Buzznigeria presents you with popular African food that comes in handy for those trying to lose weight as obesity is a serious health concern around the world.

Yes we understand with the lack of jobs and the hunger and hardship going around as a result of the current economic decline in countries across Africa, you might wonder if watching or losing weight is a top priority. On the contrary, people can take advantage of the situation to reassess their eating habit for better income management.

Food like plantain can be found in a lot of South African food recipes and Ghanaian food recipes accompanied with beans porridge or jollof rice to make a complete delicacy. Yum.

Therefore, to satiate your curiosity about what kind of food can help you shed all that accumulated fat and lose a lot of pounds, we provide you with answers; how and why these foods are able to cause weight loss.

Plantain
Plantains are a slightly bigger, starchier, and less sweet member of the banana family. Like their cousin, plantains are a great source of resistant starch, containing nearly 3 grams in a half-cup when cooked.

In most places, plantain (ripe or unripe) is either roasted, boiled or fried and consumed with or without accompaniment – to help you feel full for long.

Irish Potato
Despite the high carbohydrate content in potato, they are also great source of resistant starch, so eating them in moderation can help your body burn fat. They'll also keep you full: on the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition's satiety index, potatoes ranked number one.

Brown Rice
This healthy grain is a great source of phytonutrients, which have been linked to decreased risks of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Brown rice is also packed with fibre, contains 1.7 grams of fat-burning resistant starch, and is a low-energy-density food (In other words, it's filling but still low in calories).

Salmon (Fish)
Salmon is filled with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which could help speed up weight loss: a 2001 study found that participants who ate more MUFAs lost an average of 9 pounds, while those who ate a primarily low-fat diet gained an average of 6 pounds.

According to a Swedish study, selecting protein sources that are rich in PUFAs (like salmon) instead of those that contain lots of saturated fat (such as red meat) could also help reduce visceral fat in your belly.

Sweet Potato
Like the Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes are a great source of slimming resistant starch, which triggers feelings of satiety. But they also boast nutritional benefits all of their own: just one baked sweet potato contains 438% of your daily vitamin A (versus 1% in a white potato), 37% of your daily vitamin C, as well as calcium, potassium, and iron.

They're also low-calorie (about 105 in a medium sweet potato) and contain 4 grams of filling dietary fibre, 16% of the daily recommended amount.

Lean Protein
If you're trying to lose weight, skimping on protein could make it more difficult for you to reach your goals. According to a 2012 study, eating too little protein could cause you to have too much body fat, while another 2014 study found that eating small amounts of protein throughout the day might improve muscle strength.

To feel full without adding a lot of saturated fat, opt for lean proteins like chicken, turkey, pork loin, or 97% lean ground beef.

Eggs
Many people might be surprise by this, but eggs are packed with protein, which helps curb your appetite. One study found that overweight women who ate eggs for breakfast were able to lose twice as much weight as women who started their days with bagels. And egg whites in particular are a good source of branched-chain amino acids, which help keep your metabolism running smoothly.

Orange
Like lemons, oranges are low in calories but contain plenty of fibre, helping you to feel full throughout the day and consume less overall. In fact, in a list of the most filling foods compiled by Australian researchers, oranges ranked the highest among fruits.

From January to April, keep your eyes peeled for blood oranges, a darker-hued winter variety of the citrus that contains a full day's worth of vitamin C as well as high levels of the disease-fighting antioxidant anthocyanin.

Chilli pepper
Chilli pepper contains a chemical compound called capsaicin that can increase your body's ability to burn fat (as much as 90 extra calories following a meal), and are also a good source of vitamin C.

So you use in just about any prepared food; omelets, moi moi, jollof rice etc.

Banana
Although they're best known for containing potassium, bananas are also a great source of resistant starch, a type of starch that's important for weight loss. Your body digests resistant starch slowly–helping you feel full for longer–while simultaneously encouraging your liver to switch to fat-burning mode. And no need to wait for them to become completely ripe; bananas actually contain more of this calorie-torching ingredient when they're still a little green.

Even more reasons to add a bunch to your shopping cart: Bananas can help regulate blood pressure, ease digestive problems, replenish nutrients after a workout, and may even help prevent strokes in older women.