No one expects a man’s kitchen to smell this good, at least not until they step inside. But right now, even as you’re reading this, imagine the aroma: onions sizzling in hot oil, bouillon melting perfectly into a bubbling pot of stew. It’s the scent of home, comfort, and confidence, proof that the meal will come out just right.
But beyond the delicious flavours, it also raises an important conversation about healthy cooking habits for men because great taste and good health can (and should) go hand in hand.
But there’s something you probably haven’t been told by a doctor yet: those small cubes. The cubes being crumbled into your pot might be the biggest threat to your health right now.
We shared something about this before. Well, this is to the men in the house, and of course their health.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
According to PHS Consult, about 28.9% of Nigerian men are walking around with high blood pressure. That’s about three out of every ten men in your office, your church, your football club. The scary part is that most don’t even know it. No symptoms, no warning signs, just silent damage happening with every meal intake.
And there’s a kicker: Nigerian men are living to just 60.4 years on average, very little about the women’s 64.2. That’s almost four extra years you’re losing, and a big part of it comes down to what you’re eating every single day.
What’s Really in That Seasoning Cube?
Pick up your bouillon cube right now and look at it. This very likely seems harmless, right? Just a small cube to make your food taste better. Of course that’s the known valid conclusion of all time.
That innocent-looking cube packs 18,000 to 22,000 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams. Your body needs about 2,000 to 2,400 milligrams for the entire day. When you drop two or three cubes into your pot of egusi or pepper soup, you’ve just consumed more sodium than your heart can handle in a week.
Your kidneys are working overtime. Your blood vessels are under constant pressure. Your heart is straining with every beat. And tomorrow, you’ll do it all over again.
But Food Has to Taste Good
Nobody’s asking you to eat bland, tasteless food. That’s not sustainable, and honestly, it’s not necessary.
Think back to the best soup you’ve ever had. Was it at a fancy restaurant? Probably not. It was likely at your grandmother’s house in the village, or that local bukka where the mama cooks with ingredients you can actually see and smell.
Before 1947, when the first bouillon cube industry first arrived in Nigeria, your grandparents were cooking meals that made people travel miles just to taste. They used ogiri that had been fermenting for weeks. They ground fresh crayfish until their arms ached. They built stocks from bones that simmered for hours.
That’s real flavour. The kind that comes from ingredients, not from a laboratory.
Your Natural Nigerian Arsenal
Your market already has everything you need to cook food that tastes incredible and actually helps your body instead of harming it.
Ogiri (or Ogili) brings that deep, fermented richness your soups are missing. It’s packed with protein and minerals, and gives your food layers of flavor no cube can match.
Iru (Dawadawa) has been the secret weapon of Nigerian cooks for generations. Fermented locust beans add complexity and depth that make your taste buds sit up and pay attention.
Crayfish – ground properly and used generously – delivers that savory punch you’re craving. This is where your umami comes from, naturally.
Homemade stock changes everything. Boil your chicken bones, fish heads, or beef bones with onions, ginger, and garlic. Freeze the stock in ice cube trays. Now you have your own “seasoning cubes” that actually nourish your body. Your freezer becomes your health insurance.
Fresh ginger, garlic, and peppers aren’t just aromatics. They’re medicine. They fight inflammation, boost your immune system, and create the foundation every Nigerian dish needs.
Your Four-Week Transition Plan
Don’t throw out all your cubes tomorrow. Your taste buds need time to adjust, and sudden changes usually lead to giving up completely.
Week One: Use two cubes instead of three. Add an extra handful of crayfish to compensate. Your food will still taste familiar, but you’ve just cut your sodium by a third.
Week Two: Drop down to one cube per pot. This is where you start introducing ogiri or iru. Add more fresh peppers and ginger. Your food begins tasting more complex, more interesting.
Week Three: Cook at least half your meals without any cubes. Make a big batch of stock – chicken, beef, fish, whatever you have. Freeze it. Use generous amounts of your traditional seasonings. Your taste buds are adapting now.
Week Four: Go completely cube-free. At this point, something amazing happens. You start tasting the actual ingredients in your food. That piece of chicken? It tastes like chicken. Your vegetables have flavor. Your soups have depth.
Track your blood pressure before you start and after four weeks. The changes might surprise you.
The Money Conversation
Yes, ogiri costs more than a few bouillon cubes. Fresh spices aren’t free. Making stock takes time and effort.
But here’s your real calculation: How much does blood pressure medication cost per month? What about regular hospital visits? What’s the price of missing your daughter’s wedding because you had a stroke at 55?
Plus, when you make your own stock from bones that cost almost nothing, when you buy whole spices in bulk, when one container of ogiri lasts three times longer than cubes, the math actually works in your favour.
Read Also: How to Season Jollof Rice Without Bouillon Cubes
Aga’s Wholesome Seasoning Starter Pack
If making everything from scratch feels overwhelming, there’s a middle ground. Aga’s Wholesome created seasonings specifically for this transition.
The Starter Pack gives you three essentials: Vegetable Stock Powder for your everyday cooking, Soupa Delish for your traditional soups, and Meat & Poultry Seasoning for proteins. They’re made with real Nigerian ingredients (crayfish, locust beans, African spices), but without the sodium levels that are slowly damaging your organs.
Seasoning Starter Pack: All-Purpose Spice Trio
Our seasoning starter pack consists of 3 seasoning powders to help you get started on your natural cooking journey.
They include:
1. Vegetable Stock Powder – all purpose seasoning
2. Soupa Delish Powder – for soups, local dishes, beans, porridge, etc
3. Meat Seasoning -to season all your proteins, omelette and also works as an all purpose seasoning
This trio will serve you for majority of your meals, and you will surely come back for more after a try.
It comes in 120g x 3 jars (1 of each spice), 200g x 3 pouches and 500g x 3 pouches. Save more when you buy more!!
Everything you need to transition smoothly without sacrificing taste.
What This Really Means for Your Life
This conversation isn’t really about seasoning cubes. It’s about your health. Your heart doesn’t negotiate. It doesn’t care that the food tasted good. It only knows stress and strain, day after day, meal after meal.
But here’s your power: unlike your genetics or your family history, your diet is completely under your control. Right now. Today. With your very next meal.
Start Right Now
Before you cook tonight, pause. Look at what you’re about to put in that pot. Then make one small change. Just one. Use less cube and more crayfish. Add ogiri instead of that third cube. Make stock this weekend and freeze it.
Small changes add up. Your body will respond. Your energy will improve. Your blood pressure will drop. Your wife will stop worrying quite so much. Your children will have you around longer.
The ingredients are waiting at your market. The choice is completely yours.
What will you cook differently tonight?