Free Access To Email Exclusive ContentGet notified and be the first to know when new & hot content drops
HomeHealth & wellnessHealthy Nigerian Food With Low Calories

Healthy Nigerian Food With Low Calories

All things Health in your Pocket.

Continue reading in the app and explore more content from our exceptional editors!

Available on Google Play Available on App Store
App Demo Screen

In Nigeria, most of the food we eat is filled with calories, bad fat etc. These foods end up adding more fat to our system, which is why I have compiled some Nigerian food with low calories to help you lose some pounds.

Weight gain happens when you eat foods that are high in calories. Just like you lose weight when you consume foods low in calories content.

If you’ve got plans about losing some weight, then you’ve got to focus on what you eat. You will have to focus on eating foods that are low in calories. 

Lots of people think that the only way to lose weight is by fasting or by skipping meals, but it is not very sustainable, instead, you will develop ulcer.

Rather than skipping meals, you should try to eat food with low calories. Basically, almost everything we eat in Nigeria has some amount of calories, but there are some foods that contain fewer calories than others, and those types of foods should be eaten more often if you plan to lose some weight.

In this article, I have listed out some food with low calories that you can find in Nigeria. Some of these foods contain almost zero calories.

 

About Lossing Weight

Losing weight simply involves your body burning more calories than it has consumed. Calories are the amount of energy that is found in foods and beverages. When it is consumed, this energy is being used to fuel lots of biological processes that occur right inside the body system.

Because we are all different in body size and age, so does the calorie requirements the body needs differ. The activity of the day is also very important.

For people who have excess fat in their body, the fail-safe is a guaranteed method that helps to get rid of the fat by making the body to burn more calories than it consumes in the meals they eat daily.

Where most people fail with this method is when they try to go on extreme diets that restrict them or starve them to lose weight. Some people eat as little as just one meal in a day, on a daily basis for weeks or months, and they end up getting stomach ulcer.

You may have noticed that when you starve yourself, you lose weight fast. The truth is that you can’t starve yourself forever, you have to go back to eating again. When you start eating again, you will gain back that fat quickly. 

But instead of starving yourself to death, in the name of losing weight, I have listed food with low calories you can eat, even if it is up to 4 times daily and still lose weight.

The secret to weight loss is just for you to eat some of this Nigerian food with low calories

You just have to eat Nigerian fat burning foods that are super low in calories that will enable your body to burn more calories than you have consumed making weight loss much easier.

 

Nigerian Food With Low Calories

In no particular order or category, here are the food with low calories.

See also  What Food Can Cause Appendicitis

 

1. Ewedu (Jute Leave)

Nigerian food with low calories

Jute leave popularly known as ewedu is a popular Nigerian vegetable in the western part of Nigerian. It is used in making a soap called Ewedu soap. Ewedu is very low in calories. About 100g of the ewedu leave contains about 37 calories. This food is low in calories and good for your weight loss journey.

 

2. Okra

Nigerian food with low calories

Okra is another widely popular vegetable in Nigeria. It is usually consumed in the form of okra soup. Okra is a Nigerian food with low calories. It is a  good source of minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins.

Okra soup is one of the best Nigerian food with low calories for weight loss. Okra soup is easy to prepare and likely the cheapest soup to prepare in Nigeria. Okra’s helps to remove toxins from the body.

According to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, a cup of raw okra, weighing 100 grams (g) contains the following:

  • calories = 33
  • calcium = 82mg
  • fat = 0.2g
  • carbohydrate = 7.5g
  • sugar = 1.5g
  • vitamin A = 36mcg
  • vitamin B6 = 0.215mg
  • vitamin C = 23mg
  • vitamin K = 31.3mg
  • potassium = 299mg
  • sodium = 7mg
  • thiamin = 0.2mg
  • magnesium = 57mg
  • protein = 1.9g
  • fiber = 3.2g
  • folate = 60mcg

 

Okra is not only a food with low calories, it also gives the body some iron, lectin ( reduces the risk of certain cancers), niacin, phosphorus, and copper and being a good source of fibre, improves digestion, whilst keeping you satisfied for a long time, thus minimizing your food cravings.

 

3. Nsala (White Soup)

Nigerian food with calories

Nsala is a Nigerian food with low calories that stands out from other soups. Ofe nsala is a soup that is mainly prepared with spices, a small pieces of yam, utazi leave, and flavored with ogiri or iru. This is a very light soup and it is easy and fast to prepare. Nsala soup is also very low calories food and should be added to your weight loss diet.

 

4. Oats

Nigeria food with low calories

Oat is a food with low calories and it is also very satisfying. Oat is rich in fibre a, which fills you up for a longer time and also promotes regular bowel movements. It simply means that after eating oat, you would not feel hungry as often as you do after eating oats. Oats are also very nutritious as it contains loads of other nutrients, including zinc, protein, selenium, iron, carbohydrates, and more. 

Oatmeal as a delicious and healthy breakfast or dinner option, it can also lower blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of a heart disease and cancer.

 

5. Potatoes

potatoes

Potatoes is also a Nigerian food with low calories. They are healthy food for weight loss because they contain fewer calories than other foods. Potatoes is ranked as one of the most filling food, which means eating them would keep you full and also keep hunger away most of the time. The best way to eat potatoes is by boiling or mashing it, instead of frying it to eat them as chips.

 

6. Ofada Rice

ofada rice

Ofada rice is a Nigerian food with low calories and it is vitamin B, important minerals such as zinc, phosphorus and folate and a substantial amount of protein which could help burn off calories faster.

7. Cowpeas

cowpea

Protein reduces the level of ghrelin, a hormone that is responsible for stimulating feelings of hunger. Cowpeas is a food with low calories because of its content of protein and soluble fibre, adding cowpeas to your diet is a great way to boost weight loss.

See also  Mental Health Disorder

 

8.  Egg

egg

Egg is a low calorie food that is rich in protein which boosts metabolic activity and increases feelings of fullness. Eating eggs may support weight loss, especially if a person incorporates them into a calorie-controlled diet. If you want to lose weight, eat eggs as part of a healthy breakfast with fruits and vegetables.

According to the National Health Service (NHS) UK, the recommended daily calorie limit should be:

  • Woman = 2,000 calories
  • Man = 2,500 calories

You should know the calorie content of some of these foods you consume in order to plan your meal and diet correctly.

The table below shows some popular Nigerian foods, stews, soups, snacks, drinks, fruits and vegetables with low and high calories.

Read Also: 9 Healthy Nigerian Food To Eat At Night

 Nigerian Foods Calories

FOOD PORTION SIZE CALORIES
7up 50cl

(1 Big Bottle)

216
35cl

(1 Medium Bottle)

160
Akara 1 Ball 71
Almonds 1.2g 7
Amala 1 Cup 352
Apple 223g

(1 Large Fruit)

116
Apple Cider Vinegar 100g 22
Apple Juice 200ml

(Small Glass)

87
Avocado 150g

(Sliced)

285
Banana 118g 105
Barbecue Sauce 17g

(1 Tablespoon)

29
Beans (Baked) 255g 239
Beans (White) 178g 249
Brown Beans (Raw) 100g 379
Beer 356g

(1 Can)

154
Broccoli (Raw) 91g

(1 Cup Chopped)

31
Butter 14.2g

(1 Tablespoon)

102
Cabbage (Raw) 89g 22
Can Tomatoes 110.5g 19
Carrot Juice 236g 93
Carrots (Raw) 61g 25
Cashew (Dry Roasted) 8.6g 49
Cassava (Raw) 206g 328
Cauliflower (Raw) 107g 27
Champagne 175ml 133
Cherry 155g 77
Chicken Breast 52g

(1 Unit)

86
Chicken Drumsticks 133g

(1 Drumstick with Skin)

211
Chicken Liver 44g

(1 Liver)

76
Chicken Thigh 135g

(1 Thigh with Skin)

239
Chicken Wings 13g

(1 Unit)

26
Coconut 45g

(1 Piece)

159
Coconut Oil 4.5g 39
Coconut Water 240g 45
Coke 50cl

(1 Bottle)

210
Coleslaw 191g 291
Cooked Starch 1 Wrap 500
Corn 90g 77
Corned Beef 85g 213
Cowpea 170g 194
Cucumber, With Peel, Raw 52g 8
Cupcake With Icing 43g 155
Curry Powder 2g 6
Date 7.1g 20
Egg Fried 46g 90
Egg (White Raw) 33g 17
Egg (Boiled) 50g 78
Ewedu (Cooked) ½ Cup 20
Fufu (Akpu) One Wrap 330
Gala 2.3g

(1 Packet)

297
Garden Egg 100g 25
Garlic, Raw 3g (1 Clove) 5
Garri (Eba) 100g (1 Cup) 360
Ginger 11g

(5 Slices)

9
Gizzard 100g (1 Cup) 239
Goat Meat 28g 31
Grape Juice 249g 54
Grapefruit 123g

(½ Grapefruit)

52
Green Beans 55g

[10 Beans (4″ Long)]

17
Green Leaf Lettuce 36g 5
Green Peas 145g 118
Green Peppers 119g 24
Groundnut 1 Seed 5
Guava 55g 38
Honey 21g 64
Hot Chili Peppers 45g

(1 Pepper)

40
Ice Cream (Vanilla) 66g 137
Noodles 1 Super pack 640
Irish Potatoes 75g 77
Ketchup 17g 20
Lemon 58g 17
Lemon Juice 1 Table spoon 3
Lime 67g 20
Lime Juice 1 Table spoon 3
Liver 85g 140
Maggi 1 Cube 5
Mango 336g

(1 Mango Without Refuse)

201
Margarine 14.2g 102
Mayonnaise 13.8g 94
Milk (Peak- Powdered) 1 Table

Spoon

40
Milk (Powdered) 32g 159
Millet 200g 756
Moimoi 1 Wrap 306
Oatmeal (Cooked) 234g 158
Okpa 1 Wrap 250
Okra 95g

(8 Pods)

33
Onions, Raw 14g

(1 Slice, Medium)

5
Orange 131g

(1 Orange)

62
Orange Juice 248g 111
13.6g 117
Palm Oil 1 Tablespoon 130
Pap (Raw) 1 Tablespoon 91
Pawpaw 145g

(1 Piece)

62
Peach 150g 59
Peanut Butter 32g 188
Pear 178g 102
Pineapple 84g 42
Plantain

(Fried)

1 Slice 68
Plantain (Ripe) 179g 253
Plantain (Unripe) 179g 218
Pounded Yam 1 Milk Tin Cup 400
Prawn 100g 105
Pumpkin Seeds 64g 258
Raisin 26g

(50 Raisins)

78
Red Wine 175ml

(Small Glass)

149
250ml

(Large Glass)

212
Rice (Ofada) 1 Cup 565
Rice (White, Long-Grain, Cooked) 1 Tablespoon 14
Rice (White, Long-Grain, Raw) 185g 675
Samosa Average Size 80
Semovita 1 Cup 600
Shrimp (Raw) 100g 85
Snail 100g 90
Soybeans 100g 446
Spinach, Raw 10g

(1 Leaf)

2
Spirit 35ml 81
Sprite 330ml

(1 Can)

146
Strawberry 12g 2
Sugar 2.3g

(1 Cube)

9
Sugar Granulated 2.5g 10
8g 31
Sweet Potato, Raw 130g 112
Tangerine 88g 47
Tomatoes 123g 28
Tomatoes Juice 243g 42
Turkey Breast 18kg 120
Tuwo Masara (White Corn Meal) 1 Cup 450
Ugwu Leaf A cup of chopped 14
Ugba 100g 406
Vegetable Juice 247g 72
Walnuts 28g

(7 Nuts)

183
Watermelon 152g 46
Wheat Flour (All Purpose) 245g 455
White Wine 175ml

(Small Glass)

144
250ml

(Large Glass)

205
Yam 150g 177

For conversion of some of these foods to grams, 1 Cup, Tablespoons, Teaspoon’s etc., look at:

  Cooking Conversion Calculator

  Cooking Measurements

 

Take Note That:

  • The portion sizes in grams (g) are worldwide standards and are included as a reference.
  • However, foods without the portion size in grams (g) are not completely accurate but are close estimates.
  • The “calorie” we refer to in food is actually kilocalorie. One (1) kilocalorie is the same as one (1) Calorie (upper case C).
  • Most companies usually add some other ingredients making the calories higher.
  • Always look at the food label to find the nutritional facts of some of these foods when buying from the market.

Read Also: How To Use Turmeric For Weight Loss

Conclusion

Most of the food we consume is high in calories. It is important to know the calorie content of the food you are about to eat if you truly want to lose some weight. With this article, you can control what you eat. There are some delicious Nigerian foods with low calories that you can enjoy and still shade weight. I hope this article has been helpful to you.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

Free Access To Email Exclusive ContentGet notified and be the first to know when new & hot content drops
See also  9 Healthy Nigerian Food To Eat At Night

Must Read

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Connect with us

23,950FansLike
1,983FollowersFollow

Recommended

Free Access To Our Email Exclusive ContentThe Greatest Wealth is Health

Join thousands of subscribers benefiting from our exclusive premium content on health and wellness, food and recipes, beauty, home and garden, and everything in between.