ANALYZING CASSAVA MEAL (EBA) AS AN EFFECTIVE MEAL IN TACKLING UNDERWEIGHT PROBLEMS IN AFRICA

This study is an analysis on Cassava meal as one that can help reduce underweight issues which could be from underfeeding, stress, eating disorder to mention a few. Eba is garri (from Cassava) made with hot water and not just eaten in isolation but with soup having vegetable which can be local soups like Ewedu, Ogbono, Eforiro, Egusi (melon soup) and many more, all soups are available in Nigeria. Other African countries could have similar soups or other soups to swallow this cassava meal. With the rising cost of drugs and low wages for several, it is not a bad idea to improvise for drugs that could help people gain weight naturally without side effects. This research work intends to analyze the potential of this hitherto, overlooked meal as a leverage to saving such a situation of being underweight. It is a Carbohydrate under nutritional classification and thus energy giving. A means of improvising medicines which could have adverse effects with natural, earth grown energy source food. This is making it kill two birds with one stone, achieving two goals at a time, which is Garri serving as both a hunger satisfying meal and medicine for the body. 30 Males and 30 Females volunteered to undergo this experiment for 30days. The simple experiment was done by each of the participant recording their initial weights and observing their weights and recording their final weight on the last day. Eba is a nutritious meal especially when taken with vegetable soup it becomes a locally made meal that is balanced diet also, it is cost-effective meal that can help tackle underweight problems in Africa.