Food Diversity

Often times, we don't eat enough of the edible foods in our environment. It can be as a result of ignorance, poverty, laziness, disease, depression or even preference.

Eating right and living healthy are achievable and sustainable, yes! The poor or average can still eat right as well as the rich. Food diversity involves dietary intake of varieties of foods. 

In the past, I carried out a survey in a suburban in Western Nigeria. Here, some of the rural dwellers were poor farmers and sellers, I noticed that though there was high prevalence of malnourished children, some were still well fed. At weaning, they were fed Amala, Ewedu soup, Pap, etc. One interesting thing about these foods were the ingredients used in preparing the diets. For example, ground white crayfish, groundnut, soy bean and so on were mixed with the pap (Ogi or Akamu) to fed the baby.

At a glance, one can say the mothers diversified in order to provide the infant a balanced diet.

There are many ways we can combine our foods to provide us with essential nutrients in order to maintain normal functioning of the body. In this way, we complement foods to provide a nutrient(s) lacking in the other. Thus, being both nutrition and food secured.

Here is a list of indigenous foods that we can eat; Brown rice, Uziza leaves, Utazi leaves, Oil bean, Scent leaves, Tapioca, Gbegiri, Okpa, Locust beans, Ogiri, Palm Nut, Garden egg, Ewedu, Efo, Groundnut meal, Carrot, Green beans, etc.