Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
The nutritional importance of a foodstuff in a diet depends on the composition of the raw foodstuff, the amount that is usually consumed and the extent to which nutrients are destroyed or lost during preparation of the diet.
Most Nigerian foods have to be prepared and cooked before they can be eaten. A lot of food preparation in Nigeria involves soaking, steeping, boiling, frying and roasting; at each stage of the preparation, some of the nutrients may be discarded or destroyed, while in some cases toxic substances may be discarded (Oke, 1968)