Fonio is a popular food in West Africa and it is common in Nigeria among the Hausa and Igbo tribes.
It is a food that people prepare in different ways and we will share some of these great ways to enjoy it.
In the eastern part of Nigeria, people call this amazing food ‘acha’.
Other names are iburura, and hungry rice.
Fonio is full of different nutrients that are beneficial to your health.
Types Of Fonio
It comes in two types – Digitaria iburua. This is sometimes referred to as black fonio and Digitaria exilis which is the white fonio.
Both of them are available in Nigeria.
Nutritional Facts Of Fonio
A study says 100 grams of black Fonio contains:
Crude protein 8.75%, Crude fat 4.00% and Crude fibre 1.03%
Carbohydrate 76.91%
Sodium (Na) 30mg
Potassium (K) 8.45mg
Calcium (Ca) 30.00mg
Iron (Fe) 2.75mg
Zinc (Zn) 0.75mg (1)
On the other hand, the white specie contains:
Crude protein 7.11%, Crude fat 3.00% and Crude fibre 0.79%
Carbohydrate 79.72%
Sodium (Na) 20.00mg
Potassium (K) 5.40mg
Calcium (Ca) 20.00mg
Iron (Fe) 1.10mg
Zinc (Zn) 0.65mg (2)
From the above, the black specie is more nutritive than the white Fonio.
What You Gain When You Eat Fonio
The nutrients in fonio make it a good food that you should add to your diet. It contains minerals that your body calls for.
Fonio is rich B vitamins – thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin (3).
These compounds are essential for the development, growth and function of cells in your body.
They also help in energy production.
Here are the benefits that this whole grain food offers you.
1. Weight Management
Unfortunately, being overweight could trigger some chronic diseases. This is why it is essential that you maintain an ideal weight.
One thing that helps in weight management is adding whole grain foods (rich in fibre) to your diet.
Interestingly, studies have found that foods in this category help you stay full and lower your desire for more food (4). As a result, this helps you lose weight.
Therefore, adding fonio to your diet will help you lose weight. Because of the fibre content, it will help you stay full for long.
2. Lowers Blood Sugar
Diabetics will find this food amazing as it helps in regulating blood sugar level.
For instance, a study says in Nigeria, products made from this grain are presently recommended as preferred carbohydrate source for patient suffering from diabetes.
Reason being that it contains resistant starches that are not absorbed in the small intestine.
Also, resistant starch increases insulin sensitivity and also lowers blood sugar level (5).
Fonio is also low in glycaemic index. Unlike white rice, when you eat it, it does not raise your blood sugar level.
3. Lowers Cholesterol Level
An accumulation of bad cholesterol in your body, could result in clogging of arteries.
This clogging will further affect the flow of blood to and from the heart. A long-term effect results in cardiovascular diseases.
However, fonio, as a whole grain food, contains fibre that helps in lowering chances of droplets of fat sneaking into the arteries.
According to a study, the black and white fonio are rich in antioxidants – phenols and waxes – which lower cholesterol.
4. Rich In Antioxidants
Furthermore, fonio is rich in antioxidants that help ward off antibodies that could cause chronic diseases.
Everyday, you come in contact with toxins from the food you eat and from other pollutants.
Intake of antioxidants is necessary to ward these antibodies or toxins off.
Adding fonio to your diet will help bring in antioxidants that will arrest these free radicals and help boost your health.
5. Boosts Heart Health
Because of its fibre content fonio is able to support heart health.
According to a study, black and white fonio are rich in antioxidants containing phenols and waxes which lower cholesterol (6).
High cholesterol is one of the causes of clog in the arteries that could trigger cardiovascular diseases.
Also, adding whole grain to your diet helps lower the risk of heart diseases (7).
Whole grains may aid weight management and gut health.
Furthermore, fonio has potassium that also promotes heart health (8).
6. Boosts Digestive Health
You digestive tract needs an amount of fibre to aid digestion and prevent constipation.
Fonio is a whole grain food and a good source of dietary fibre that also provides your digestive system resistant starch.
A study says fonio is also an excellent source of fibre that is important in the prevention of constipation.
According to the study, fonio contains resistance starch which may play important role in diseases management as well as improve health conditions (9).
7. Lowers Risk Of Certain Cancers
Whole grain foods are great for your guts.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendations, it is necessary that whole grains make up half of your daily grain intake.
Adding 45 grams of fonio to your diet provides you this recommended amount.
Most importantly, whole grains in your meal lower risk of certain cancers – colon cancer pancreatic and stomach.
8. Skin Elasticity | Repair Of Body Tissues
Fonio is rich in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine (protein).
Most importantly, your body cannot produce these amino acids and you need to get them from your diet.
Fonio is one grain that offers you this amino acids.
Furthermore, methionine is one of the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein). It supplies sulfur and other compounds required by the body for normal metabolism and growth (10).
Cysteine is a powerful antioxidant that is helpful in treatment of different health issues – liver disease, PCOS, premature birth and recurrent pregnancy loss, chronic bronchitis among others.
A study says Cysteine acts directly as a scavenger of free radicals, especially oxygen radicals.
It is also recommended as a potential treatment option for different disorders resulting from generation of free oxygen radicals (11).
9. Hair Growth
These amino acids are also helpful for hair growth.
Women who are having hair shedding could add fonio to their diet for result.
Interestingly, a double-blind data confirmed the findings of an open study in women with increased hair shedding, where a significant proportion responded to l-lysine and iron therapy (12).
Your body needs different amino acids to produce the kind of protein that will aid hair growth and these are part of those.
How To Add Fonio To Diet
There are different ways you can add fonio to your diet.
First you will need to wash the fonio thoroughly to ensure there is no sand in it. Due to how fonio is processed in Nigeria, it comes in contact with sand. It is one put-off for many.
Once it is clean, you are good to go.
Prepare Like Oat
You can prepare your fonio the same way you prepare your oat.
Add water to your pot, allow to boil and then add the quantity of fonio that will be enough. This depends on the number of persons that you are feeding.
Allow to cook for few minutes and it is ready.
Cook Like Jollof Rice
Add water to your pot and then add the washed fonio (an amount that will be okay for you and everyone eating)
On low heat, allow to boil and monitor to ensure it does not dry up. At boiling point, allow for about 6 minutes and then turn the heat off.
Prepare your sauce the same way you prepare your jollof rice sauce. When sauce is ready, pour the fonio in it and turn it with a wooden spoon to ensure it does not dry up at the bottom.
On low heat, allow to cook for few minutes and then, at intervals, deep a fork in it to check if it is dry enough for you to turn off the heat. Once it is no longer soggy, your fonio is ready.
You can add vegetables, mushroom and other ingredients to make it more scrumptious.
Also, you can add fonio to your salad as shown in the picture below.
It has a very unique taste and it is far healthier than your usual white rice. It is one food that you can replace your white rice with.
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