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BBC Pidgin of Thursday, 23 November 2023

Source: BBC

Oda healthy foods as substitute to rice wey di price don go up

Different options dey for rice meals Different options dey for rice meals

Which kain carbohydrate food you fit chop apart rice and wetin be dia health benefits?

Rice na di most popular food wey pipo dey consume globally evri day and e remain staple food for di Nigeria culture especially jollof rice wey be di king of di Nigeria cuisine for any party and celebration.

Pipo for Nigeria dey cook rice in different ways such as white, jollof, fried, coconut rice and many more.

However, as economic inflation don affect di high cost of rice, many people don stop to dey chop rice but dem go still like to get di food nutrient wey rice dey offer from other food choices.

Recently di National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report wey dem publish on dia website for di month of October say food inflation don dey 31.5 percent.

Also, one independent body Afex wet season for dia crop production report for 2023 say di price of rice for market don rise to 37 per cent increase.

Dem say di number of pipo wey dey chop rice kontinu to increase wey make di price dey go up for market “nearly matching di annual population growth projection of 2.6 per cent at two per cent. Dis don lead to a supply gap of about 2 million metric tonnes annually.”

Dis year India announce ban on rice exports.

India wey be di world biggest rice exporter, account for nearly 40 percent of global rice trade in 2022, exporting 22 million tonnes worth $9.66bn to 140 countries.

Dis one include 4.5 million tonnes of basmati rice, 8 million tonnes parboiled rice, 6 million tonnes non-basmati white rice, and 3.5 million tonnes broken rice.

Dis and oda factors followfor why di price don go up.

Pipo don begin dey look for alternatives food wey go help maintain dia healthy living despite say di rice don cost - possibility dey say di price go go higher as holiday season dey come.

Dis foods cost lesser to rice and families don already dey familiar to dis foods as dem dey get same food nutrient from dem like rice.

Rose Okafor, wey be di co-founder of Heyogo and Foods tok say rice dey among carbohydrate class of food nutrient but e get some oda energy giving foods wey fit supply same food nutrient.

Cassava, potato, yam, bread , corn, plaintain, cocoyam, pasta, quinoa, vegetables, freekeh and barley.

Pipo don begin dey add dis food items to dia grocery list as price of rice no gree come down and dem wan maintain healthy living.

Di food expert explain say rice get plenty fibre as whole grain food but oda foods too dey wey dey help pipo meet dia personal health and finacial goals.

She also say pipo fit chop yam and stew instead make dem chop rice and stew and as dem dey add variety of dis foods to dia daily meal intake dem go get di same nutrients wey dem pack inside rice.

Also, di expert explain say plenti alternatives to rice dey wey no get high carbohydrate such as Quinoa wey dey taste like grain but e be gluten-free food and get high-protein for di body.

Rose Okafor explain say some vegetables like riced cauliflower, riced broccoli, and chopped cabbage get low-calorie dem be quality alternatives wey dey pack wit nutrients for rice.

Madam Okafor add say make pipo begin swamp rice for different nutritious foods wey she don mention for di list.