You definitely need a list of bodybuilding foods in Nigeria if you intend to keep fit this year. Food is a very intricate part of bodybuilding. Building a very healthy body goes way beyond physical activities. It goes way beyond just losing weight or building muscles.
Bodybuilding encompasses a series of activities, habits, and Food items. But hey! You probably know all that, and that is exactly why you are here.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Bodybuilding Foods for Nigerians
Below are the top 10 bodybuilding foods for Nigerians. These food items are some of our very own Nigerian meals. You don’t necessarily have to be super-rich to afford them.
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Rice
Everyone knows rice. Rice is a staple food consumed by close to 50% of the world population. Rice – both white and brown – has high carbohydrate content, a little protein, and no fat. In Nigeria, rice is cooked by steaming in water.
Rice, especially brown rice, is very rich in fiber. This doesn’t only aid bodybuilding; it provides energy, aids easy digestion, and ensures smooth body metabolism.
The Carb and fiber contents of rice place it easily above others on the list of bodybuilding foods in Nigeria.
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Banana
Bananas are essential foods for bodybuilding. Banana – aside from its very delicious taste and smooth texture- is a melting pot for many kinds of nutrients. Each banana has about 105 calories, and they consist of a huge amount of water. They contain;
- potassium
- manganese
- vitamin B6 and C
- copper
- fiber
- protein
Bananas have various importance even outside bodybuilding. Below are some of the benefits of bananas to a bodybuilder
- It contains sugar, which is the major source of energy. Banana provides energy to a bodybuilder.
- Bananas contain fibre. These aid digestion and allow for ease of bowel movement for bodybuilders.
- They contain magnesium, an essential nutrient in the cardiovascular system. By implication, bananas are beneficial to heart health.
- Bananas contain powerful nerve hormones that stimulate the mood. For instance, bananas contain dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that have been dubbed as the “feel-good chemicals.”
- Eggs
Eggs are very close to bananas on the scale of the relevance of bodybuilding foods in Nigeria. This is due to many reasons, some of which are listed below;
- The wide variety of essential nutrients they contain (just like bananas)
- The relatively cheap purchase price per egg
A single-boiled egg has approximately 77 calories and the following nutrients;
- vitamin B5, B2, and B12
- folate
- phosphorus
- selenium
Eggs are also known to contain antioxidants and a significant amount of protein- which is very important for muscle development.
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Beans
Another great example of bodybuilding food in Nigeria is Beans. As you may have already noticed, bodybuilding foods are rich in fiber (see egg, rice, and banana above).
Beans is a food type that contains a sufficient amount of fiber and protein. The necessary nutrients for building healthy body mass and ensuring smooth metabolism.
Aside from these things, beans help to stimulate and stabilize the metabolism of glucose. It also contains antioxidants and nutrients essential for heart health. Preferably, a bodybuilder should consume soybeans instead of the other types of beans available.
Read also: 15 most indigenous and popular Nigerian foods to explore
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Yogurt
Okay! Yogurt here is not the popular iced flavored with sweeteners that we buy on the streets – it’s not FanYogo. It is definitely not that!
Yogurt (made from rich diary products) is an ideal food for bodybuilding in Nigeria. Performing bodybuilding exercises with a full stomach makes you susceptible to body cramps and nausea. Yogurt provides both the lightness and the peak nutritional benefits a bodybuilder needs. A meal of yogurt contains
- calcium
- Carbohydrates
- proteins
- fibers
- vitamin c and other minerals
Yogurts contribute to bodybuilding and bowel metabolism. The calcium components of yogurts contribute to bone and muscle development and, most essentially, bone reinforcement.
Read also: 10 healthy Nigerian snacks to consider when next you feel like relaxing
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Water
This may probably sound too obvious to anyone, but please drink water – a good quantity of it. The majority of the food items for bodybuilding listed above may not be consumed regularly.
However, let water be an exception. A bodybuilder must consume enough quantity of water after sessions. Water is vital for the circulation of nutrients into the body. It allows for easy absorption of nutrients into the cell bodies.
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Nuts
Yeah! That’s right; nuts are excellent examples of light foods for bodybuilding in Nigeria. Cashew nuts, Walnuts, Almond nuts, and others are essential sources of fatty acids, protein, and fibers. Each type of nuts has specific benefits to the body and a bodybuilder. It is therefore advisable to eat a variety of them once in a while.
Nuts are good foods for heart health and general body metabolism. Walnuts aid the body’s nitric oxide production – needed to regulate body cholesterol and maintain blood vessels’ elasticity.
Cashew nuts have a sufficient amount of carbs. Just the right quantity may provide the amount of energy you need for a workout exercise. Nuts are one of the cheapest yet highly nutritious food we have in Nigeria. It would help if you tried them out.
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Fish
Why inject steroids when you can eat fish? Fishes are excellent sources of nutrients for bodybuilders. Besides the fact that fishes contain protein, they (oily fishes) have a considerable amount of Vitamin D. A steroid hormone that aids high performance, builds muscles, and boosts muscle endurance.
Fishes contain essential nutrients like magnesium. It is also rich in vitamins necessary for a bodybuilder. Fishes are also excellent sources of healthy fats. A bodybuilder has the luxury of choosing between the variety of fishes available. Fishes can help to shed fat; they can also help in fat addition.
Fish variety selection can be tailored to the body condition of a potential bodybuilder. The ubiquity of fish places it among the elite foods for bodybuilding for Nigerians.
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Meat
Meats also fit into the list of food for bodybuilding for Nigerians. As some of the food items are listed above. Meat’s high protein content is necessary for amassing muscle and removing unnecessary fats in a builder’s body.
Animal proteins (meat) contain the right substances that aid muscle absorption and provide top-notch muscle adaptation to exercise training. Do you get fatigued or have muscle weariness during a workout session? Then try consuming food rich in animal protein.
Red meat (beef) contains just the optimal amount of zinc, selenium, and iron necessary for the body’s metabolism. Red meat – according to expert reports – is the cause of some diseases. You may want to consider moderation when consuming them.
Read also: Owambe in Nigeria: Cruise, party, and more cruise
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Vegetables
Last but not least, bodybuilding food for Nigerians is vegetables. Vegetables are rich in fiber – a quintessential component of all the food items that have been previously discussed. Veggies also have components that catalyze the smooth absorption of vitamins and minerals.
In addition to the above, veggies also help to strengthen the immune system. What is the purpose of building a body with a weak immune system? Vegetables contain a bulk of the important micro-nutrients that are often neglected. You should definitely try them out.
Conclusion
We engage in bodybuilding exercises for various reasons. Ranging from sports to weight loss (or weight gain) as hobbies and other reasons. As the case may be, one thing is, however, necessary; bodybuilding is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.
It is indispensable to eat the right combination of food items for the desired result and the body’s overall health. You, too, can be fit. It just takes dedication and eating healthy. Good luck on your fitness journey Mon Ami.
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About Author
- Akinmoyeje Timileyin Precious is interested in code, history and culture, and philosophy. He is a fellow at the African Leadership Institute. He does writing as a thing for the culture.
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2 comments
Cool list will try them out more consistently.
Hey Taiwo
Did you try them out yet? How’s that working for you?