weight loss better than any other swallow in Nigeria.
