When asked " what your favorite dish is?" 

I bet you go back in memory to a time where you just savored that favorite dish in front of you and you had no care in the world about what you were eating, how many calories it was or how bad or good it was for you. All you mainly cared about was how it tasted and how it brought such delight to all your senses.

When it comes to our favorite cultural dishes, one thing I know that stands out is the way it tastes and how delicious it is to us. I believe this is a big reason why some people have a hard time losing weight or choosing healthier options because it may not taste the same or bring them back to their favorite memories eating their favorite foods.

Believe it or not, some people are very attached to the things they eat, and it brings emotions to the surface because of that attachment. 

Have you heard of the word , Gluttony? Fun fact or not, it is also one of the sins from the Bible.

Gluttony is defined as habitual greed or excess in eating and it is one of the sins in the Bible because those who were known as glutinous, they did not have a care in the world for the needy and anyone around them, but only themselves. Now, I am not saying that if you love your favorite foods that you are gluttonous, but it brings an understanding and sheds a light to our lives; it helps us realize that we can make changes in our lives when we need to and when we want to because we do not want to be that attached to these foods. There can be difficulties in making decisions or changes in our life, but that doesn't mean we can't do it.

For our community, sometimes it sadly takes a health diagnosis or even a family/community death to wake us up to make a change. 

But change can happen now, even without a diagnosis; you can create preventative measures now to create a healthier lifestyle while eating your favorite cultural dishes.

Flavor doesn't mean a lot of oil and salt, you can find flavor in spices that are aromatic like cinnamon, cloves, thyme, cardamom, curry and cumin to name a few. There are also salt free spices that can give you all the flavor in your dishes without spiking up any blood sugars or having a lot of sodium in your diet. Sugar free and salt free are options you can use for some ingredients like " Mulah combo" ( peanut butter spinach stew ) , sugar free peanut butter, or using olive and avocado oils instead of vegetable or canola oil. Using a lot of garlic and onions in your dishes can also add much flavor and nutrients in your dishes. Nothing but the "bouillon" vegetable, chicken and beef pastes are great additions instead of the sodium filled chicken and beef bouillons, and the air fryer is an amazing alternative to frying foods without the added oil. 

Let me know what you try next !