Hi Everyone, The New Year has dawned and is chock full of resolutions; many of these seem to centre on our intake of food and drink. Resolutions are great… well, as long as you can stick to them. However, most of us come up with lofty ideas that are not sustainable, and when we fall short of the goals we have set we start to mentally beat ourselves up for our supposed lack of self-control. Instead of resolutions, then, I’d like to suggest we make some promises to ourselves. I’ve listed four promises below that are less focused on deprivation and more about long-term attitude adjustments that can help us love ourselves and our food culture not just in the coming year, but beyond.
“Man (and woman) gah fuh live” A Bajan friend once told me that when she first visited Guyana she was amazed at how often she heard Guyanese say “man gah fuh live;” instead of getting twisted up inside over the problems that were facing Guyana at that time, each person she met seemed committed to embracing life with this simple phrase: “man gah fuh live.” I think this is a good time to remember this. Resolutions, and our success or failure at meeting the goals can make some of us a little crazy. Perhaps even more so these days when so many people have apps and bits tracking their every movement and every morsel that goes in their mouths.
But “man (and woman) gah fuh live”, so rather than setting up an unrealistic diet for 2015 let’s promise ourselves that any changes we make in our eating and imbibing habits are lifestyle changes that we adjust bit by bit over time. Not only is this approach more sustainable but is also gives us the freedom to learn about our eating habits, likes and dislikes that ultimately end up in us making the right decisions for ourselves.
“A little bit of a lot of different things” Resolutions are so often “Thou Shalt Nots”: Thou shall not eat meat, thou shall not eat carbs, thou shall not eat fat. It’s as if some food is evil, and some food is good. But wait…to make it worse, what is deemed “good” and what is deemed “evil” changes minute to minute – I’ll never forgive those folks who tried to say that my smooth creamy avocado that grows in my yard was bad for me. Luckily I didn’t listen to them. I say eat everything in moderation. You don’t have to deprive yourself of anything in order to eat well and to eat healthily.
There is value in all foods, it is often our approach, and particularly to certain foods that makes them our enemies. Let’s promise ourselves that we won’t just follow a trend blindly. You are much more likely to get all of the nutrients your body needs if you eat a wide variety of foods, in other words “a little bit of a lot of different things.”
“Love we own” You’ve heard of a staycation right? It’s when people stay home for vacation and take the time to rediscover all of the wonderful things to see and do in their own backyard. Why don’t we promise ourselves to have something like a food staycation in our own markets, kitchen gardens, and kitchens? People the world over seem to be getting back to eating what they grow and what is local and available but here in the Caribbean many of us seem to think that everything foreign is better – and not just our food.
A staycation in our own food culture can help us rediscover all that is tasty and healthy about local Caribbean fruit, veg, ground provisions, meats and fish. Let’s promise ourselves that we will take the time to learn more about the food we eat, particularly our local food. You know I try to help each week in my column, but this is a perfect opportunity to talk to ‘de ole people’ and learn about our food heritage.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get cooking.” Look, things hard. In the US and Europe they’re talking about how they are climbing out of recession, but I don’t think it has reached the Caribbean yet. Money is not easy to come by. Some of us have not had salary increases in years and yet everything has gone up in price – utilities, interest rates and especially food. We have to employ sense; we cannot spend our limited resources stocking the refrigerator, freezer, pantry and cupboard and then buy breakfast, lunch and dinner outside of the home. It is not a matter of having the time to cook but making the time to cook.
Let’s promise ourselves that for 2015 we will cook a little more, and a little more, and a little more each month so that we can save money. Making the time to cook and knowing what we are cooking will help us keep our budgets and make sure we know what we’re putting in our bodies.
So, let’s say together our promises for 2015 and beyond:
I promise to live life and not get so focused on short-term resolutions that I don’t recognize that every day I am alive is a blessing.
I promise to eat widely and a variety of foods so I can treat my body to the nutrients it deserves and my taste buds to the diversity of tastes that are available.
I promise learn more about our local foods – all kinds and varieties – and eat more locally and seasonally.
I promise to cook at home more often so that I don’t spend money twice
Happy New Year!
Cynthia
