Nutrition advice often assumes that people have options. In reality, many Nigerians do not. A colleague who works in nutrition outreach in the North-East once shared an experience that has stayed with me. She had gone to a community for an assessment and met a mother sitting outside with her children. One of the children was visibly thin, not the kind of thinness linked to poor food choices, but the kind that comes from not eating enough over time. When she asked what they had eaten that day, the woman replied, “We are waiting to see what God provides.” It was already afternoon.
The Gap Between Advice and Reality
That moment captures a problem we do not talk about enough. Conversations about nutrition in Nigeria are often directed at people who can choose what to eat. People who can walk into supermarkets, plan meals, and decide what goes on their plate. But there is another reality that sits in the background. For many Nigerians, the issue is not about making better food choices. It is about whether there will be any food at all.
The numbers reflect this reality. According to the Global Report on Food Crises, about 31.8 million Nigerians were facing acute food insecurity by the end of 2024. In that same year, an additional 6.9 million people were pushed into severe hunger, making Nigeria one of the most affected countries globally. Food prices have also risen so high. Food inflation reached 40.9 per cent in June 2024. Beans became about three times more expensive than the year before, while the price of local rice more than doubled. For families already managing limited income, these increases have reduced both the quantity and quality of food they can afford.
Impact on Vulnerable Populations
The impact is clear in the most affected regions. Around 5.4 million children and nearly 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of acute malnutrition in states such as Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara. These figures are not just data points. They represent households where meals are uncertain, and hunger is part of daily life.
Years of insecurity in the North have made the situation worse. Farming activities have been disrupted, communities have been displaced, and supply routes have become unreliable. Flooding in 2024 alone affected more than 1.2 million people and destroyed over 700,000 hectares of farmland, further limiting food availability.
Why Standard Advice Falls Short
In this context, much of the nutrition advice people receive does not match their reality. Telling a mother to include more protein in her meals when she cannot afford basic food does not solve her problem. Advising people to drink more water is equally difficult when access to clean water is inconsistent. The gap between what is recommended and what is possible is wide, and it continues to grow.
If nutrition is to make sense in Nigeria, it has to begin with access. It has to consider what food is available in local markets, what people can afford, and how conflict, climate issues, and economic pressure have shaped their choices.
A Practical Approach
The colleague I mentioned earlier did not leave that family with a meal plan. She referred them to an emergency feeding programme because that was what they needed at that moment. Any serious conversation about nutrition in Nigeria must recognise this difference. While some people need guidance on how to eat better, many others simply need access to food. Until that reality is fully acknowledged, nutrition advice will continue to miss the people who need it most.
Fiyinfoluwa Odukoya is a clinical and public health nutritionist, author, and founder of YourDietBoy. He writes The Nutrition Gap, a weekly column on practical nutrition for Nigerian life. He is also the author of Consulting with Results.
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Eating Habits
- Balance your carbohydrate intake – Eating too many high-carb staples like rice, garri, or yams without enough protein and vegetables can raise blood sugar and increase fat storage.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables daily – Fruits and vegetables supply fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants that support digestion, immunity, and reduce disease risk.
- Slow down while eating – Eating too quickly can lead to overeating because the brain needs about 20 minutes to register fullness.
- Choose home-cooked meals more often – Home cooking helps control portion size, hygiene, and nutrient quality compared to many street or restaurant foods.
- Avoid eating under stress – Stress can trigger hormonal changes like increased cortisol, which encourages fat storage and unhealthy food choices.
