Eating healthy in Nigeria is key, especially with food stuff inflation and the unhealthy environs.
A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for a healthy diet.
Some may say, fruits are expensive, but that's not true. If you calculate how much you spend on Gala and CocaCola, or LaCasera (not that these brands are unhealthy, but too much of anything is not good) or akpu everyday, you will see that carrots and cucumbers and oranges are cheaper.
Buying in bulk
Buying food items in bulk quantities can save you a lot of money. Individuals with a busy work schedule may say this is not feasible but there are lots of professionals who cook at home. The key is planning. If you plan your meals ahead of time, you can select a day of the week to cook your beef/chicken/fish, soups, stew and other things you may need for the week and portion them in your refrigerator or freezer.
Once you’ve done this, the time spent cooking reduces drastically.
Buy whole or unprocessed food items
Some foods are more affordable in their raw form than in their processed form. For example, a tuber of yam is cheaper than processed yam flour, popularly known as Poundo Yam. Buying unprocessed food items also give you a high supply of nutrients in your meals.
Shop for produces that are in season
In Nigeria, we have different seasons in which certain food items and arable crops are available in large quantities as it is their harvest time. It’s important to know that local produce that’s in season is generally cheaper than those that are out-of-season and it’s also usually at it peak in terms of nutrients
For individuals with access to a portion of land or garden, you can grow some of your food items. Seeds are very cheap to buy and with some time and effort, you will be able to grow your own herbs, vegetables, tomatoes, onions, and many more delicious crops and thus a continuous supply at home is assured and this saves you money at the store.
You don’t have to break the bank to eat healthy and you should not sacrifice your health on the altar of the nation’s dwindling economy. Remember, to eat healthy even on a low budget because health is wealth! And believe me, you don't want to spend money treating health issues.
Eat healthy.
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