Most Kenyan households have a diet restricted to a very limited range of carbohydrates. Having been raised on these foods, most of us find it difficult to diversify even as we get older and move out to start independent lives.
We take tea/coffee for breakfast with white bread (or brown when we’re feeling guilty about our dietary choices.) Every once in a while, an egg or some sausages and that is it. Lunch and supper are restricted to rice, ugali or chapatis with beef with the occasional pilau kachumbari. When we eat out, we go for the fries and steak, which are really just digestive complications, heart disease and obesity waiting to happen.
There are so many readily available options that are healthier and cheaper which we can introduce into our diets as substitutes to break the monotony.
- Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an inexpensive, readily available carbohydrate which can be served in so many different ways. They could be a breakfast accompaniment or a main dish for lunch and supper. Even when you have cravings for fried foods, sweet potato fries are just the best to snack on. They are a high nutritional content of complex carbohydrates, fibre, beta-carotene and when cooked by baking, Vitamin C is certainly enough to fulfil your daily dietary requirements.
Here are a few ways to jazz it up with a Kaluhi’s Kitchen recipe for sweet potato in coconut sauce. Or for those fried cravings crispy sweet potatoes with syrup.
- Smoothies
Instead of pumping your system full of caffeine whose effects will wear off in an hour or two leaving you cranky and desperate for empty calories, how about a nice smoothie instead? Substitute your tea or coffee for something more filling and delicious.
The best part about this is with a blender, you can craft it to your tastes. Mix up your favourite fruits and experiment with the different flavours. You can also add some chia seeds or kale for that extra health boost, honey for sweetness and natural yoghurt for thickness. And if you’re feeling fancy, you could get a mason jar and carry some to work for your snack break.
- Bananas
Our diets are so packed with wheat it’s a wonder we’re not all obese. If you didn’t know, that tummy you’re struggling with, part of it is because of how much wheat you consume. The gluten also makes you bloated and could give you gas. Bananas are perfect because while green, they can make up your main dish for lunch or supper as matoke to be served with your choice of protein. On the other hand, the ripe ones can go into making delicious breakfast pancakes without wheat, you can make them into fritters, or just eat them in a delicious fruit salad. 4 delicious easy to make banana recipes
- Butternut
This sweet pumpkin-like vegetable makes the most delicious soup for those chilly days. It goes with everything because of the subtle sweetness which you can build up by adding all your favourite vegetables and spices. Whether as a breakfast accompaniment while whole and roasted, or a side to go with your sandwich as a snack, this healthy substitute will definitely spice up your life.
Looking for something quick to make for breakfast. Here you go – Breakfast Made Easy: Here Are A Few Delicious Things You Can Make In Minutes
Featured image via www.simplyrecipes.com.
