Following Second Nature the North African way

Welcome to the Second Nature guide for North Africa. In this guide, you’ll find tips and support for eating a healthy, balanced North African diet, including food suggestions from Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, and Sudan.

North Africa is majority Muslim (99 %), so our Following Second Nature as a Muslim guide may also be useful.

Typically, the main family meal of the week follows Friday prayers (Salat al-Jumu'ah).

In addition to the day-to-day foods and Friday celebrations, Muslims around the world fast during the holy month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (which commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael).

We have specific guides on Ramadan, including Iftar recipes and a guide to Eid, to support this.

Here are some of the main ingredients used across North Africa that you may want to incorporate into your Second Nature meal plan:

Protein

Meat-based:

Vegetarian/vegan:

Carbohydrates

Fats

Vegetables

Fruits

Seasonings

To help you understand how to balance your plate with the above ingredients, we’ve created a North African Healthy Balanced Plate model for you:

Many traditional meals listed below are packed with flavour and nutrients and can be slightly adjusted to be Second Nature friendly.

Traditional meals vary from country to country. Here are some Second Nature-friendly options from each of the countries in North Africa, with our suggestions for how to make the meals more balanced:

Algeria

Algerian couscous: sometimes called kusksi, kseksu, or seksu, this is a spicy Algerian chicken or mutton stew with root vegetables and ras el hanout spices, served over fluffy couscous. To balance this dish, add extra vegetables when cooking.

Chakhchoukha or chekhechoukha: a traditional Algerian dish made from torn or rolled pieces of cooked semolina dough that are served in a tomato-based sauce. Add a protein option and a side of vegetables to this dish to make it more rounded.

Mhadjeb: a fine crepe-like semolina-based flatbread, typically stuffed with a mixture of onion, garlic, tomato, peppers and spices. Serve with a side of protein and some additional vegetables.

Chorba frik: a traditional soup made with lamb or beef, vegetables, and a unique ingredient called frik. Frik is a type of wheat that has been harvested while still green and then roasted and rubbed to remove the outer husk. Consider the balance of ingredients when preparing this dish.

Méchoui or Meshwi: a whole sheep or lamb spit-roasted on a barbecue. Serve as part of a healthy, balanced plate with a source of complex carbohydrates and plenty of vegetables.

Algerian carrots: are flavoured with a spice mix of cinnamon, cumin, garlic, and bay leaf, then finished with lemon juice.

Dolma: refers to a family of stuffed grape leaves with vegetables cooked in stock.

Top tip: Opt to use just one or two carbohydrate sources to make up 25% of the meal, loading up on options like dolma, carrots, root vegetables, and salad to bulk out your plate.

Egypt

Mulukhiyah: This is a mallow leaf soup, typically eaten with meat.

Mahshi: These are baked vegetables stuffed with rice and herbs.

Besarah: Using green vegetables, besarah is a soup that contains parsley, dill, leek, ground beans, spices, and green pepper to give it a vibrant green colour.

Alexandrian Kebdah: This is a spicy sausage and liver dish. Serve with a choice of carbohydrates and vegetables for a balanced plate to keep you full.

Sayadiyah Fish: This dish consists of white fish cooked with yellow rice. Serve this with vegetables for a healthy, balanced plate.

Top tip: Make sure to include a side dish of soup with every meal as a way of getting extra vegetables into your diet.

Libya

Bsisa: This is a dish of roasted cereals and spices, which could be a great accompaniment to a protein and vegetable-rich meal.

Salata Mashwiya: This spicy dish consists of salad garnished with olives and hard-boiled eggs.

Ruz Hoot Bil Kusbur: This dish cooks rice in a stock made from fish heads, coriander seeds, onions, tomatoes, celery, and various spices. Consider the balance of your plate, making sure that a side of vegetables is served with it.

Couscous Bil Bosla: This dish combines couscous, chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, and lamb or beef with chilli peppers and various spices. Try to balance this meal by considering the balance of carbohydrates to protein and adding additional vegetables.

Tajin Mahshi: This is a flavoured stew of different vegetables filled with a combination of minced meat, onions, rice, and spices. Using all food groups, this is a well-balanced meal to keep you energised and satisfied.

Hasa Adas: This is a vegetable soup, typically consisting of lentils, onions, tomatoes and carrots and flavoured with garlic and cumin. The soup is often poured over toasted Arabic bread with meat and is then known as Fattat Adas.

Top tip: Use wholegrain cereals and grains for more fibre to keep you fuller for longer.

Morocco

Tagine: This is a stew made by cooking meat, fish, or chicken with vegetables, spices, and sometimes nuts, plums, or apricots in a clay pot. Tagine can be slow-cooked, and the clay pot's cover distributes heat evenly to cook the ingredients.

Tanjia: This is a staple dish of Marrakech, traditionally made with lamb or veal in a terracotta jar. Consider how you might incorporate a variety of vegetables into this dish.

Zaalouk: This is a smoky aubergine dip with garlic, paprika, cumin and chilli powder.

Chermoula: This is a popular North African marinade that pairs particularly well with mackerel or flaky white fish, such as cod, Serve chermoula fish with 25 % of the plate from rice or couscous, and a range of vegetables, for a healthy balanced meal.

Rfissa: Rfissa is a dish made from torn flatbread, lentils, fenugreek, and poultry, is popular in Morocco and often prepared for special occasions. See our section on occasional foods to learn how to enjoy certain dishes more healthily.

Top tip: Add more protein and vegetables to your Tagine or Tanjia, and keep your couscous to 25 % of your plate

Sudan

Mullah: This is a hearty stew made with meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices, often served with bread or rice. Make sure you add lots of vegetables to this stew for a more balanced meal.

Dama be potaatas: This is a traditional stew usually made with a combination of beef, potatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, tomatoes, oil, bell peppers, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Consider the protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, and add additional vegetables.

Kamounia: This traditional dish is part of Tunisian, Egyptian, and Sudanese cuisine. It’s a stew usually made with beef or liver, but you can also use any protein source or meat alternative that you prefer.

Gorraasa be dama: This is a traditional Sudanese beef stew served with flatbread. Add some grilled vegetables or chopped salad on top to create a more fibrous meal.

Baleela: This range of stewed bean dishes varies by region. Consider how you might balance a plate, using the bean dish as either your 25 % protein serving, your 25 % carbohydrate serving, or both, and balance the plate with lots of vegetables.

Khoodra mafrooka: This meat dish is usually made with either chicken or beef, along with garlic, greens such as spinach, soda bicarbonate, salt, and pepper. Consider how to balance your plate with additional vegetables and some carbohydrate.

Shaiyah: This is a classic dish of marinated lamb or beef grilled over charcoal.

Top tip: Lay out the ingredients of your stew in the shape of the plate ahead of time and compare it to the healthy, balanced plate model to identify what is missing and what is in excess, then adjust the balance accordingly.

Tunisia

Harira: This is a soup made up of roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil. To make this more filling, add a protein source to the soup such as shredded meat, boiled eggs, cheese, lentils, seeds, or yoghurt.

Mechouia Salad: This is a grilled vegetable salad that includes charred bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and chilli peppers for a kick!

Fricassee: This is a stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter then served in a creamy sauce. Be sure to add a variety of side vegetables and some carbohydrates to this decadent dish.

Kafteji: This is a well-balanced vegetarian meal option consisting of finely chopped vegetables, fried eggs, aubergines, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions.

Ummak huriyya salad: This dish is made up of carrots, onions, garlic, salt, spices, harissa, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, olives and eggs.

Top tip: Add some Harira soup or a mechouia salad before your meal or as a side dish to get additional nutrients from vegetables.

We have some Second Nature recipes that you may want to consider adapting, based on your country of origin:

Occasional foods

While the above dishes fit well into the Second Nature guidance, many sweet foods are loved as part of cultural celebrations. These are fine to include occasionally if we’re eating a diet based on whole foods the majority of the time.

Family gatherings

If you feel that you struggle to manage your food intake at family occasions, here are some guides to support you:

Dealing with family feeders

Navigating cultural events

Mindfully eating desserts and sweet foods

Whether enjoying some Tunisian baklava or Egyptian Mahalabiya, planning in these sweet foods to your meal plan allows you to enjoy them in moderation.

Consider the size of your serving and ensure you allow yourself enough time and space to truly enjoy your dessert or sweet snack choice. This can be done by eating slowly, allowing the food to sit in your mouth, and savouring the flavours.

Once you have finished, you can get back to your ‘everyday’ way of eating without any guilt or inner criticism.

Please message your health coach if you have any questions about anything in this guide.