The kind of foods you eat can contribute to your plan to lose weight or act against it. A lot of foods in Nigeria can give you more calories than you expect. This article provides you with 10 Nigerian foods to avoid when trying to lose weight.
To lose weight, what you mainly have to avoid are processed and refined foods. But in Nigeria, it is almost impossible to avoid foods that contain a dangerously high amount of calories or that are processed and refined.
The following are some of the common foods in Nigeria to avoid when trying to lose weight.
1. Pastries and Cakes
There are so many delicious pastries available in Nigeria. Doughnuts, meat pie, chicken pie, puff puff, buns, and fish rolls are some of the common pastries that are common in Nigeria.
One single Nigerian milky doughnut can pack over 300 calories.
These pastries are packed with calories and often contain unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined flour. You should also avoid cakes if you want to lose weight.
2. Ice Cream
Ice cream is a creamy and delicious snack, nonetheless, it should be avoided when you are trying to lose weight. Most ice creams are full of calories and packed with sugar.
If you cannot avoid taking ice cream, go for the ones with less sugar and healthier ingredients like full-fat yogurt and fruit.
3. Sharwama
A single wrap of chicken shawarma wrap contains up to 393 calories. This common snack in Nigeria is full of calories which makes it a definite food to avoid when you want to lose weight.
Another reason to avoid sharwama when trying to lose weight it is full of carbohydrates, salt and has a poor nutritious value.
4. Fries and Chips
French fries, potato chips are some of the common appetizers you find in most restaurants in Nigeria. However, they should be totally avoided when you plan to lose weight.
They are very high in calories, and will not leave you feeling satisfied after eating them. Potatoes might be healthy, but fried potatoes are not so healthy for weight loss.
5. Agege bread
Agege bread is another no-no when it comes to eating healthy for weight loss. Agege bread is a soft white bread made from a rich, low-yeast dough.
This bread is highly refined and contains loads of added sugar. It is also high on the glycemic index and can spike your blood sugar levels. Hence, it should also be avoided when planning to lose weight.
6. Eba
Eba is one of the food you need to avoid when trying to lose weight in Nigeria, some people can’t actually do without this food, but just one cup of Eba contains 76 grams of carbohydrates, and around 320 calories per servings.
This Nigerian swallow should be avoided when you seriously plan on losing weight. There are many other healthy Nigerian swallows that can help you lose weight. You can always opt for oatmeal swallow if you want to lose weight.
7. Suya
Suya is a spicy meat skewer that is a popular food item in Nigeria. It is made of beef meat, which is highly proteinous but high in calories. 1 serving of suya is said to have 280 calories, which is quite a lot of a snack that doesn’t fill you up.
If you are seriously considering losing weight, you should also avoid suya. You can eat chicken or fish for animal protein.
8. Sodas
Another group of Nigerian foods to avoid when trying to lose weight are sodas and sugary drinks. Although many sodas and sugary beverages are readily available, there are still one of the unhealthiest foods to eat.
Sodas and carbonated drinks are strongly linked with weight gain. There are many other adverse health effects of carbonated drinks such as hypertension, and poor brain health.
9. Alcohol
When trying to lose weight, you should consider cutting back on alcohol, especially beer, or avoiding it altogether.
Taking alcohol in small amounts might be fine, but if you consume beer on a regular basis, you are going to get a potbelly, as you will be exceeding the daily maximum amount of calories that your body needs.
Overconsumption of alcohol also impairs the body’s capacity to metabolize calories, which will cause them to be stored as fat rather than glycogen in the liver. There are many other health effects of alcohol you should know about.
10. Sweetened yogurt
It is best to avoid sugar or honey-sweetened yogurts when trying to shed pounds.
Sweetened yogurt might be healthier than soda because it has protein and calcium, but it is still packed with added sugar which is bad for weight loss.
You should go for greek yogurt, as it contains protein and beneficial gut bacteria. Always ensure you read the nutritional label in the yogurts you buy.
Conclusion
Losing weight primarily involves exercising regularly and eating the right foods. However, it also means avoiding certain that can impede your weight loss journey. These Nigerian foods that you should avoid when you are trying to lose weight can be minimised or completely removed from your diet.
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Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
