With more Jamaicans looking to eat healthy as part of a wellness lifestyle, holistic nutritionist and chef, Danya Smith, is providing tips to help persons make nutritious and budget-friendly food choices.

Ms. Smith, who grew up in Kingston, owns Lulu’s Apron restaurant in New York in the United States (US), which serves delectable gourmet meals made from scratch using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

As a holistic chef, she prepares meals with the whole body in mind. She focuses on whole, real, nutrient-dense foods, considering the impact of food on health, including allergies.

Ms. Smith, who was addressing the recent ‘Dying to Be Beautiful’ symposium at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus in St. Andrew, said that holistic eating is important to her because of food sensitivities.

“When I eat certain things, my skin would break out,” she pointed out.

She noted that one key benefit of healthy eating is that it reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in Jamaica.

For individuals looking to adopt a healthy diet, Ms. Smith said that meal planning is crucial and recommends that persons purchase seasonal food items from local farmers.

“A lot of the times we get caught up in trying to eat things we see on social media but we have great produce in Jamaica… that we can’t get in other parts of the world. The farmers are doing good work here and it is more affordable for us to support our local farmers,” she said.

Other tips included repurposing leftover food, batch cooking at home and comparing the prices of products to identify more affordable options to minimise cost.

She further recommended paying attention to ingredients on nutrition labels.

“Reading nutrition labels can seem overwhelming but if you understand a few key sections it can help to make healthier choices,” Ms. Smith said.

“Every nutrition label has serving size at the top, then calories, and then it goes into fat, protein, sodium, sugars,” she pointed out.

“You also want to look for fibre, vitamins and minerals like potassium and iron, especially women. A lot of us [women] end up being anaemic because we don’t get enough [iron] in our diet,” she noted.

“Fibre helps you to feel full longer. Instead of white rice, if you were to have something like quinoa or even brown rice… that would keep [you] full… longer even with a small portion,” she added.

Ms. Smith also encouraged persons to practise mindful eating by chewing slowly and with awareness, which helps to improve digestion and minimise overeating.

“Turn off the television, put down the phone… sit with your friends and eat, have a conversation. It takes you away from that mindless just eating to eat and you don’t realise when you’re full,” she said.

The fourth staging of the ‘Dying to Be Beautiful’ symposium examined the negative health behaviours that affect Caribbean people and those of Caribbean descent, in their quest to meet the ever-changing ideals of beauty.

Article by: Astha Prendergast, extracted from the Jamaica Information Service

https://jis.gov.jm/features/holistic-chef-provides-tips-for-healthy-eating-on-a-budget/