Nigeria is blessed! We have absolutely everything edible, co-operative soil, beautiful rain, adequate sunshine and quite a number of hardworking farmers. Every season has some fruits or vegetables associated with it. The different tribes make the same raw material into a million and one scrumptious delight. There really is an amazing variety to choose from and enjoy. Food is life and adds to health.
Why then do you wallow in monotony and drown yourself in rice, spaghetti, dry beans, bread and “eba” ?
What do you eat? Where does fruits, fish and vegetables fall in your meal plan? Are your meals austere? Do you ever go out of your way to make something delicious and healthy anytime you can make out time?
A typical UIMSAite eats rice at least three times a week. To achieve some semblance of variety, he eats some indigenous combination of white rice, jollof rice, fried rice, dry beans and a small piece of meat with ₦10 “dodo”. Who eats ₦10 “dodo”? You either eat plantain or not. I have a personal bias.
It’s a pity that the cafeteria offers a little more than rice and “swallow”. It’s worse that a typical UIMSAite has resigned to fate and waits for his next “break” to eat proper home cooked meals with fruits and vegetables. We all know how many “breaks” we have.
Medical school doesn’t help anyone’s diet. It’s a wonder that we do not walk around with fluffy hair and the other facies of the malnourished. That it’s unrealistic to plan delicacies everyday does not mean we should not once in a while. We can make it. After that end of posting test, instead of swarming to movies or playing video games, visit the market (possibly Bodija) items to make a salad, whip up a smoothie, try your hands on fruits and vegetables recipes, amongst others. Not knowing how to is untenable, you can watch YouTube videos or learn from a friend. Cooking may not be your hobby, but doing so once in a while would not hurt.
Don’t forget to invite your friends to partake in your feast and offer words of advice and encouragement on how to be better. Inviting friends should not be limited to one gender, explore as much as possible. Learning to cook is not just for yourself, our children stand to gain in the future. You don’t want to be a mum or dad who makes such monotonous meals. Variety is indeed the spice of life.
By Amarachi Diala