How feasible is eating a balanced meal in present day Nigeria?

If you are oblivious of the happenings in Nigeria hands in the air🤨

No hands...?

I thought as much. Permit me to mention just a few issues we are currently encountering in the country.

- Insecurity

- Continuous ASUU strikes

- Unavailability of basic human needs

- Lack of infrastructure

- Curruption

- Poverty

- Unaccountability of public funds

- Debt

- Precarious economy

- Unemployment

- Inadequate and incompetent health facilities

- Ineffective leadership

Instead of taking care of the issues on ground, all those who have held political position previously are coming back with surprising solutions they never had while in office. That is why I have also decided to declare my intentions for the office of the president.

Nah, just kidding 🙃..,

Not that we're asking for a perfect society where we get what we want at our leisure but one without sequential problems.

If you're dead beat serious on getting that physical change rather than the usual social media tussle, then all the online bellyaching should be channeled into getting your voters card ready.

The independent national electoral commission (INEC) has made it easier by allowing you to complete a pre-registration online before heading to their nearest office to finish the process. So, what are you waiting for? Utilise this opportunity!

Now, back to the topic: how does this really affect the possibility of maintaining a healthy diet practice?

The economic situation of the country is currently in a devastating mess; therefore, economic factors such as food prices and income influence people's food preferences. Furthermore, due to the high cost of food, low-income families find it difficult to make healthier food choices, but rather have to deal with what's available.

This becomes a vicious cycle because when a healthy diet is not followed, the vulnerable group, such as the elderly, women, and especially children, are malnourished, and their cognitive and physical development suffers as a result, consequently leading to lower work productivity and certainly lower national income.

Following a good diet plan in Nigeria right now is the least of a lot of people's concerns, because majorly the citizens are barely surviving. Perhaps the struggle of eating what is available before even considering making a balanced diet is obvious but even if you could afford a 3 square balanced meal, you'd probably be praying to be alive to eat it because of the country's current security situation.

However, it's not all a bleak picture we have here. Why? Because we have something up our sleeves: cheaper alternatives!

Now to the big question here; how feasible is eating a balanced meal in present day Nigeria?

I would be glad to announce that it is more than possible and below I'll be sharing how to achieve such feat.

I wouldn't deny the fact that fruits and vegetables are becoming costlier and harder to procure but it doesn't change the certitude that some of them still remain marginally more affordable than certain processed foods.

Regardless, learning the importance of meal planning and it's advantages would go a long way to save time, It's quite the effective way to implement healthy meals into your dieting by efficiently utilising food ingredients, saving money by working with a budget as well as available time and being creative by trying out different food combinations while avoiding food wastage.

Secondly, I remember vividly that we had a home garden while growing up where my mum planted assorted vegetables and herbs. One of the go to advantage is that it gave us instant access to fresh vegetables and herbs which in turn, helped us save money and time that would have been used to get them in the grocery store.

Thirdly, utilising locally available foods; Locally available food is food that is grown or produced, processed, and then sold within a specific geographic area. This helps to access fresh nutritious food and gives us options of being creative with food preparation. For example, new food recipes can be developed by trying out our creativity with such available foods.

You do not need to do the most when trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle, we just have to constantly try to actively include and prioritise fresh foods in our diet.

What do you think about this topic, I can't wait to hear from y'all.

Fun facts:

⊙ A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

⊙ A shrimp's heart is in its head.