For years, wellness advice for women managing hormonal health conditions has often come with an unfamiliar shopping list: imported grains, expensive supplements and meals that bear little resemblance to what is served at home. Chef Amaka is offering a different approach, one rooted in the Nigerian market. Nigerian Afro fusion chef and wellness advocate Chiamaka Nwakalor Egemba, popularly known as Chef Amaka, has launched Diagnosed, Not Defeated, a guide and cookbook created for Nigerian and African women living with PMOS, referred to in the book as the condition formerly known as PCOS.
Released on August 8, Chef Amaka’s birthday, the book was officially launched at Africana House in Victoria Island, Lagos. It draws from her own experience of navigating a diagnosis that can leave many women feeling confused, unseen and alone. At its heart is a simple but powerful idea: the food many of us grew up eating can still have a place in a thoughtful wellness routine.
Instead of asking readers to trade familiar staples for costly, hard to find alternatives, Diagnosed, Not Defeated turns to local ingredients and everyday meals. The book includes more than 20 chef developed recipes, a seven day meal plan and practical food swaps designed around what is available in Nigerian markets.
But this is more than a cookbook. Chef Amaka also explores understanding the diagnosis, building a supportive medical team, movement, mental health and the importance of approaching wellness with compassion rather than restriction. The book has been reviewed by registered dietitians and nutritionists, and features a foreword by consultant gynaecologist Dr Abosede Lewu (MBBS, FMCOG, MPA Harvard).
“This book was born from a story many women living with PMOS can recognise: the confusion after diagnosis, the silence, the feeling that nobody understands what is happening to your body or your mind,” Chef Amaka says. “I wrote it to make them feel seen.” With Diagnosed, Not Defeated, Chef Amaka makes a compelling case for a more local, accessible and affirming conversation around women’s wellness, one plate of Ofada rice at a
time.
The book is available now in hard copy and online at Nestuge. Click the link to buy yours.