A traditional Zambian diet contains all the necessary foods required for optimum health and nutrition
The key is to know how to incorporate these foods in the right frequency, quality and quantity in order to maximise on their benefits. Understanding what to eat and how much can get confusing. Let’s delve in a little further.
The foods we eat are divided into various food groups that each provide us with a set of necessary nutrients for good health. Consuming the recommended amounts from each food group is one of the basic ways of understanding how to balance your diet. The major nutrients your body requires is carbohydrates, protein and fats. The remaining nutrients are equally important, but are required in much smaller amounts, these include your vitamins and minerals.
The components of any healthy diet are as follows:
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Wholegrains, Cereals and Starchy Vegetables
Sources:
Maize, Sorghum, Cassava, Millet, Rice, Wheat, Rye, Oats, Cereals, Bread, Potato, Sweet potato, Corn, Busala and Plantain.
Recommended amount per day:
6-8 serves per day
What is a serve?
¼ cup Nshima, ½ cup pasta, 1/3 cup rice, 1/2 cup cereal or 1 slice bread
Role they play:
To provide your body (in particular your brain) with energy to fuel your daily activities. Whole-grains contain essential B Vitamins and fibre too, which are key to great health.
Key messages:
Cereals and grains often make up a big part of our diet, and as such, swapping to whole-grains can be one of the most important changes you can make. This would mean choosing Roller meal Nshima over Breakfast meal. Brown rice over White rice and so on.
Fruits
Sources:
Recommended amount per day: Aim for 2 per day
What is a serve? 1
A fist sized fruit, 20 grapes or ¾ cup
Role they play:
Provide energy, fibre and plenty of vitamins and minerals
Key messages:
Consume the whole fruit instead of fruit juice.
Vegetables
Sources:
Recommended amount per day: Aim for 5-7 per day
What is a serve? ½ cup cooked or 1 cup salad
Role they play: Provide fibre and plenty of vitamins and minerals
Key messages: Aim for a half a plate per meal and keep it colourful.
Legumes
Sources:
Beans, Red/Brown Lentils (Dhals), Cowpeas, Groundnuts, Chickpeas and Bambara Nuts
Recommended amount per day:
2-3 serves per week
What is a serve?
½ cup cooked
Role they play:
A good source of fibre and protein, as well as carbohydrates for energy
Key messages: A great source of protein, fibre and slow releasing carbohydrates. Boil and rinse to reduce the gassy effect.
Lean proteins
Sources:
Fish, Kapenta, Chicken, Lamb, Goat, Beef and any other red/white animal meats
Recommended amount per day:
2-3 serves per day
What is a serve?
100g (palmsize)
Role they play:
Provide the body with protein for muscle building and Iron for healthy blood
Key messages:
Steer away from the processed sausages and choose lean meats such as fish more often. Remove or trim fat and skin.
Eggs and Dairy
Sources:
Eggs, Milk, Sour milk, Yoghurt and Cheese
Recommended amount per day:
2-3 serves per day
What is a serve?
2 eggs, 40g cheese (about the size of a matchbox), 1 cup milk or 200g plain yoghurt
Role they play:
Provide protein and calcium for strong bones and teeth
Key messages:
There is no need to choose a low-fat option unless you consume large amounts regularly.
Healthy Fats
Sources:
Avocado, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils and oily fish (salmon, mackerel & catfish)
Recommended amount per day:
2-4 serves per day
What is a serve?
1 teaspoon oil/fat, ¼ avocado, ¼ cup nuts/seeds, 100g oily fish
Role they play:
Support a healthy heart and brain
Key messages:
These fats are essential and cannot be made by your body, therefore, including them is important. Zambia is a land locked country and so Flaxseeds make a great replacement for oily fish.
Putting it all together
Now that we have covered the basics, it may seem overwhelming to try and figure out how to put all this information together. One of my favourite tools that I have adapted for the Zambian diet is the Healthy Plate Model. The Healthy Plate Model is an incredibly useful tool to use to assist you in achieving a well-balanced diet. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to diets. Your requirements will vary depending on your age, gender and activity levels. Aiming for a variety of foods daily and sticking to the right portions is key to maintaining your health.
If you are interested in understanding more about your individual needs, book an appointment by sending me an email.
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