Foods To Avoid As A Vegetarian in Nigeria: Homemade Vegan Foods To Create
CATEGORIES OF VEGETARIANS
Being a vegetarian to the general public means total avoidance of all flesh or bloody animal meat and products while living solely on vegetables and fruits. However, a broader scope of research classifies vegetarians into different categories.
- Vegan – This category of people avoid all sorts of meat/animal flesh such as beef, pork, goat, chicken, turkey, and fish and also avoid animal products such as eggs, honey and dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice cream, yoghurt.
- Semi-vegetarian / Lacto-Ovo vegetarian – this category of people avoid all forms of animal flesh such as beef, turkey and so on but include eggs and dairy products in their meals. The word Lacto-ovo is a Latin word meaning Milk-egg. Due to food allergies or lactose intolerance, some people in this category avoid either eggs or dairy products. Those who avoid dairy products are termed Ovo-vegetarians while those who avoid eggs are called Lacto- vegetarians.
- Flexitarian – this category of people generally avoid fleshy food products, dairy products and eggs but occasionally include them in their diet.
- Pescatarians – this category of people avoid animal flesh like beef, pork and so on but include fish in their diet. They are also at liberty of choosing whether or not they want dairy products or eggs in their meals.
Knowing which category an individual wants to belong to would help in setting up an appropriate meal plan and knowing what and what not to include in the diet.
You can contact us on 8mg Africa to construct a working meal plan for you today.
FOOD TO AVOID AS A VEGETARIAN IN NIGERIA
Depending on the type of vegetarian an individual chooses to be, the types of food to be avoided are;
- For a vegan; animal flesh such as pork, poultry, fish, beef, goat, and ram; dairy products such as cheese, butter, ice cream, yoghurt, milk and eggs should be avoided.
- For a Lacto-vegetarian; animal flesh such as pork, poultry, fish, beef, goat, ram and eggs should be avoided.
- For an ovo-vegetarian; dairy products such as butter, cheese, milk, yoghurt, ice cream and animal flesh such as goat, beef, fish, poultry, ram, and pork should be avoided.
- For flexitarians, animal flesh such as pork, poultry, ram, beef, goat, dairy products and eggs should be avoided except on the occasional basis of intake.
- Pescatarians- Animal flesh such as beef, poultry and so on should be avoided and depending on whether or not such people want to include dairy products and eggs in their diet, all other excesses should be avoided.
HOMEMADE RECIPES TO CREATE
The journey of being a vegetarian may seem stretchy, strenuous and difficult. Honestly, it is very difficult having to give up what an individual has been consuming all of his or her life. However, knowing that it is for the greater good, below are some recipes to try at home to spice up vegetarian meals.
EGUSI (MELON) SOUP
Egusi (melon) seeds are good sources of potassium and calcium, which are minerals that regulate blood pressure they are naturally cholesterol-free and are also rich sources of magnesium. Egusi soup is a popular soup among Nigerians and Africans at large although methods of preparation vary.
Ingredients needed
- Melon seeds
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Pepper
- Locust beans
- Vegetables
- Seasoning cubes
- Salt.
- Garlic and ginger
- Palm oil
How to prepare Egusi
- Make a paste with the melon seeds and onions by blending both with very little water till it is a smooth paste and set aside
- Blend tomatoes, garlic, pepper and ginger of appropriate quantity and set aside also
- In a pot, heat palm oil on medium heat for about a minute then add the Egusi paste.
- Allow frying for a while, while constantly turning then add as many locust beans as desired. Thereafter, add the blended pepper mixture, salt and seasoning cubes then allow to simmer on low heat. Garnish with vegetables such as bitter leaves, scent leaves amaranthus, water leaves and so on and allow to simmer for 3-5minutes. Serve with desired morsel or rice.
AKARA AND MOI-MOI
These meals are beans based meals. They are rich in protein, fibre, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium and they contain little or no fat at all.
Ingredients Needed
- Beans
- Onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Palm oil/ vegetable oil
- Salt
- Seasoning cubes
- Curry
- Thyme
- Wrapping leaves/ nylons
How they are prepared.
They are prepared by soaking the beans for a while and blending with onions, garlic, ginger, pepper (long and bell) with a considerable amount of water to form a very smooth paste.
For Akara- The blended mixture is seasoned with salt and seasoning cubes then fried in medium heat vegetable or palm oil till it is golden brown.
For Moi-Moi- The blended mixture is seasoned with salt, curry, thyme, seasoning cubes and vegetable oil then mixed to ensure the even mixing of the spices. The mixture is then wrapped in leaves or nylons and boiled in medium heat for 30-40 minutes.
Both Akara and Moi-Moi- can be served with pap, custard, bread, and cassava flakes (garri) and can also be eaten alone.
BEANS AND CORN
This is a delicious and age-long combination eaten in Nigeria. Given the health benefits of beans stated above, it is prepared by boiling the corn( if freshly harvested corn is to be used) and then boiling the beans and corn together till they are soft to the consumer’s satisfaction and seasoned with salt, pepper, seasoning cubes and palm oil. An added extra is the addition of scent leaves to enhance the aroma.
JOLLOF RICE
There has been a controversy over the origin of this recipe but nothing beats a Nigerian party jollof rice tasting meal. It is prepared by making a broth containing tomato sauce, salt, seasoning cubes, thyme, curry, garlic, ginger, onion, bonnet and bell pepper, carrot, green peas and bay leaves; all in appropriate quantities. The broth is allowed to simmer for a while and the already washed rice grains are then added to the broth, covered and allowed to cook till it is soft to the consumer’s satisfaction.
