Pinoy Traditions That Are Affecting Your Health (Part 1)
Being Filipino makes us adapt certain behaviors and habits that are native to our country. This goes for how we eat as well. But, did you know that there may be some Filipino eating habits that might be affecting your health?
- The “Bahala na” mentality
The bahala na mentality can extend to how we eat or plan our meals. Most Filipinos do not take it upon themselves to plan their meals ahead or bring baon to work or school. The result: not being fully in control of what goes inside your body. Planning ahead means knowing when you are going to eat and what you are going to eat. When you are going to eat will help regulate your body’s metabolism by ensuring your regularly “top-up” your body with food. Going long periods without food encourages your metabolism to slow down. What you are going to eat means knowing what goes into your food: from the oil and condiments used to what exact meat part you are eating. Those who choose to be fully in control are the ones who bring baon. Although it is tedious, if you believe your body and your health is worth it, then it should be worth your time and effort as well.
- The “i-e-excerxise ko na lang” excuse
Another commonly heard excuse when it comes to food consumption is “i-e-exercise ko na lang”. However, the truth remains that you cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Exercising does not give you a license to go crazy in terms of what you eat. The quality of food matters if you want to stay healthy. Just remember, being thin does not always equate to being healthy. You can be underweight or your ideal weight but have lifestyle diseases. Make sure you are eating healthy food and exercise only to complement your food intake.
- The “Kailangan ng panulak” problem
Here’s another issue with how we Filipinos eat: The incessant need to pair the meals with sugary beverages! Iced tea that tastes more like sugar water, juices that have no nutritional value, sodas that are just plain bad- these are staples in a Filipino meal. The truth is, if you want to be truly healthy you should actually avoid drinking anything while you are eating to encourage your stomach enzymes to act. If you really need to drink, then stick to water. Just try a month of no sugary drinks and see how your health will change.
Pinoy Traditions That Are Affecting Your Health (Part 2)
- The “Ayoko ng rice” lie
The no-rice diet is so popular in the Philippines that rice has gotten such a bad rap as the source of everyone’s weight gain. Avoiding rice has been equated with a desire to lose weight. However, rice may not be the culprit of the weight issues. Checking what your viand is and what else you consume is just as important as your rice consumption. Is your viand high in sodium or are the condiments used filled with MSG? Do you drink a lot of sugary drinks? These can also be the reason why your weight doesn’t go down to ideal. Lastly, just because you skip rice, it doesn’t mean you can go ahead and order dessert. I have this so many times, people skipping rice but ordering a huge slice of cake after the meal. Cake is worse than having a cup of rice.
- The “magdi-diet na lang ako ulit” cycle
Just like most countries, Filipinos are prone to yo-yo dieting putting the body through cycles of feast and famine. Putting your body through this encourages your metabolism to slow down. Instead of yo-yo dieting, committing to a long-term healthy eating plan, with properly scheduled cheats, is much better. Also, long-term dieting is also bad for the body. Bodily functions rely on certain levels of calories to properly function, if you under-calorize (which is what happens when you diet), then you deprive your body the chance to function properly. The body prioritizes, it you under-calorize, it prioritizes the food for important body functions. The first thing to go is the areas of beautification which means those who under-calorize while dieting usually end up with brittle nails, falling hair, dull skin, etc. In Tagalog, we call this “mukhang natuyo” or “mukhang ngarag”. Who would want to be called that?
- The “sabi sa tv healthy yan eh” issue
Most Filipinos are still slaves to marketing claims. If a celebrity says it’s good, it must be good, if an AD says it’s healthy, it must be truly healthy. WE must learn to read labels and figure out the truth. An example is probiotic milk drinks, a lot of people still believe that it is healthy just because it gives the tummy good bacteria. But, did you know that one tiny bottle of probiotic milk drink can have as much (or more than) 4 teaspoons of refined sugar and it only has one strain of good bacteria. In contrast, a probiotic capsule can have various live strains of good bacteria without the added refined sugar? Bottomline, it pays to know what ingredients to watch out for and it pays to read the labels when buying food products.