Latin food and weight loss issue
Raulytati
Posts: 2 Member
i have Cuban parents and grew up eating Latin foods. It's what I like and crave. I can't stick to a diet that is totally different from the foods I've ate all my life. Any suggestions? I mean, ppl diet in every part of the world with what they have so... Does anyone have a "Cuban" menu for weight loss? Lol HELP
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Replies
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Don't change anything about your diet - simply make sure that you are under your allotted calorie goals every night. You can make the same food you do now, just less of it!0
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As long as you know the calorie content of your Cuban food, you can still eat it. The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you eat. Doesn't necessarily matter what kind of food it is, just matters how much.0
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Just eat less of it.0
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Eat the same foods, just smaller portions. It's what I do with my Salvadorean food. It's our food, we just need to learn to use less oils, which is what makes it higher calories.
Add me if you'd like. :flowerforyou:0 -
If it's high-cal, just eat less. Assuming you're getting your vitamins and minerals, the. only problem is that you may end up hungry.
I have a bunch of Spanish-speaking neighbors from various places who cheer on my weight loss, but except for the fat one, they all insist that if I could eat uber-spicy food like they do, I'd lose more weight and lose it faster. That's the secret to being thin - eating astronomically spicy food.
The fat one, though, when this first came up, just sat there with this slightly-puzzled, "I'm biting my tongue because these people are idiots" face, looked at me and silently disagreed while gently - almost imperceptibly - shaking her head "No." Like we may be fat, but the two of us are in the Fat Club of people who know better. It was hilarious.
For the heck of it, I increased the heat in my food, but didn't lose more or faster. They say it's because I didn't increase it enough, lol. If I ate what they eat, I'd get thin really fast, lol. If I did that, though, I'd end up in the hospital. I just cannot tolerate that kind of heat. So, they have not been proven wrong.0 -
While I agree wholeheartedly with others that portion control is a great strategy to enjoy the foods you love, you can also experiment with lightening up some of the recipes. Try using half the bread, half the fat, half the sugar; twice the citrus and fresh fruit. A little experimenting, and you'll find out what flavors you REALLY crave, and which ones you can give a pass.
And mix it up girl! Love an honor your heritage, but expand your palette! There's a whole WORLD of delicious cuisines out there to love and enjoy!!!0 -
i have Cuban parents and grew up eating Latin foods. It's what I like and crave. I can't stick to a diet that is totally different from the foods I've ate all my life. Any suggestions? I mean, ppl diet in every part of the world with what they have so... Does anyone have a "Cuban" menu for weight loss? Lol HELP
Just eat the same food but with the portion sizes that fit your goal.
Pair smaller portion sizes of higher calorie items with larger quantities of lower calorie foods like vegetables/salad.
You could try making lower calorie versions of your favorite dishes.
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Food is food is food.
Remain in a calorie deficit. Do this however you see fit.
Simple.0 -
It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion0
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I'm Cuban also. There is nothing better than a cafecito and croqueta in the morning with some pan cubano. Cuban food does tend to be high calorie and as someone who loves their heritage, it made weight loss difficult. I'd say keep those meat recipes like boliche or palomilla. Do you really need a bistec empanizado? Probably not (but I do understand how good they are). With rice and beans what I have done is replace rice with cauliflower rice though if that's not your preference I'm sure there are other low cal rices you can get. With my cafe cubanos I either use splenda or a spenda and sugar blend and with my cafe con leche I use either almond milk or coconut milk.0
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Use the recipe builder function when adding your food (assuming you make your own) and add each ingredient separately, after weighing it. The recipe builder will calculate how many calories are in each serving, as long as you tell it how many servings are in each recipe, and accurately weigh each ingredient when adding them in.
Then only eat one serving at each meal.0 -
Ok, so I'm not super up-to-date with ordinary Cuban fare, but I live in an area with an enormous Puerto Rican and Dominican population and a big staple of their diet is fatty meat, rice and beans. So I would say to eat the same, but less. Measure out to portions and use the recipe builder to be more accurate. Eat the foods that are normal to you and that you love!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE (really love) rice and beans. My brother-in-law made Cuban pork with rice and black beans and seriously...ohemgee was it delicious.0 -
MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Or....you could first just try to limit portion sizes overall as suggested. I know...something so simple couldn't possibly be true. Gotta be some sinister other reason, right? (carbs BAD!!!!!).0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
Well...of course since the majority of the population has thyroid, pituitary, and diabetes issues, right?0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
These aren't common problems, and OP didn't mention either of them. She just asked for help with eating her cultural food and still losing weight.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
These aren't common problems, and OP didn't mention either of them. She just asked for help with eating her cultural food and still losing weight.
Did you not see the discussion recently about up to 50% of the population in the US having diabetes or pre-diabetes? It is a VERY common issue. Diabetes rates tend to be a bit higher in populations of Hispanic heritage.
Carb sensitivity aside, even if you are eating small portions of a typical Cuban diet, the standard macros are never going to work out correctly--the carb percentage will always be too high.
There are some challenges that just aren't going to make sense for those of you who have never cooked Latin food. It's impossible to make ONE patacon for example--plantains are a certain size, once you cut them open, they go bad quickly, once they are cooked the texture changes in an unattractive way unless you eat them quickly...they don't taste that good re-heated. You can't really make just one portion of paella...there are a million examples. Many of the typical tropical foods don't store or freeze well. You either have to get used to a lot of waste or limit eating some of the traditional things to special occasions.
A big part of the answer is to bulk up on vegetables and to use those in place of some of the grains that you are used to.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
These aren't common problems, and OP didn't mention either of them. She just asked for help with eating her cultural food and still losing weight.
Did you not see the discussion recently about up to 50% of the population in the US having diabetes or pre-diabetes? It is a VERY common issue. Diabetes rates tend to be a bit higher in populations of Hispanic heritage.
Carb sensitivity aside, even if you are eating small portions of a typical Cuban diet, the standard macros are never going to work out correctly--the carb percentage will always be too high.
There are some challenges that just aren't going to make sense for those of you who have never cooked Latin food. It's impossible to make ONE patacon for example--plantains are a certain size, once you cut them open, they go bad quickly, once they are cooked the texture changes in an unattractive way unless you eat them quickly...they don't taste that good re-heated. You can't really make just one portion of paella...there are a million examples. Many of the typical tropical foods don't store or freeze well. You either have to get used to a lot of waste or limit eating some of the traditional things to special occasions.
A big part of the answer is to bulk up on vegetables and to use those in place of some of the grains that you are used to.
See, the thing is mija, this thread isn't about you or the difficulties you're having with carbs. This thread is about being able to lose weight while still being able to eat the food she grew up with: Cuban food. She never mentioned having any medical problems, so por favor chica, stop derailing the thread. She is getting good advice here.0 -
I grew up eating Italian food, because I'm Italian. Pasta is hugely calorific. I stretch a small serving of pasta with veggies mixed in and in general, just eat smaller portions of things like olive oil (which I pretty much used to bathe my food in).
You could apply the same strategies to the cuisine you love, OP. Limit portions of the calorie dense foods that come along with the cuisine, stretch what you can with veggies, and learn to cook the dishes you love in new ways. A lot of the flavor of traditional cuisines is built around certain aromatic vegetables or herbs, and fortunately, those ingredients are not terribly high in calories. Flavorful food full of the tastes you love but made in a way that is more mindful of the calorie content helps make what you love part of a new lifestyle.0 -
Lasmartchika wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »MarziPanda95 wrote: »It's all about portion control. Have a smaller portion
Totally true, unless you happen to be sensitive to carbs. All of the fabulous things in Cuban cuisine are super high in carbs. Bread, rice, tostones/patacones, lots of delicious things sweetened and flavored with condensed milk...mmm, batidos.
I am Spanish and Argentine, so this has been a challenge for me too. I have to limit carbs, so that means white rice is out. White rice was the foundation of my diet for 35 years, so it's been a huge paradigm shift. I lived in Ecuador for many years, where a typical lunch would include a huge plate (as much as 2C) of white rice, a bunch of potatoes and perhaps a quinoa soup. They also have amazing tropical fruit and it is easy to consume was too much. Healthy stuff, but FAR more carbs than my body can handle.
My strategy at this point is to eat veggies and protein and to slowly leave behind the higher-carb staples. I eat some brown rice, but I portion it strictly. I save really special dishes (paella, noquis) as once-a-year treats. I make sure that I have lots of people to share with when I cook those things so that I don't have too many leftovers.
Since OP grew up eating it, I strongly doubt she's 'sensitive to carbs'. Eating less of what she grew up eating will help her lose weight just fine.
That doesn't make sense...
I grew up eating it too, but when my thyroid and pituitary both failed and I became pre-diabetic, something had to change.
These aren't common problems, and OP didn't mention either of them. She just asked for help with eating her cultural food and still losing weight.
Did you not see the discussion recently about up to 50% of the population in the US having diabetes or pre-diabetes? It is a VERY common issue. Diabetes rates tend to be a bit higher in populations of Hispanic heritage.
Carb sensitivity aside, even if you are eating small portions of a typical Cuban diet, the standard macros are never going to work out correctly--the carb percentage will always be too high.
There are some challenges that just aren't going to make sense for those of you who have never cooked Latin food. It's impossible to make ONE patacon for example--plantains are a certain size, once you cut them open, they go bad quickly, once they are cooked the texture changes in an unattractive way unless you eat them quickly...they don't taste that good re-heated. You can't really make just one portion of paella...there are a million examples. Many of the typical tropical foods don't store or freeze well. You either have to get used to a lot of waste or limit eating some of the traditional things to special occasions.
A big part of the answer is to bulk up on vegetables and to use those in place of some of the grains that you are used to.
See, the thing is mija, this thread isn't about you or the difficulties you're having with carbs. This thread is about being able to lose weight while still being able to eat the food she grew up with: Cuban food. She never mentioned having any medical problems, so por favor chica, stop derailing the thread. She is getting good advice here.
Yup.
Why some people constantly need to project their own medical issues onto the population as a whole is baffling.0 -
Thank you all so much!! Of all the advice the thing I heard most is cut back portions of what I'm use to eating and add more veggies and fruits. It sounds very reasonable and makes sense. Thanks again!0
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Lasmartchika wrote: »Eat the same foods, just smaller portions. It's what I do with my Salvadorean food. It's our food, we just need to learn to use less oils, which is what makes it higher calories.
Add me if you'd like. :flowerforyou:
Ya, to everything but whole pieces of meat, I've move from cast iron to T-Fal Professional non-stick and am loving how much less oil I need. I made fried plantains the other night, nom nom nom.
I've also been loving (in moderate portions) the Cuban rice & beans recipe America's Test Kitchen sent me.
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If you have problems with sticking in your cast iron, you probably don't have it seasoned well. It's never going to be Teflon, but it can be very, very non-stick. Easily omelette non-stick and more.0
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If it's high-cal, just eat less. Assuming you're getting your vitamins and minerals, the. only problem is that you may end up hungry.
I have a bunch of Spanish-speaking neighbors from various places who cheer on my weight loss, but except for the fat one, they all insist that if I could eat uber-spicy food like they do, I'd lose more weight and lose it faster. That's the secret to being thin - eating astronomically spicy food.
The fat one, though, when this first came up, just sat there with this slightly-puzzled, "I'm biting my tongue because these people are idiots" face, looked at me and silently disagreed while gently - almost imperceptibly - shaking her head "No." Like we may be fat, but the two of us are in the Fat Club of people who know better. It was hilarious.
For the heck of it, I increased the heat in my food, but didn't lose more or faster. They say it's because I didn't increase it enough, lol. If I ate what they eat, I'd get thin really fast, lol. If I did that, though, I'd end up in the hospital. I just cannot tolerate that kind of heat. So, they have not been proven wrong.
I wish that were true. I like pretty much everything spicy. Even chocolate.0 -
Thank you all so much!! Of all the advice the thing I heard most is cut back portions of what I'm use to eating and add more veggies and fruits. It sounds very reasonable and makes sense. Thanks again!
Definitely reasonable and something you can live with for the rest of your life. You are on the right track!
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