Mami Knows Best: Maintaining Your Cultural Diet for Good Health
By Nivia Binett-Carroll

There is something special about mom’s food. It is made with love, cooked with care. It is prepared creatively, especially when food is scarce. It is done with the knowledge that her children are eating something that will help them grow into strong men and women.

Whether it is arroz con pollo, roti, ackee, rice and peas or collard greens and cornbread, we all have fantastic memories of the food our parents prepared for us. But let’s face it; some of our dietary habits need serious modification.

We must ask ourselves why we are so unhealthy now. Why do we have aches and pains, suffer from arthritis, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, gas and ulcers, just to name a few common maladies?

My mother is from the Dominican Republic. She cooked food that was part of her culture. Going out to eat was not something we did. My mother enjoyed cooking and probably could not afford restaurant food.

Not only was her cooking economical, it was delicious. I remember the first time I took my baby brother to McDonald’s. He was about 8 years old. My sister and I bought him a cheeseburger and fries. After tasting it, he responded, “I don’t like this. I’d rather eat mami’s food.”

I still remember coming home from school everyday and having a warm plate of rice and beans, chicken and salad. We would have farina in the morning before going to school, and on Saturdays it was plátanos with eggs. She would make sure we had fruit available in case we wanted to snack. Drinking soda was a treat, once a month or when we had company.

With each passing generation, we are becoming more disconnected from our traditional cultures. And when we do consume our cultural foods, often it’s the least healthy versions of them.

How often are we eating fried chicken? Is it every Sunday after church, two or three pieces at a time? How much white rice do we really need to eat in one sitting? How many times a week are we feeding our children burgers, chicken nuggets and fries? Are we cooking for our families (and popping something in the microwave from a box doesn’t count)?

The catastrophic effects of eating poorly don’t show up overnight. It takes years to develop some of the symptoms many of us are living with. About 23 percent of Americans take up to five medications a day, and 12 percent are taking 10 medications a day, to alleviate this and help with that. We are a society that lives for a quick-fix remedy.

No matter where your family is from, if you start adopting a typical American diet and forget your cultural diet, you will be in big trouble. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, among the most frequently purchased grocery items in this country are: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft processed cheese, canned soup, beer and coffee.

I suggest going back to how your grandparents and great-grandparents ate. Start by incorporating all the good stuff in their diets, like yucca, yams, plantains, collard greens and fruit. But don’t prepare them in an unhealthy way. Don’t even think about frying anything in Crisco!
 
Plan meals with your family members. Make the grocery list together. Take your children shopping and teach them how to pick out the best vegetables and fruit. Then prepare the food together. I still remember when my grandmother cooked for us. She would sit me up on the counter and let me use the pilón, a kitchen utensil used to mince spices. It is one of my fondest memories, and I still use a pilón to this day.

Today, we have all of the conveniences in the world to make our lives easier—food processors, ovens, dishwashers, all types of utensils—yet our diet is horrible. My advice to you is start wherever you are and go get a quick history lesson from your grandparents on what they ate. Our grandparents’ and parents’ diets were much more nutritious than ours. So, do yourself a favor and get your diet in tune with your culture.

Nivia’s Tips to Maintain Your Cultural Diet:
• Learn to prepare foods like your grandparents and parents did, with a new health twist if necessary.
• If possible, grow your own fruit and vegetables so you can eat fresh from your garden.
• If you are going to buy plantains, yams or yucca, don’t fry them. Boil or bake them.
• Try to implement healthy foods from other cultures to supplement your own, such as Indian, Thai, Japanese or Senegalese. They all have delicious, healthy foods to offer.

Nivia Binett-Carrol is a bilingual holistic health practitioner and occupational therapist. She is the founder and owner of Excel Wellness & Rehab in Pembroke Pines, Fla. For more information, visit www.excelwellnessnrehab.com or contact Nivia at nivia@excelwellnessnrehab.com.