Monday 6 June 2011

'Get Trimmer...' Week Two: Nutrition Tips

Someone asked me how often she should eat beans, yam, plantain, etc per week which inspired this week's Nutrition post.

Suggestions on when to eat and portion size (**It's not possible to change your eating habits overnight so the advice I'm giving here should be used as guidelines.** ):
  • Plantain: Preferably boiled or roasted. No more than 2ce a week.
    One large plantain, or 1.5 medium = 1 portion
  • Yam: Preferably boiled or roasted. 1ce in 2 weeks
    One thick (1 inch) slice or 2 medium slices = 1 portion
    Same goes for pounded yam (a fist size = 1 portion) and asaro (but cut down on the oil)
  • Eba: Once in 1.5 - 2 weeks
    A fist size = 1 portion
    Apply the same to amala and fufu.
  • Beans: Preferably cooked with very very little to no palm oil*. 1ce - 2ce in a week
    2 serving spoons = 1 portion
    * I will post a recipe in the next couple of weeks where I use no oil and it still tastes yummy!
    If cooked with palm oil or eaten with fried 'ata' - 1ce in 2 weeks (e.g. on your 'day off' eating healthy)
    This also includes moin-moin. As for akara, as it's deep fried so... not often at all ;)
  • White Rice: 1ce a week (MAX), if possible replace with brown rice and have white rice 1ce in 2-3 weeks
  • Brown Rice: To add some flavour (taste) to it, cook in chicken stock - always works for me! 1-2ce in a week
    1.5 x a serving spoon = 1 portion
Please Note: This doesn't meant you should every single thing on the above list in a week... ;)

This week's meal ideas include:
  • 'Quick' Stew: See recipe HERE
  • Efo (Spinach): See recipe HERE

They can be eaten with sweet potato, plantain, butternut squash, brown rice, etc

Please continue to post your meals here and I'll give as much feedback as I can. Keep Up The Good Work and have a nice week :)

11 comments:

sweetandsensible said...

Adura, Im getting scared, i cant even lie.........Rice and Plaintain are like my staple foods,I think I need to sit down and actually plan what i can be eating.......

Adura O. said...

Yep I love rice and plantain but it's good to try to add variety to your diet.

So... what else on (or not on) the list do you like?

ibiayo said...

thought sweet potato was fattening??

Adura O. said...

@ibiayo Hi :)
No it's not... it's actually a little more nutritious than white potato:
- It has a low glycemic index which means it increases blood sugar levels a little slower than white potatoes.
- It's higher in fibre.
- and more.

Miss T said...

Hey Adura;

My major problem is really the issue of variety.
I just don't have a clue where to begin.
Like sweetandsensible said rice is a staple for me also...
Ok; let me phrase my question this way; during the week what would you say are your major staple foods?...

IntheMidstofher said...

uh ooh! rice and eba are a must in my home but I am open to change. Adura, I know I have been hounding you but pllllllllllsssssssssss!! could you post a sample 2-3 meal diary of yours for us to see. I think it will inspire and open up new ideas to us..

Anonymous said...

So how often can you have potatoes during the week?

Anonymous said...

Ha! :O

Will I meet my target? Let me start my confession, I was really naughty last week, I tried the breakfast thing a couple of times, but I found out I became more hungry and ate more, so I thought I'll give it another try this week incase it was my imagination playing on me, mon, tue, wed and I have eaten double if not triple the amount of food I'd usually eat for a week in 3 days!!!

So I am not doing so well with food, fitness nko? Let's just say I am covering my face as I type this, I was going to take the train this week so that I can at least walk an hr each day, but I have managed to wake up extra late, I seriously blame it on the food, I am just so tired!

So no rice, no plantain, no BEANS!!! these are like the only food I eat. ***sigh Well... I just discovered cous cous, I had that for lunch yesterday and today, I hope that's safe, at least I can replace it with my rice. If not I shld get ready to fast till the end of this challenge, cos there's no way I'll be adding more, instead of trimming.

Now my post is extra long, In my defence you asked me :D Thank you so much!!!

Cake and Socks said...

Hi Adura, i agree with a poster above, please can you give us a sample 2 day plan? MoinMoin, Boiled plantain, and Yam Po' are like staples for me.

Its just so hard! :( so what will i have for breakfast? and dinner? lunch for me is always a bagged salad, some pieces of rotisserie chicken (skin removed) and olive oil as dressing. Thanks so much!
BTW.. I am a silent follower and dieter too :)

Adura O. said...

@Miss T You can eat white rice, I understand it being a staple but remember - if you want to get results, you have to make some changes.
Re: Variety e.g. Rice being a staple, that's not much variety... I know there's Jollof or Fried or White but it's all Rice.
Every week, I eat plantain, sweet potatoes, yam (not very often cos I hardly find good yam here in London). I eat beans on average every other week (this is not planned, it's just easier for me to cook some other things). Others e.g. white rice, I don't eat that often anymore.

@ITMOH
Lol, I understand them being staples and glad you're open to change.
**It's not possible to change your eating habits overnight so the advice I'm giving here should be used as guidelines.**
I will post my meal diary this weekend but you need to be aware - it took me a little over a year to form my current eating habits so... you've been warned :)

@Anon
You can eat potatoes 2ce a week but if you can, eat sweet potatoes instead

@Loves Blogs LOL! I'm not saying you shouldn't eat plantain or rice or beans. I'm saying cut down the frequency and portions. Cous cous is good, small portions though ;) And not everyday..
What are you eating for breakfast?

@Chinyelu
Hi! It's nice to read from a silent reader :)
I will give a a sample plan next week (promise). Moinmoin and boiled plantain are GOOD! :)
Leave comments anytime, I'll try to help as much as I can :)

Well done Ladies and keep checking in...

1511th said...

Going home to cook all these now. Thanks for sharing