African Meal Plan & Nutrition Tracker

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It's calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula to find your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate — calories burned at rest), then multiplied by an activity factor. For men: BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5. For women: BMR = 10×weight + 6.25×height − 5×age − 161. Your TDEE is BMR × activity multiplier (1.2 to 1.9).

Absolutely. Many traditional African foods are excellent for weight management. Foods like ugali and fufu are high in complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. Soups like egusi and groundnut soup are rich in protein and healthy fats. Vegetables like sukuma wiki and efo riro are nutrient-dense and low-calorie. The key is portion control — traditional African portions are often generous. The challenge is the high use of palm oil and refined starches in some dishes.

The diabetes management plan reduces simple carbohydrates and increases fibre-rich foods, protein, and vegetables. However, everyone's blood sugar response is different. Always consult your doctor or a dietitian before changing your diet if you have diabetes. Monitor blood glucose carefully when changing eating patterns. Traditional foods like bitter leaf, garden egg (eggplant), and African star apple have been studied for blood sugar benefits in African contexts.

This tool focuses specifically on locally available African foods for cultural relevance, affordability, and availability. Eating local foods is often more sustainable, cheaper, and nutritionally appropriate for the local climate and activity levels. That said, rice (especially ofada and local varieties), which appears in the Nigeria plan, is widely eaten and nutritionally comparable to imported varieties. Many African cuisines already incorporate global influences in their traditional recipes.