Explore protein complementation to curb deficiency –Nutritionist

 Henry Uche

In a bid to stem the tide of protein deficiency in the country, especially in the light of the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Nigerians have been advised to complement their meals with protein food sources.
Nutritionist and chief lecturer at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos, Beatrice Oganah, said, the major cause of protein deficiency in humans is inadequate consumption of protein in meals. “In Nigeria, this is further worsened by the way the family diet is usually plated.”
Explaining further, she said: “In Nigeria, carbohydrates and other food nutrients on the plate are usually in the ratio of 5:1. For example, a typical Nigerian plate for lunch of ‘swallow’, or a rice-based dish, is 80 per cent ‘swallow’ (eba, amala, tuwo or pounded yam) to 20 per cent soup (containing vegetables, beef/fish and spices) for all ages. For younger children, the beef/fish and soup is even less than 20 per cent.”
She revealed that studies, notably the National Nutrition Health Survey 2018 and the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2019, have shown over the years, the prevalence of protein deficiency in Nigeria, especially among the vulnerable. This deficiency manifests in the form of low-birth-weight, stunting, wasting, under-weight and the burden of infectious diseases, and its complications as a result of low immunity.
The nutritionist stated that protein is present in plants (mainly legumes – cowpea, locally called beans, soybeans, groundnut, lentils, black beans kidney beans, lima beans, jack beans, green peas, almond, cashew nuts, pigeon pea, bambara (okpa), melon, sesame seed, oil bean seed, etc.) and animal food sources like meat, seafood, milk, eggs, milk, among others.
She added: “The quality of the proteins from both sources is not the same. Proteins from animal sources are higher in biological value – meaning that animal protein is superior to plant protein. Animal proteins are also more expensive than plant proteins essentially because of the cost and time of breeding and processing before it is ready for sale. Legumes, on the other hand, are grown and sold in the markets all year round in Nigeria.
“All legumes contain a significant quantity of proteins; however, soybean stands out because its amino acid content is comparable to that of animal protein, both in quality and quantity.”
Oganah suggested that one of the methods of increasing the gap between legumes production and consumption is meal complementation with legumes, particularly soybean.
She explained that the concept of complementary proteins arose from the need to blend plant protein-rich foods with other foods and consume as a meal in one sitting