Is Agege bread healthy? + Agege bread calories.
Agege bread is the most popular locally made bread in South West Nigeria and in fact in Nigeria… It is a local Nigerian bread you will see in the nook and cranny of LAGOS. Agege bread goes well with butter, bama and beverages. It is the cheapest bread in Lagos and other South Western states in Nigeria. Before I go further to answer questions about how healthy or harmful Agege bread is, let me quickly take you through the history of Agege bread in Nigeria
History of Agege bread in Nigeria
The first breadbakers in lagos were immigrants from brazil, coming to the state to start new lives and they brought with them bread-making skills.
A notable bread maker however was an immigrant from jamaica namef Amos Shackleford and they set up a bakery in lagos.
He set it up at Ebute metta, the first stop out of the island. The bread was so loved by Nigerians the trade boomed with Agege becoming a major trade hub for bread in Nigeria back then.
The locals who didn’t know the exact origin assumed most of the bread came from Agege.
And it was thereafter dubbed “Agege bread”.
With the advent of sliced bread, the name Agege bread further helped to differentiate the two to the lay man.
Is Agege bread healthy?
Only those who have not lived in Lagos would be unfamiliar with AGEGE bread . Agege bread is as popular as Lagos itself. What baffles me most about this brand of bread ,is that its dirty and prepared in unhygienic environment ,yet very popular with lagosians. To them, agege bread is part of the Lagos culture.
Sometimes, the government has tried to warn Lagos residents about the health hazards of consuming this bread . But nobody cares .
To my surprise, Agege bread is even sold in some African shops in US . I see Nigerians in place like Texas buy this bread . What’s that thing that make Lagosians eat Agege bread?
Credit: Facebook
To make this bread soft and increase its shelf life, the bakers make use of substances that have no place in your body. From emulgators, potassium bromate, stabilizers, and conservatives, this bread is loaded with all things NOT HEALTHY for you.
Plus, agege bread is considered an ENERGY-DENSE FOOD because it contains more than 225 calories per 100g as well as a high carb food as it contains more than 2 serving sizes of carbs per 100g.
The problem with AGEGE / KUMBA bread is that it is made from REFINED WHEAT FLOUR which is devoid of almost all its nutrients. The bran (the outer layer rich in fiber) and the germ (inner layer rich in vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients) of this corn have been discarded so you are actually just eating empty calories. That is the reason why you are not full even after eating half paired with a bowl of Ovaltine and milk.
On top of this, the high carbs cause a fast rise and fall in your blood glucose levels which can be considered an internal Jo-Jo effect making it really hard to lose weight.
TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT AGEGE BREAD? That’s the real question! The answer is to avoid this bread as much as you can especially if you have abdominal/visceral fat and/or you are overweight or obese and/or you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Potassium bromate, a major component in agege bread has been implicated in kidney failure. One begin to wonder, why their is increasing incidence id kidney diseases in Lagos ..
Agege bread contains gluten…so persons with irritatable bowel disease or inflammatory bowel disease should avoid it.
Sources:
Damilola MD
Dr Udomoh
