+Fill in the Gap

Doughnuts or Crackers?

If you’re very hungry at work or school and need something to fill you up, but you can only afford snacks, would you choose Doughnuts or Cracker (biscuit)?

A study conducted at the University of Sydney, Australia said Crackers would fill you more than Doughnuts

Do you agree?

Well, you’ll need to join the next set of volunteers in constructing another Satiety Index.

The Satiety Index is a tool that assesses the capability of various foods to provide a feeling of fullness. The study compared the satiety value of different foods, and it is evident that some foods are more effective in satisfying hunger than others.

When it comes to satisfying hunger, protein is considered the most effective nutrient due to its energy density and ability to provide long-lasting fullness. Carbohydrates are also a good option. Surprisingly, fatty foods are not as filling as many people assume. 

This is good news for those trying to lose weight. High-fiber foods are also a great choice as they are filling and contain fewer calories, the study noted.

“Generally speaking, foods that rank high and satisfy your hunger for a longer period of time are foods with high protein, -water- and/or fiber content. These foods will help make you feel full, literally by filling your stomach, and with a full stomach you can more easily avoid nibbling,” the study noted.

The Satiety Index helps you choose filling, slimming foods instead of fattening ones. Eating smartly and knowing about the index can keep you on track with your diet goals. The index helps you find slimming foods that satisfy your hunger for a longer period.

“Fatty foods are surprisingly not filling, even though people expected them to be. 

“Good news for dieters”

Best news for low food budgets! 

Rent Wise

So, in other news, Nigerians living in rented apartments spend over 40% of their income on house rent, which exceeds the United Nations’ recommended range of 20-30%.

This is largely due to the high housing deficit, which has worsened by 300% from 7 million in 1991 to 28 million in 2023.

Housing ranks alongside food and transport as people’s most essential needs.

The moment your rent exceeds 25% of your income, you should start considering some smart pocket science.

While alternative housing options may not be readily available, an honest review of your personal budget can work wonders. What percentage of your income do you spend on rent, food, transport, groceries and other essential needs? What percentage do you save?

The 50/30/20 budget rule recommends spending only 50% on essential needs—which covers and not limited to rent, groceries, insurance and health care and utilities, 30% on wants and 20% on savings. 

This rule suggests that 50% of your income should adequately cater for your essential needs which include rent and other things.

For instance, getting a modern apartment on the Island is beautiful but if it strains your budget, why not consider affordable housing options in descent areas in the mainland and commit the extra funds into savings that may afford you a descent home either through mortgage or direct purchase.

Although the demand for housing and its delivery is predominantly influenced by both the public and private sectors, making smarter housing decisions personally is essential.

While we wait for the government to address the increasing housing deficit, we can focus on fixing our rent/mortgage budget.

Cooking Gas: Buy more, Spend Less

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), is used in Nigeria mostly as a cooking fuel. The unrelenting inflation in cooking gas prices further strains pockets as people spend more to refill their gas cylinder(s).

However, data has shown that, amid inflation on cooking gas, Nigerians can still save more in their pockets if they are strategic about their cooking gas purchases. 

An analysis of NBS Data shows that one can save a few thousand bucks if one fills a 12.5kg gas cylinder at once instead of buying in retail of 5kg or less, especially from vendors who keep retail stocks.

People in 26 states and the FCT, who bought 12.5kg of cooking gas at once saved between N36 and N3,741 than those who bought it in smaller retails of two 5 kg and one 2.5kg. 

Residents in Lagos save the most with N3,741 each time they fill up a 12.5kg gas cylinder instead of buying in smaller retail.

However buying in bulk seemed to cost more in the other 10 states, NBS data implies. It appears difficult to cheat the price of cooking gas in Cross River, Kogi, Ondo, Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Delta, and Edo States.The Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), said the cause of sharp increases in cooking gas prices resulted from vessel scarcity, increase prices of foreign exchange and oil.