If I had to give my personal food orientation a name, I would say something like Nigerian-Intercontinental-Mediterranean oriented diets.
When I was growing up in Nigeria, Most of my food orientation was tubers- yams, cassava, coco yam, three leaf yam, sauce and soups in different taste, plantain, rice, corn, beans etc; which are mostly high carbs but unprocessed and not overly processed. Jumping into early 20s, I was exposed to intercontinental dishes cooked by well renowned chefs. And then getting into my late 20s, I got exposed to Mediterranean cuisine up until now. In all these phases of my life, the childhood taste of Nigerian soups and sauce never left me. I still have to include and eat those plates in my food plan.
In 2016, When I began the journey of losing weight after accumulating some extra pounds not due to eating this food mentioned above, I visited a Nutritionist. She gave me a list of food which she considered healthy. She also emphasized on how my cultural food seemed not to be healthy enough to make me lose weight. I felt so bad that I have to change not only my eating pattern but also my favorite food in order to lose weight. 3 days into following what she recommended, I started feeling fainting and my body shakes like I was going to give up. A friend of mine who was near told me. “Michelle, are you going to kill yourself because you wanted to lose weight? Just eat!”
It seemed to be the voice I was waiting for. I grabbed my favorite cultural meal and filled myself. I felt better again but guilty that I have failed me.
The Nutritionist did not consider my taste and my cultural food habits rather what she thinks is healthy. This was a confusion for me. How can Food which my grannies ate and lived healthier until their 90s be something to make me sick? This is the mistakes some people are making these days on weight loss. Losing weight does not take you away from your favorite food rather smart changes towards your mindset and how you eat.
Having been certified a Health coach, I learnt that people are individuals and come from different parts of the world with different cultural food. There is no diet that is bad. No matter whatever food which you are in the habits of eating, you can always comfortably include them into your healthy meal plan. The no. 1 Guideline on the German 2017 Dietary plan recognizes that people should enjoy all food diversity German food guideline 2017. You don’t have to throw away your traditional cuisine because you want to eat what is considered healthy. Weight loss entails eating smart and following some basic rules.
However, there are ways you can eat smart with these traditional Foods by getting acquainted with food sources – All diets come with different food Nutrient sources including Carbs, Protein, Fats, Fruits and Vegetables. Learn about them, how much of them you need daily and the best way to eat incorporate them into your daily calorie intake.
Consider your portion sizes and calories – Eating smart entails making sure you don’t eat more than the required portion. For example, if you are in the habits of eating 2 to 3 slices of yam, try cutting down to half of the portion and add other food sources like vegetable, to create a more balanced option. In that way, you are cutting down on calories as well as filling your body with the nutrients it wants.
In Nigeria, we eat so much fried things and oil. In fact, almost all our dishes come with oil. To reduce the amount of oil, you can try what I call food manipulation. You can manipulate your food to make them have lesser calories. That means being creative with your food. For example, traditionally we cook jollof beans with red oil, to give it a good look. For lesser calories, I cook with only a table spoon of olive oil, fresh tomatoes and bell pepper and that gives it an even better look and make it taste better.
Be in control of your dishes – Don’t allow food manufacturers to dictate how much food you are taking. For example – instead of tomato paste use fresh tomatoes and bell pepper. Tomato paste is a processed food, that makes it not natural anymore. Fresh tomatoes and bell pepper allow you to know how much you are eating in a natural form.
Cut down on the use of Oil – Every tablespoon of oil provides 120 calories. A table spoon of Palm oil for instance, has 120 calories with 13.6grams of both saturated and unsaturated fats Nourish by WebMD. Although it’s been proven to offer some good antioxidant like vit. E and beta carotene; there is also a negative side when used regularly Oguntibeju et al. For instance, instead of eating so much oil fried food, try air frying your food or using the oven. This act reduces lots of calories in my diets.
Add more Vegetable and Fruits – Adding more veggies and fruits to your diet will increase the amount of food you want to eat and the needed nutrients you need for your body. Take for example instead of eating so much rice, cut down your size and supplement with veggies or fruits to get yourself full. This will help you cut down calories and the amount of carb.
Patronise your local famers by buying directly from their farm produce Your local farmer’s food are natural and the source is known. Eating food from your local farmers is healthier as processed or fast food. In addition to its freshness, these foods are harvested when their time is due, making them full of nutrients Virtua.Org.
Opt for whole grains against white grains – Whole grains which are found in brown rice come with all parts of the grain – bran, germ and endosperm. But the white grain has been processed, with the bran and germ taking out living it with only the endosperm. Foods like brown rice, brown bread etc. are great whole grain sources.
In conclusion, people could tell you some diets is better than the other. Weight loss is not one size fit all kind of lifestyle, rather what really works for you. Getting into the habits of smart eating will help you achieve your goal with whatever food culture you have.
Remember, Weight loss isn’t only just about balanced diets, rather active lifestyle, good sleep, drinking plenty of water and maintaining a stable mental state.
