Healthy eating while on Puerto Rico (can I make it?)

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a big deal, much bigger than people who were not born here imagine. Navidad (Christmas) is when we experience the best of Puerto Rican culture. Nowhere else is Christmas celebrated like in my little island. Navidad is the time of tradition, family, aguinaldos and villancicos (Christmas songs) and parrandas (louder and funer version of Chirstmas caroling), when  friends gather late in the evening (after 10pm) and visit different houses to “surprise” and wake them up with the loud music and singing of the ‘parranderos’ (those taking part in the ‘parranda’). Traditionally these are supposed to be a surprise but most people have ‘arranged’ that they will be visited; because the custom is that when you’ve been ‘woken up’ you have to join in the parranda so it grows during the evening as more people join in! The fun can last all night, finishing at dawn!

Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico begin very early in December and do not stop on December 25th. The celebrations can continue into the middle of January if you consider the ”octavitas”. The big Christmas celebrations are; December 24 – Nochebuena; December 25 – Navidad; December 31 – Despedida de Año; and the biggest and most important of all for the children, of course, el Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day) on January 6th.

Throughout all of these celebrations there is one thing in common besides the spirit of celebration and that is FOOD.  Continue reading “Healthy eating while on Puerto Rico (can I make it?)”

‘Tis the season to be jolly and FAT?

Coming from a big tight-knit family, the holidays are always a time of gathering and celebration which means a lot of delicious home cooked meals and plenty of drinks while playing dominoes while listening to all of our Christmas time favorite songs. This is the time of year when all of our attempts at healthy eating go straight down the toilet (maybe literally.)

Starting at Thanksgiving and going all through to the new year and if you’re in Puerto Rico the celebrations often last until almost February when the “Octavitas” come to an end, it’s weeks of potential overindulgence. From “coquito” (puertorican eggnog but much much better) and pernil (pork roast), to handfuls of nuts and chips, along with fried finger foods (too many to mention all) and decadent dips, there’s a ho-ho-whole lot of fat and calories being ingested . Why would I ever start a diet a week before Thanksgiving? Self torture comes to mind. However, if I am to be serious about a true lifestyle change then I need to be OK with being in social situations and learn how to make good choices and learn moderation. After all, this is not a short term goal for me. I’ve tried pretty much every diet out there and it’s always about restricting your food intake and food choices and always feeling like you’re “missing” something. Inevitably, this feeling has led me to “fall of the bandwagon” and I end up binge eating which in turn makes me feel even worse than before.

Continue reading “‘Tis the season to be jolly and FAT?”