The Real Dominican Diet?

[ColoradoGirl]

[/QUOTE]One other thing. When you first come here...no only are you mentally and emotionally challenged....but also your body may experience some trying times. For one thing the temperature is most probably very different from where you came from. Your body has to adapt to that and in your excitement you may not even be aware of just how difficult the change is for your body. Tired, Hot, Depressed, Overweight...it may take a while for you to work this all out.[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with you on this one. My body freaked out the first 6 months. So did my brain! But great now!!!!!

I also wanted to mention that I do have a cheat day which is Sunday. I do not gordge myself but I allow myself a treat. Baskin Robbins, 2 empanadas, pasta with a little heavier sauce. You know... all the forbidden food!

 

[easygoin]

Eating a nutritional balanced is what most people resort to.... after-the-fact.

Way too much grease, do not steam their vegetables but cooking oil along with their fish or poultry thinking that it's healthy because of what they're eating.And then gorge themselves and go to sleep, meanwhile the body is in total chaos trying to break it down. And over the long run it will catch up to you.... percentage wise.

BTW... my father's been a diabetic for 30 years.... insulin twice a day, and he eats seven times a day small portions and he would not be around if he didn't follow that religiously. To me and to many health experts they will tell you if you follow a true diabetic program that's the best there is.

 

[nycgirl]

of course it would be cheaper! if i were to live there full-time, i'd be a vegetarian. by the way, being a vegetarian in nyc is expensive!

 

[indiana16]

It's interesting how dominicans eat a lot of fried foods, white rice, sugar etc.
however obesity is less of a problem in DR when compared to the USA. Most women in DR are size medium or small. It's not common to see obese people in DR. I haven't seen stores that carry those large 1x,3x sizes like in the USA.

 

[indiana16]

fried foods in DR consist of fried pork intestines big and small, bofe (cow lungs), longaniza, carne frita, pig ears, buche (stomach),chicharron, empanadas, kipe and the list goes on. These foods are yummy but combined with beer or coffee you'll have a killer acidity in the stomach.

 

[DRshooter]

H. Pylori

A lot of dominicans have ulcers and gastritis due to widespread H. Pylori infections.
The bacteria is transmitted thru food, usually prepared by someone infected with it.
Not everyone infected develops ulcers, but it has been proven to be the cause of most ulcers.
Once diagnosed by your gastroenterologist, you are treated with a combination of antibiotics and medications like metronidazol, ampicillin and oemeprazole.
Eating acid, sugar, or spicy food has not been proven to cause ulcers.
Widespread use of NSAID's (naproxen, ibuprofen, piroxicam, diclofenac) does cause errosive gastritis and ulcers, plus the Kidney problems (interstitial nephritis) that AZB mentioned.

DRshooter.

 

[Jon S.]

The diabetes issue goes hand in hand with the comsumption of alcohol and the excess intake of sugars and starchy foods. If people would cut back, there wouldn't be such a big problem with people's diets. They also use alot of Goya, BalDom, Maggi and Knorr seasonings. All full of salts and MSG. I cut those off from my diet and strictly use Mrs. Dash.

My mother had the maid cook our daily meals on my last vacation, which is not the norm in my parent's house and I noticed how she's cut all the salts and extra crap out of the meals. She doesn't use the sugar when they would cook chicken, the beef is normally from an Italian butcher so it's of a higher quality, the use of cooking oil went down drastically and she is almost a vegetarian. She almost stopped consuming fish as well but she loves her fish and steamed vegetables. Speaking of, that sounds pretty yummy right about now, some steamed veggies and grilled chicken. Hmmm :lick: My mom hasn't had any problems with her stomach in years, ever since she started that regimen of low fat/sugar/salt-free foods. The sazon is made fresh almost every day or at least every other day. It's all about a balance, like Chiri mentioned.

 

[ColoradoGirl]

The diabetes issue goes hand in hand with the comsumption of alcohol and the excess intake of sugars and starchy foods. If people would cut back, there wouldn't be such a big problem with people's diets. They also use alot of Goya, BalDom, Maggi and Knorr seasonings. All full of salts and MSG. I cut those off from my diet and strictly use Mrs. Dash.

My mother had the maid cook our daily meals on my last vacation, which is not the norm in my parent's house and I noticed how she's cut all the salts and extra crap out of the meals. She doesn't use the sugar when they would cook chicken, the beef is normally from an Italian butcher so it's of a higher quality, the use of cooking oil went down drastically and she is almost a vegetarian. She almost stopped consuming fish as well but she loves her fish and steamed vegetables. Speaking of, that sounds pretty yummy right about now, some steamed veggies and grilled chicken. Hmmm :lick: My mom hasn't had any problems with her stomach in years, ever since she started that regimen of low fat/sugar/salt-free foods. The sazon is made fresh almost every day or at least every other day. It's all about a balance, like Chiri mentioned.

How does the maid make the sazon daily? What are the ingredients. I am thnking of having my maid do that!

 

[Snuffy]

DRShooter...you know this throws a wrench in my entire theory. Thanks that is very good information and something I was not aware of. From what I read about it, it is difficult to contain or control this bacteria in a social eating environment like you find here.

 

[Dragonfly32837]

How does the maid make the sazon daily? What are the ingredients. I am thnking of having my maid do that!

She should know... I don't know the exact ingredients myself but I know that it involves different verduras including cilantro.... I love the smell of cilantro....

 

[dcareamama]

i've always said- instead of kidney beans- soybeans- and whole rice instead of white- this country would be a whole different place.

Actually, there is absolutely nothing wrong with kidney beans. They are a great source of iron and even more importantly, folate or folic acid, which is essential for women of childbearing age. In a nutshell, they are a great legume!

Soybeans are fantastic, but they just are not part of the Dominican diet. How would someone cook soybeans guisadas is a mystery to me. I do think that adding edamame to salads and other vegetables is a good idea, specially if you are a vegetarian or do vegetarian meals sometimes.

White rice is not that evil either, although I do agree with you that brown rice is much better for you, if you are going to consume it. But, I think about just how much white rice is part of the human diet. Think about Asia alone. So, I am leaning to believe that the culprit lies more in the preparation methods and everything else Dominicans consume -excess oils, fried foods, refined sugars and processed ingredients. Since when do we need to add a cubito (chicken bouillon cubes) to make habichuelas guisadas (stewed red beans), for example?

 

[dcareamama]

I have seen that, in the RD, as in many "developing" countries, folks often think that processed foods are better, as they are newer.

Case in point: the use of formula for babies, ugh.

Yep, but what they do not know is that formula feeding increases the risk of children developing type I diabetes later in life.

I feel awful for all the processed junk babies in the DR consume so early in life. The reality is that Dominican mothers tend to introduce solid foods way, way too early (cremita de habichuela at 3 months, please). I don't have so much an issue with commercial baby cereals (as long as they are introduced at their appropriate time), but to me, the compotas (jar baby foods) are not really a necessity. Again, people down there think that if it comes from a jar, it must be better for the baby, so not true.

 

[trina]

DRShooter...you know this throws a wrench in my entire theory. Thanks that is very good information and something I was not aware of. From what I read about it, it is difficult to contain or control this bacteria in a social eating environment like you find here.

I used to make my own sazon, and when I was taught, they told me to throw any green vegetable (ok, no lettuce) in the fridge into the blender. Cilantro, celery, green onion stems, green pepper. Add onion whites and garlic, and a touch of apple cider vinegar. Throw it in a blender, and voila! It lasts a long time, due to the vinegar.

 

[amanacer]

one of the new things on the food market is virgin coconut oil, apparently it has some great special qualities that other oils don't have and is very healthy, also very pricey in Europe.
does anyone use it in DR? I know it is widely used for cosmetic purposes but how about cooking?
it could be new "organic cacao" kind of idea... i am talking business!