Smart eating tips for women

2026-03-29 - 00:35

In Trinidad and Tobago, food is not only our fuel source, but it’s also our culture, tradition and comfort. Different cooking methods for local cuisine can be satisfying, but there are concerns which arise because of our eating habits. Lifestyle diseases that are common among women include gestational diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, to name a few. Everyday meals can be altered to have a powerful impact on women’s health. The good news is that eating healthier does not mean giving up the foods you love. Instead, it’s about making smarter choices in how meals are prepared and balanced. Some healthy cooking methods that can be implemented to local foods to keep the balance and flavour include: 1. Stewing with roucou and cassareep rather than sugar alone. When it comes to blood sugar management, weight, and health goals overall, using local and other traditional ingredient swaps in stewing foods can make a difference in making this local dish “healthier.” 2. Baking, grilling, steaming, boiling, and air frying instead of deep frying helps to reduce the caloric and saturated fat intake from oil. These cooking methods can help to retain nutrients, textures and flavours without oil. Some ingredient swaps that can be made when preparing local dishes include: • White rice can be swapped with brown rice, or adding vegetables like carrots to make carrot rice or okra to make okra rice can help to increase the dietary fibre of the meal. Higher amounts of dietary fibre are vital for digestion, blood sugar control and feeling full longer. • Macaroni can be swapped with whole wheat macaroni or adding vegetables like sweet peppers or broccoli to the macaroni, which is a refined carbohydrate. When ingredients are refined, they are degraded and lose the dietary fibre. • Swapping beverages from caffeinated and sweetened beverages for fruit-infused water, herbal tea, coconut water, and water and eating fruits instead of drinking juices is a healthy habit that should be developed. This can help women stay hydrated while cutting back on sugar. • High saturated fat oils can be swapped with more unsaturated fat oils such as olive oil, canola oil and soybean oil. When using smaller amounts of oil instead of free-pouring, it can assist in portion control. Oil is categorised as fat and has the highest calories in all of the food groups. • Seasoning foods with local and fresh seasonings like chive, onion, bandania, garlic, thyme, and garlic allows the meals to be more flavourful without relying on heavy salt, sugar, oil, butter or fat for taste. Ultimately, healthy eating is about consistency, not perfection. For women in Trinidad and Tobago, these simple adjustments to traditional meals can support better energy, improved weight and long-term health. Actively making smarter choices daily with our local choices can build a healthier future. Candida Khan, MSc RD also known as Didi is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist She is also the CEO of Didi’s Nutrition Consultancy didisnutritionconsultancy.com