Ugandans are slow and lazy, people say. Kenyans are quick and aggressive in business, other people say. Could diet have something to do with these stereotypes that ring true? Laurie May has an interesting theory.

Ugandans eat a lot more starchy, carbohydrate foods and fatty meats along with deep fried snacks.

Let’s have a quick look at staple meals…

Pork. Well, that’s popular in both Kenya and Uganda; however it is more heavily consumed in the latter and let’s face it, as far as meat goes it is not the best choice. More so when in Uganda there is the tendency to eat the fat, rather than just the meat itself.

Meat, fish and bean dishes in Uganda traditionally come served with irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, matoke, posho (ugali) and/or rice. If we take a quick look back at a previous healthy living article you’ll notice that all of these things appear on the “eat little of” list. A little is not the Rwenzori mountain usually served in Uganda!

In Kenya, main dishes of meat are served with green leafy vegetables like spinach and sukuma wiki and fresh green peas as well as ugali (posho) and/or rice. There is also a much higher intake of fish in Kenya, with fried tilapia and smoked fish more easily available.

Snack foods in Uganda include mandazi, which is nothing but carbohydrates, sugar and saturated fat. Surely not something that will give you energy and keep you healthy! Yet Ugandans consume mandazi almost every day.

Then there’s the faithful samosa, that deep-fried beany goodness which is salty and greasy and affordable. Yet another snack food designed to make you fat and leave you feeling sluggish and lazy.

Then there’s deep fried cassava a straight starchy and fatty snack food. Then we have the famous chapati and the mouth-watering muchomo. They are fine in moderation, however, the amount of these things Ugandans consume is surely contributing to a sluggish metabolism and therefore a slow energy output.

In Kenya the available snack food appears to be slightly better, but like all snack foods should be eaten in moderation. In Mombasa, for instance, the preferred snack is a mango or avocado smoothie readily available by the roadside. These smoothies have a low glycemic index (GI) so they are better absorbed by the body for a slow release of energy leaving you feeling fuller for longer. (Not to mention full of energy.) There is also the very yummy battered and deep-fried potato, really not good for you as it is simply high GI carbohydrates and fats!

It’s these little differences that make a difference. Kenyans appear to be consuming – both now and in their dietary history – a much higher intake of vegetables that have a low GI. This means that their energy absorbed from food processes slower giving then the energy to be awake early and have a higher output of energy. Their Ugandan brothers and sisters unfortunately have a long history of eating high GI foods giving them a quick burst of energy that doesn’t last long. The starchy and high fat foods don’t leave you feeling full and certainly don’t give you the energy to be functioning at peak performance.

But not to worry, there is nothing a little dietary adjustment can’t fix!

photo: Francesco Sassano