Which Nigerian Foods Raise Blood Sugar the Most? What People With Diabetes Should Know

Swallow and rice are at the centre of most Nigerian meals. Eba, fufu, pounded yam, amala, jollof rice and white rice are eaten in almost every home, often every day.

But if you have diabetes, you may be wondering: which Nigerian foods raise blood sugar the most?

The answer depends largely on the type of food, how it is prepared, and how much of it you eat.

Studies carried out in Nigeria have found that most swallows and rice raise blood sugar quickly, while beans raise it slowly. Knowing which is which can help you make better choices without giving up the foods you enjoy.

Which Nigerian Foods Raise Blood Sugar the Most?

Researchers measure how quickly a food raises blood sugar using the glycemic index. Foods are scored against pure glucose, which scores 100.

A score of 55 or below is considered low, meaning the food raises blood sugar slowly. A score of 70 or above is considered high, meaning it raises blood sugar quickly.

These are the Nigerian foods with a high glycemic index that have been measured:

The scores for eba, fufu, pounded yam and amala come from a study in Makurdi, which measured these swallows in people living with diabetes. Boiled yam, rice, pap and plantain were measured in a study of 80 adults in south-west Nigeria, and jollof rice and wheat swallow in the Nigerian Journal of Nutritional Sciences.

Almost every swallow and rice on this list scored above 70.

Which Nigerian Foods Have a Low Glycemic Index?

Some Nigerian foods scored much lower, which means they raise blood sugar slowly.

Beans stand out. Brown beans scored 29 in a study of boiled beans eaten in Nigeria, which places them among the slowest foods on the Nigerian table.

Parboiled rice also scored lower than white rice. A trial in adults with and without type 2 diabetes measured it between 50 and 60.

What Can Someone With Diabetes Eat Instead?

You do not necessarily have to remove swallow or rice from your meals. Small changes can make a difference.

For example:

Better choice:

• Parboiled rice in place of white rice
• Plantain amala in place of eba or fufu
• Beans more often during the week

Less suitable choice:

• Large servings of fufu, eba or pounded yam
• Jollof rice or white rice eaten often and in large amounts
• Boiled unripe plantain in the belief that it is a low-sugar food

If you are unsure whether a particular Nigerian food fits your personal diabetes needs, you can also check GluFloat for personalised food guidance.

Is Unripe Plantain Good for Diabetes?

Unripe plantain is often described as a good food for diabetes, but this is only partly true.

Unripe plantain flour, which is used to make plantain amala, scored 53 in a study of unripe plantain flour meals. That is a low score.

Boiled unripe plantain, however, scored 89 in the south-west Nigeria study. That is a high score.

Drying plantain into flour changes how quickly it turns into sugar in the body. So the form of plantain matters. When someone says unripe plantain is good for diabetes, it is worth asking which form they mean.

Does Eating Swallow With Egg or Soup Help?

It can help, but it does not change a fast food into a slow one.

In the south-west Nigeria study, boiled yam eaten on its own scored 94. When it was eaten with a fried egg, the score dropped to 84.

That is a meaningful drop, but 84 is still high. The amount of swallow you eat remains one of the most important factors.

A small ball of eba eaten with soup and fish or meat is a very different meal from a large ball of eba eaten on its own.

The Bottom Line: Which Nigerian Foods Raise Blood Sugar the Most?

Most Nigerian swallows and rice raise blood sugar quickly. Fufu, jollof rice, boiled yam, eba and pounded yam all scored high in studies carried out in Nigeria.

Beans, plantain amala and parboiled rice raise blood sugar more slowly and can be better choices for someone with diabetes.

For someone with diabetes, the most important distinction is simple:

It is not only what you eat, but how much you eat and what form it comes in.

If you enjoy swallow, you don't necessarily have to give it up. Focus on the type you choose, how much you eat, and what you eat it with.