Glycemic Responses to Stiff Porridge (Ugali) Meals Consumed in Western Kenya

Abstract

Glycemic responses which have been measured in terms of glycemic indices (GIs) differ among various carbohydrate-rich foods. Despite the existence of a GI Table of most common foods, the records of the GIs of most Kenyan traditional foods still remain scanty. This study therefore evaluated the GIs of Kenya’s most popular food, ugali which is a stiff mash of maize meal, cassava, finger millet, sorghum or any combinations thereof with water. This study considered ugali prepared from whole maize and cassava-sorghum flours which were served in accompaniment with cowpea leaves or silver fish. The meals were analyzed for proximate composition by AOAC method and the amount of carbohydrates varied in the order: ugali > cassava-sorghum ugali > silver fish > cowpea leaves. GI was determined following FAO/WHO recommended methodology and results followed the order: cassava-sorghum ugali with silver fish (83) > GI whole maize ugali with silver fish = cassava-sorghum with cowpeas leaves (69) > whole maize ugali with cowpea leaves (45). The GIs of these meals were significantly different (p<0.05). Cowpea leaves seem to lower the GI of ugali which is important in planning diets for people with tendency to hyperglycemia such as diabetes mellitus patients.

Key words: glycemic index, glycemic load, stiff porridge, Western Kenya