A lot of Our African Traditional Meals Are Rich In Fiber.

Almost all plant foods have some of the two types of fiber in different proportions. It is now a well-known fact that a diet rich if fiber is important for maintaining good health.

When one is reading about sources of fiber, a lot of African fiber-rich foods are not mentioned.

Traditionally, most African meals are a combination of whole cereal grains, starchy roots, meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices and other raw products. Most meals are prepared from scratch, using raw ingredients or home processed ingredients.

Traditional African meals contain high fiber contents due to the fact that they are minimally processed and so most of the beneficial parts are consumed.  Most cereal grains are consumed whole and starchy roots usually contain fiber and other nutrients in their raw forms. It is a known fact now that consuming about 3 servings of whole grains daily reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Apart from vegetables, Africans consume a lot of viscous or mucilaginous foods which are wonderful sources of soluble fiber. Over the years, we have perfected

the art of cooking mucilaginous foods into tasty meals. Some stems, leaves, roots and other parts of plants contain mucilage which is used to thicken soups and stews.

Africans also use other parts of plants like calyxes, flowers and tubers of mushrooms to cook. Plants are the only sources of fiber so using more of their parts increases fiber intake. 

So if you are planning meals for good health look no further than our traditional foods and eat them like our forefathers did. Most of the food items mentioned in most articles that you will find is most likely to be those that are not native to Africa and may be difficult to obtain. There are so many ways you can prepare our meals if you are adventurous enough to learn from other cultures. Africa has so many ethnic groups and flora so you have a lot to use.

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