I wanted my family to eat more plant-based, but without losing our cultural recipes.
This is how I introduced these dishes to my skeptical family.
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Ive always had a sentimental relationship with food.
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Ive essentially been what many refer to as an on-and-offflexitarianfor years now.
These dishes meant something to our ancestors.
They meant something to our people.
We should keep it that way.
If we want to be more plant-based, lets try something else.
Lets look at other cuisines that are plant-based or lets have both!
Many would actually have meatless (but hearty) meals.
I soon learned that even my understanding of plant-based eating had to change.
For instance, yucca has so much nutrition in it.
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Malanga or yautia are also very good for you.
These are all of the vegetables that we grew up with.
You dont have to make your plate super colorful because those are not the only vegetables that we eat.
Sure they are starchy, but so are carrots.
You just have to find a balance.
This prompted the tradition to start and end the day with a heavy meal.
Here in the United States that is all an economic luxury.
There is a way to eat culturally relevant and include more of a healthful variety.
It works as thebase of most of our Dominican dishes.
Like Garcia says, Im probably not going to turn my abuela into a vegan.
But I can continue to ensure we eat healthily.
Abuela actually goes out of her way now to buy okra and make molondrones guisado (stewed okra).
Within a few weeks my dad dropped some weight, and his cholesterol went down.
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