In a country where food is not just sustenance but culture, taste, and identity, it’s easy to overlook the nutritional red flags sitting on our plates. Ghanaian dishes are rich, spicy, and incredibly satisfying—but some of our favourites pack more calories than we realise.
Here’s an exclusive look at five popular Ghanaian foods that could contribute to excessive weight gain, especially when consumed frequently or in large portions:
- Fufu with heavy soup (especially groundnut or palm nut)
Fufu is a beloved staple made from cassava and plantain or yam, pounded into a dense, stretchy dough. When paired with thick soups like groundnut or palm nut—both of which are high in oil and calories—it becomes a caloric powerhouse.
Why it’s fattening: One large ball of fufu can exceed 300 calories. Add the fatty soup and meats, and you could hit over 1,000 calories in just one meal.
What to watch: Portion size and frequency. Consider lighter soups like light soup or reduce oil during preparation.
- Waakye with all the extras
Waakye is a hearty rice-and-beans combo that often comes with spaghetti (aka “tayas”), boiled eggs, fried plantain, gari, shito, wele, and meat.
Why it’s fattening: The carbs alone are overwhelming. The addition of fried items and oil-based sauces like shito adds excessive fat and sodium.
What to watch: Minimise fried add-ons and choose leaner proteins. Ask for less oil in your shito or try a homemade version.
- Kenkey with fried fish and shito
Kenkey is made from fermented corn dough and is often served with oily shito and fried fish. While the base (kenkey) itself isn’t the issue, the condiments are.
Why it’s fattening: Shito is usually made with a lot of oil, and the fish is often deep-fried.
What to watch: Opt for grilled fish and use shito sparingly. Incorporating more vegetables into the meal helps balance it out.
- Fried yam with chofi (turkey tail)
The perfect street-food combo—crispy fried yam served with chofi, which is essentially turkey tail deep-fried in oil.
Why it’s fattening: Chofi is one of the fattiest meats available, and frying it only adds more calories. Fried yam soaks up oil, making it calorie-dense.
What to watch: Swap fried yam for boiled yam or try grilling turkey tail to reduce fat content.
- Banku and tilapia with pepper sauce
A staple among the Ewe and Fante, banku is made from fermented cassava and corn dough and usually served with grilled tilapia and spicy pepper sauce.
Why it’s fattening: While tilapia is relatively healthy, the size matters. Banku is high in carbs, and the sauce often contains a lot of oil.
What to watch: Limit the number of banku balls and use minimal oil in your pepper mix. Choose medium-sized fish portions.
