These Nigerian foods should be avoided at night

August 15, 2019 11:06 AM

After a long day at work, you possibly would get home and sleep off immediately. However, hunger pangs could wake you up at night. While looking for something to eat, these Nigerian foods are not a good choice.

Different circumstances may force you to eat late at night. Some of these circumstances may have been completely out of your control or firmly within. However, there are Nigerian foods to avoid at night. Sometimes, even though you have eaten before bedtime you may later be jolted awake by sharp pangs of hunger after a few minutes of tossing and turning.

Maybe, you were too busy during the early hours of the night and when sleep finally swooped in you succumbed and went to bed hungry. Only to have to wake up later to eat. Or perhaps you’re expecting to fast the following day and your brilliant idea is to eat a lot at midnight to compensate for tomorrow’s deficit. Whatever the case these things happen. Eating late at night in and of itself is not as damaging as it has been made out to be. If you have to, there are Nigerian food to avoid at night.

5 Nigerian Foods To Avoid At Night

Bread

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One of the easiest things to pick up in Nigeria is bread. Hardly has bread ever been scarce. It is hawked in traffic, in buses, and almost every shop in residential areas. This availability has made bread a kind of constant in most homes. So it is easy for it to be the first thing you reach out for when hunger calls late at night. And with tea and a spread of butter or mayonnaise, it begins to look like just what the doctor ordered. But it is not. Bread contains enough carbohydrate and sugar to up your blood sugar levels. This might mess with your energy levels, upsetting your sleep in the process.

Fried Food

These Nigerian foods should be avoided at night Pulse Nigeria

There’s a widespread conception that fries are light foods. Against the backdrop of this knowledge, it is natural for one to readily indulge in fries when they find themselves fighting late-night hunger. Popular Nigerian fries are yam, plantain, and potatoes. But the fact that they are fried makes them oily food. This makes them a bit difficult for the stomach to quickly digest. And indigestion leads to cramps, bloating, and heartburn, affecting your sleep.

Pepper soup

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Pepper soup is a popular Nigerian dish. It is mostly meat or fish steeped in a very spicy broth. It is mostly served as an after a meal. Therefore, it is perceived by many to be a light meal. But the preparation of pepper soup is fraught with pepper as the name implies and spices. These spices contain a chemical that can disrupt your stomach metabolism.

Ewa agoyin

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For its tastiness, this is a favorite for many. It is simply beans cooked together in Palm oil sauce. Other condiments are added to achieve a spicy flavor and taste. But the fact that you have a leftover of it somewhere in the fridge doesn’t mean it’s made for a good late-night meal. Ewa agoyin can easily give you heartburn, or an upset stomach that may leave you unable to sleep.

Amala and Ewedu

These Nigerian foods should be avoided at night Pulse Nigeria

Amala and Ewedu is a dish associated with the Yoruba of Southern Nigeria. And it could be found in most eateries. Amala is made of yam powder, which goes with an exquisite soup that is irresistible. But when it comes to late-night eating, you’re going to have to find a way to resist it. This is because it can truncate your sleep by making you urinate a lot.

This article was first published on AfricaParent.com