Our Caribbean Carb Culture

I’ve just had a couple of days off work and a holiday of sorts from my now “normal” diet. My new normal is less than a year old and largely consists of trying to eat low sugar, low carbohydrate, high protein and high fat (not for health reasons but as a consolation for giving up all the fun foods*). I’m trying to shave off excess pounds that have caused some ankle troubles and more than one doctor to wag their fingers at me in recent years.

In a nutshell, I gained an alarming amount of weight in a short span of time and just… kept it on for a good five years or so. I’ve been on and off what I thought were decent exercise and “healthy eating” regimes for years but with poor results for all the inconvenience (and money spent!).

Late last year, I finally gave in to the advice of an aunt who’s been on the Atkins train for a while now. I was honestly trying to show her that it wouldn’t work for me but failed because, well, it did.

So here we are. I eat curry just by itself – no roti, no rice (blasphemy, I know). I avoid daal (shockingly full of carbs). If I eat fruit, I eat the ones low in sugar like watermelon. Yes, fruit has all sorts of good nutrients like Vitamin C but fruit sugar, while nutritious, is still sugar. Also, I get my Vitamin C from lemons. I eat loads of vegetables and I’ve even grown to enjoy salads because I’ve eaten so many in the past 8 months. I know – I can’t believe it myself. Who am I?

I do take breaks from time to time, however. From heaping piles of rice with daal and curry to roti with butter and cheese to a nice Hilton chowmein special, Guyanese food is all carbs all the time. I’m only human. I am not immune to the lure of a hot cheese scone from Maggie’s.

Not from Hilton but still looks delicious!

Photo source: here

 

I give myself a greater carb allowance on the weekends, especially Sundays. And when I’m out of country I consider it irresponsible to not sample the local fare (we must embrace a diversity of flavours – for cosmopolitanism’s sake, of course). If we have family visiting from abroad, it’s futile to even attempt to stay on course. All returning Guyanese have a singular goal when they touch down in the homeland: to eat EVERYTHING. What’s a supportive family member to do?

I’ve recently had such a visit and, although it’s barely been five days, the carbohydrate hang over is hitting me hard on this Monday morning. Why, oh why, am I such a carb monster? Why can’t I be like that Finnish girl I went to school with who would, totally of her own volition, eat whole tomatoes like they were apples as snacks. Where do Finnish people get this idea that tomatoes are legitimate snack options from? Chips are snacks, okay. Plantain, potato, breadfruit or cassava chips are snacks. Okay, I’m not gonna pretend like I don’t also enjoy most varieties of Sunshine Snacks. I do. I grew up on them!

Must. Eat.

But you know what? Plantation diet in British Guiana was low in fat and protein and very high in carbohydrates. Both slaves and indentured labourers lived on carbohydrate heavy diets. Maybe those epigenetic markers that pass down trauma and depression from our ancestors have also passed on a penchant for cheese rolls?

Try and resist!

Photo source: Alica’s Pepperpot

In all seriousness though, while the jury is out on a possibly inherited love for macaroni pie, one thing’s certain: obesity is on the rise in the Caribbean and, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Caribbean countries would do well to encourage their populations to cut down on added sugars. Yes, we have a fast food problem, as does the rest of the Americas, but it’s not just a KFC addiction we have to worry about. Our local, home cooked meals could also do with a bit of rejigging. We need to increase our intake of vegetables and fruits – and eating them raw is a great way of getting the most nutrients – and cut down on the simple carbohydrates. We need to put less sugar in our tea (or just skip the tea if we can’t). We need to put down the soft drinks. And the beer. And maybe the rum. We need to move more.

Of course, as conventional wisdom goes, balance is key. Every now and then is alright. But for the most part, we’ve got to tighten up our socks. Or belts. Or something.

Now excuse me, it’s almost lunch time and I’ve got a salad with my name on it.

 

 

 

 

*Fun foods are pastries, all the chocolate, anything with rice, fried chicken, everything made from a potato, pasta (especially mac and cheese), bread, crackers, Big Foot etc and so on. You get the picture.

Feature photo found here along with a recipe. Aren’t you glad I linked all these recipes for you?