Breakfast refers to the first meal and one of the main meals of the day. Breakfast provides the fuel needed by the body to perform important functions and keep you active throughout the day.
Unfortunately, some people find themselves skipping breakfast very often to meet up with the demands of work or to lose weight. However, taking breakfast before starting your day is very important due to the numerous benefits it provides.
A good breakfast will provide your body and brain with the right nutrients needed to perform your daily activities perfectly and until your next meal.
However, you can only get these benefits if you take the right meals for breakfast. Your breakfast should contain all the necessary nutrients that aid in the proper functioning of the body. These nutrients are usually carbohydrates and proteins.
You can get these nutrients from bread, whole-grain cereals, milk, fruits, and vegetables. In Nigeria, there are many foods that can serve as breakfast. These foods contain all the necessary nutrients and they are not too heavy on the stomach.
Best Nigerian Foods for Breakfast
Nigerian Tea
Tea with bread is one of the most popular breakfast ideas in Nigeria. It is very fast and easy to make which is why it is one of the best foods for breakfast. The tea is usually made with milk and chocolate which offers a lot of proteins. Protein is one of the most important nutrients that should be in all breakfast meals.
The bread is taken with the tea. Bread is a good source of proteins, carbohydrates, and fibre. While taking tea with bread is the most common way of eating this breakfast option, you could do more with the food idea.
You could make your bread into a sandwich and add more foods like eggs and sardines to boost its taste and nutritional value.
Fried Plantain with Eggs
This is another easy breakfast idea you would make in a few minutes. Depending on your preferences, you could go for ripe or unripe plantain.
To make this food, you’ll need the following ingredients.
Ingredients
- Plantains
- Tomatoes
- Pepper
- Frying oil (vegetable oil)
- Onions
Instructions
- Cut your plantains into small pieces of any shape you prefer. Place the plantains in a bowl and add salt to boost the taste.
- Heat up the vegetable oil and add the plantain pieces. Watch the plantain pieces as they fry. You should the plantains until they are golden brown.
- Then, take out the plantains with the help of a spoon. Ensure you remove the excess oil from the plantains.
For the eggs
- Heat the frying pan and add your vegetable oil. You should allow it to heat for a minute.
- During that time, chop your tomatoes, onions, and pepper in a bowl. Also, break the eggs and pour them into another bowl. Whisk your eggs and add the mixture of tomatoes, onions, and pepper in the same bowl as the egg. Next, fry the mixture in the pan.
Toast Sandwich (Toast Bread)
This is a breakfast idea that provides you with all the nutrients you will require to perform your daily activities effectively. There are many ways to make a perfectly toasted sandwich. You could use beef or eggs as the fillings of the sandwich.
Ingredients to use when making a toasted sandwich
- Bread
- Corned beef or eggs to serve as the fillings,
- Butter
Instructions
- You will require a sandwich toaster to make this food
- Add the fillings (corned beef or egg) on one slice of the bread and cover it with another slice of bread.
- Place the bread into the toaster and close the machine.
- The machine will toast the bread in less than 10 minutes and with that, you’re ready to serve.
- Depending on your toaster, you can toast more than one or two sandwiches at the same time. You could do more to this recipe. Instead of using egg white, you could fry your eggs and use the fried egg as the fillings for the sandwich.
- Another option could be to use cucumbers in the buttered bread or to use fried eggs, corned beef and cucumber as the filling for the bread.
Whichever option you go for, you’ll still end up with a highly nutritious and delicious breakfast
Noodles
A great breakfast should be made in minutes and offer a lot of nutrients. One of the best breakfast foods that meet all these requirements is noodles.
Noodles are quite easy to make and when mixed with other food ideas like eggs, they become a nutrient powerhouse. When taking noodles, you should ensure you look at the calorie count. A pack of Indomie Instant Noodles contains 450kcal per 100 grams.
If you’re taking one that weighs 200 grams you’ll be consuming 900kcal. This is if you’re only consuming the noodles without any added food ideas.
Custard
Custard is one of the light food choices that make a great breakfast, however, if you perform a lot of physical activities, you’ll find yourself very hungry after a short while of consuming this food. If you want to eat custard, it is best you take it with another food like bread.
Custard is a rich source of antioxidants like vitamin C which helps prevents the cells of the body from damaging. It is also an excellent source of other nutrients like potassium and magnesium which perform several important functions in the body.
When taken with bread, the nutrients and health benefits you can get by consuming this food increases.
Akamu (Pap)
Akamu is a very popular meal consumed in Nigeria, however, it is mostly taken by children. Still, it makes for a great breakfast food as it is easy and fast to make. It also offers a lot of health benefits which makes it one of the best healthy breakfast choices to consider.
Akamu can be taken with other foods like beans, Akara, and bread. If you’re looking for a light delicious breakfast that will hold you till lunch, then you should go for the Akamu and bread or Akamu and Akara.
