New findings regarding staple food consumed by Diabetics in Nigeria

Awareness of nutritional composition and caloric value is just as important as knowing the health benefits of the food. After all, it’s vital to know what’s in your food and how it is going to impact, but this significance is far more grater for a nutritional professional than for a common consumer. For the same purpose, a review of the energy and proximate content of selected staple foods consumed by diabetic patients in Enugu State, Nigeria has recently been published in the Pakistan Journal of Nutrition.

The nutrient content of mixed dishes consumed in Enugu State has been of concern to nutritionists and dietitians due to the variations in the recipes used by different households. Therefore, the study authors systematically reviewed studies conducted in Enugu State and Nigeria and other relevant literature. They concluded that the food consumed by the diabetics of the region is a high variation of energy content and has a variable proximate composition of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibers, etc.

The study also settles that the value of energy in food samples, especially in mixed dishes varies due to the recipes used to prepare food. Frying food with oil makes the food absorb oil, thus increasing the fat content of the food and invariably the energy content.