beans | Zikoko!

Talk True is a Zikoko limited series for medical myth-busting. With each episode, we’ll talk to medical professionals about commonly misunderstood health issues to get the actual facts.

If you grew up in a Nigerian home, you know it’s a given that Saturdays are reserved for beans or beans-derived meals. And if you didn’t like beans, you were likely encouraged to eat it or prepare to be short. Beans have been so associated with height that almost every tall person can relate to being presented with the “Do you like beans?” question at least once in their lifetime.

But how did our parents and grannies start championing the “beans for height” theory in the first place? Is it a claim based on facts, or yet another ploy to force us to eat the food at home? Ayooluwa Okunjolu, a nutritionist, provides answers.

Why’s the “beans for height” theory even a thing?

“Beans are a great source of plant-based protein, and protein is an essential nutrient for growth and development — which we assumed means “height” — but few people actually know that beans isn’t all protein. It’s a great protein source, but that’s not all it is,” Ayooluwa says.

While beans contain 21-25% protein by weight — much higher than other plant-based protein sources — it contains about 65-72% complex carbohydrates by weight as well. Meaning it’s technically more carbs than protein. So, using beans alone as the primary source of protein in your diet won’t exactly provide all the growth and development your body needs.

Nigerian mothers right now

So, does eating beans actually make you tall?

“If it were true, I’d definitely be six feet tall, because my mum made sure I ate a lot of beans growing up,” Ayooluwa notes.

It just doesn’t work that way

He explains further.

“Growth and development are more of a cellular thing: organ development, tissue building and repair, cognitive development, etc.

Protein-rich food like beans supports growth and development, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to increase in height. Genetic factors account for approximately 60-80% of a person’s height, while environmental factors — like diet, exercise and lifestyle — contribute only 20-40%.

Your diet can impact whether you reach your maximum height potential, but it can’t alter the genetic potential for height. So, I’m sorry, but if your parents aren’t tall, it’s unlikely you’ll be tall regardless of the amount of beans you eat.”

Eating beans doesn’t equal to height, dear

Should you stop eating beans, then?

Definitely not. Beans contribute to healthy iron and Vitamin B intake, which prevents anaemia that could result in delayed growth in children. Some sources also say it’s great for brain power. As Ayooluwa explains, improper nutrition will also lead to an individual not reaching their full height potential.

“Beans are a very important part of our diet. It’s really nutritious, and when taken together with other healthy foods in a balanced diet, the body grows as it should.”

What kind of food can make you tall?

A balanced approach to nutrients is key. If your genetic blueprint doesn’t have “six feet” levels of height, there’s almost nothing food can do. But nutrition can help, and Ayooluwa explains that it’s an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“There’s no special food that’ll make you taller, but balancing all the nutrients is essential for growth and development. Nutrients like carbs, healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals are all equally important.”

Is there still hope for short people?

Not exactly. There’s hardly any physical change (read as height) that can happen once you’ve crossed puberty. This is because your bones stop growing and essentially fuse together.

“We stop growing around age 20, so eating healthy shouldn’t be for the purpose of getting taller at that age. Growth starts from infancy. Once there’s malnourishment and stunted development from an early age, it’s difficult to change in adulthood. So, doing the right thing from the beginning is essential. It doesn’t mean adults shouldn’t eat healthily, though. Remember, there’s still cellular growth and development going on — tissue repair and muscle building, for instance.”

The takeaway

Beans are a great source of protein, but it’s not the only factor involved in height. Ensuring a well-balanced diet from childhood will help you reach your full growth potential. But height is largely genetics. So, if it didn’t dey, it didn’t dey.

NEXT READ: Talk True: Does Cranberry Juice Cure UTIs?

Tife Oni

June 7, 2023

Chopist, Inside Life

beans, Food, myth busting, myths, Talk True, Tall People
Foods have different levels of chemistry, much in the same way people do. Beans isn’t any different. If you love beans, then here are seven foods that make the experience even better.

Bread

If Captain America were a meal, he’d be beans and bread. Nobody knows exactly what makes it so delicious. Is it the beans, or is it the bread? No one knows. These two foods have so much chemistry that eating them just makes you feel so good inside. Beans and bread should be a love language.

Suggested article: What’s the Best Thing to Eat Bread With? We Ranked Them All

Plantain

This OG combo needs no introduction. It’s second only to bread and beans — and that is even debatable in some circles. Plantain already takes the winning prize for “Best in Side Dish”. If beans were Batman, plantain would be Robin.

Garri

Desperate times require desperate measures. Garri and Beans is a meal for desperate times. This combo reminds you of the better times. Eating beans with garri while managing your last ₦1,000 hits really hard. But if you’re bougie and missing the trenches, it also works.

Suya

We don’t know why but suya makes everything so much better. Maybe it’s because of all the darkness that goes into making it.

READ: 6 Red Flags To Look Out For In Your Mai Suya

Fried Eggs

This is a meal for people who want to say, “Do your worst!” to their digestive system but simply haven’t had the chance. It’s giving bravery. If you’re looking to up your protein intake, then this is definitely your thing.

Groundnuts

Eat groundnut alone and your body will remind you that you’re still in the trenches. But eat it with beans, and see how you look like a 19th-century colonial master.

Corn

If you’ve tried this combination before, you know it’s heaven. The corn can be added as a garnish to the beans or taken as a side dish. Either way, the combo bangs.

Pap/Custard

What’s the difference between pap and custard? We don’t really know, but someone said it’s the same as the difference between Island and Mainland Lagos. Here’s what we do know, though: they both go really well with beans, especially on a Sunday morning.

Oats

This deserves a honorable mention. We don’t know why people enjoy this combo but our theory is that it’s one of those mediocre foods that get a lot of praise; like caviar.

ALSO READ: These 7 Foods Taste Much Better With Pepper

Sheriff Alimi

June 26, 2022

Chopist

beans, Food, food combinations
If, like me, you enjoy cooking beans, then here’s a list of life-changing hacks that will take your beans game from a 10 to 1,000 at once. These tips are tested and trusted.

1. Adding potash will speed up the cooking process.

Tested and trusted. Saves gas and kerosene and doesn’t change the taste of the beans.

2. Fresh pepper will give it a better taste than ata gungun.

Yes. Blend the right amount and add it to the beans. I hope you know that tomatoes have no business being in beans?

PS: Ata gungun is ground pepper. That powdered one you buy N20 per sachet. Don’t lie, we know you’re a regular customer.

3. Instead of using seasoning cubes, you can chop large onion bulbs in it for taste.

Now wey onions don cost, how we go take run am? I recommend returning to the seasoning cubes until onions return from war.

4. Slicing plantains inside the beans is greater than frying plantains and adding it to the beans.

This is greater.

This comes next.

Boiling plantain with the beans means that the plantain gets the seasoning and pepper the beans will get too. It means that the overall taste of the beans will improve and there’s extra sweetness. Don’t fault it if you haven’t tasted it.

I said what I said.

5. You really should be adding fish to your beans.

Here’s how I do it: I season and boil the fish before I start cooking the beans. I add the fish last after I’ve removed the bones removed and scattered the fish. I add the water from the fish too. Improves taste.

6. Liver and beans also make a great combination.

This was an experiment that went well. I bought a chunk of liver in Ibadan for N200 and decided to try it in beans. I seasoned and boiled it, and then chopped it into bits. It was like adding fried liver chops to fried rice. For the beans though, I didn’t fry the liver. I added the bits like that. It came out really well!

What’s more? I did a triple garnish combo: fish, plantain and liver. My goodness!

7. In terms of how long it takes to cook and how it turns out, Milk beans is bottom-tier.

Milk beans is the fairer version of honey (oloyin) beans. Tastes okay, but it’s really bottom tier. It takes a long time to get soft, and when it does, it just scatters in the post like a mash. Won’t recommend. I only cook it when there’s light and the electric cooker is free. Let us waste each other’s time together.

BONUS: Ugu bangs in beans.

I was actually sceptical about this until I tried it. No, I didn’t cook it; a friend’s aunt offered me a plate when I went visiting. I think the combo is an Igbo thing, because another Igbo friend confirmed that it’s a well known combination.

I’m yet to try cooking it on my own. I’ll get the recipe and try it. When I do, I’ll recommend my findings.

Here’s one other thing I get into: Ranking foods! It goes up on Zikoko’s Instagram and website every Friday by 9AM. It’s a nice opportunity to ~~dis~~agree with my food choices and agree that I’m a minister of enjoyment.

What’s The Best Thing To Eat Bread With? We Ranked Them All

[donation]

Kunle Ologunro

November 12, 2020

Chopist

beans, beans and dodo, ewa agoyin, ewa oloyin, garnishing
Whatever you do as a cook (be it professional or you cook for your own enjoyment), here are foods you shouldn’t put tomatoes in.

1. Beans.

Tomato has no business being in beans. Not now, not ever. Unless you’re making a separate stew for the beans, then that is a different case. I have heard people trying to make a case for tomatoes to be put in beans and I am going to try it first. Until then, no beans in tomatoes.

Elite cooking please!
Beans without tomatoes is just basic tbh.
But add tomatoes (tinned or fruit) and you’ll create beauty. https://t.co/N9RJWenk99
— Sharon (@SharonTWhyte) September 17, 2020

2. Egusi soup.

Tomatoes have no business in egusi soup. Really. Unless you are cooking the egusi like stew. Even then, e get as e be. Some tribes in Nigeria add it though. Something about preference.

3. Okro (Ila alasepo)

Photo: Sisi Jemimah

I admit I may have been tempted to add tomatoes to okro cooked with pepper. It didn’t bode well, and now I understand why the ancestors forbid such a union.

4. Efo riro.

Photo: My Diaspora Kitchen

This one does not need repetition. They don’t match. But at the end of the day, do what you want, because I have added tomatoes once or twice to my efo riro too. So I don’t have the right to judge you.

5. Fried rice and coconut rice.

Photo: Nigerian Lazy Chef

No, please. The answer is no. Remove tomatoes from these things. Remove them completely.

Here’s something you need to see: 8 Unbelievable Things Nigerians Actually Eat

Kunle Ologunro

September 18, 2020

Chopist

beans, coconut rice, efo riro, Egusi soup, Fried Rice, ila alasepo, okro soup
So you’re in this babe’s house and you need to use the toilet, but you’re trying to hold it in because you know once you drop whatever it is you’re holding, she’ll delete your number and block you. You know what’s coming. You really shouldn’t have eaten that beans. And something even warned you, but do you listen?

You tell yourself “everybody poops” and decide to take the bold step by asking where the toilet is. You’re not an insecure guy after all.

Now that you’re done, you flush and it doesn’t go down once. You stand awkwardly and try to flush again. No luck. Now you’re afraid. You google “what to do when you’re in a babe’s toilet, and your strong beans poop won’t go down.” This article pops up. You’re in good hands now. Relax and follow the these steps.

Flush Again

Flush again, just to be sure. It won’t go, but just to make sure.

Fetch Water and Flush

Fetch water in a bucket and pour it into the water closet. This should typically work. If it doesn’t go, that’s a bad sign. It’s time for you to take matters into your own hands. We can no longer help you.

Run Away

From the toilet, run away. You’re with your phone so every other thing you left in her room is not important. Break out of the house and run away.

Change your number

Change your number and all your social media handles. She’ll never be able to find you after this.

Avoid Her Forever

If somehow you almost cross paths again, avoid her like the plague. Make up any excuse not to bump into her again. You’ll be fine.

ODavid

August 30, 2019

Inside Life

beans, Flush, toilet
1. So your love for beans is like that of Beyonce and Jay Z

2. And you and the ewa-agoyin seller are the best padis

3. But your tummy does not mean you well

4. And even your bum-bum is in this conspiracy

5. Because everytime you eat beans, bad things happen

6. First, there’s a rumble in your tummy

7. And then there’s a tumble

8. And you know if you don’t visit a toilet immediately, all hell will break loose…

9. Literally!

10. How can something so good, be so bad?

Shola

February 24, 2017

Oldies

African food, beans, Food, love, Nigerians
1. Can your favourite meal ever look as beautiful as these akara balls?

2. Can your fried rice give life like this Okpa?

3. You can’t hate on this glorious Ewa Agoyin please.

4. This moin moin didn’t come to play.

5. Dan Wake that will make you fall in love.

6. This ekuru that deserves its own chieftancy title.

7. Can your favourite food ever make ewedu look this good? I guess not!

Maryam

September 29, 2016

Oldies

akara, beans, ewa, gbegiri, moi moi, okpa