If you ask the average Nigerian boy or girl from a low or middle-class family about their diet, they’ll probably mention a handful of stapble foods, such as rice, bread, yam, beans, and garri, in different combinations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Almost every Nigerian from a low or middle class family have mostly these foods in different proportions.
The problem with this diet pattern is that it restricts our nutrient intake to mostly carbs and proteins, limiting our intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and other macronutrients. A healthy meal comprises foods that provide all essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, proteins, and carbs in the right amounts. Therefore, tabled here is a guide to helping each family draw out a healthy diet plan for optimal growth and development.
DAYS | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER |
SUNDAY | Oats, Milk, with a serving of fruits (Banana or apples) | Jollof rice, Chicken, Steamed Vegetable, | Boiled Yam and catfish peppersoup |
MONDAY | Bread and egg sauce/ with tea or green tea. Add a serving of fruits (banana) | Moi moi and Eko (corn meal) | Amala (Lafun) and soup of choice and goat meat |
TUESDAY | Boiled yam/boiled potatoes with fish sauce, or vegetable stew | Wheat meal with any soup of choice and meat | Beans and Garri (cassava flakes) |
WEDNESDAY | Cereal (Golden morn, corn flakes, etc.), with fruit salad OR custard | Semovita, Semolina or Tuwo shinkafa with soup of choice and meat | Boiled plantain with fish sauce |
THURSDAY | Rice and stew (Banga stew, or Vegetable stew) | Beans pottage with fruit snack (watermelon) | Coconut rice with meat of choice, and grapes |
FRIDAY | Toast bread & sausage with tea or beverage | Wheat with soup of choice and meat, with carrot | Rice and Beans with fish sauce |
SATURDAY | Moi moi/akara/kosai with pap (koko, akamu, ogi, eko) | Potato & plantain porridge with beef sauce | Pounded yam in moderate quantity with any soup of choice |
As you can see, this makes for a healthy diet pattern, ensuring that your plate contains all the nutrients you need in the right amounts. Keeping your diet this simple and rich keeps you and your family healthy all week long, all year round.
