Here is one of the commonalities of life: When we get together with family, most likely the events will include foods and drinks. Depending on the culture and/or ethnicity, the types of foods and drinks will vary. “Traditional” dishes will vary in their carbohydrate, protein, vegetable, fruit and fat contents.
Almost all of us grew up in households where certain foods and snacks were a sort of tradition. We will often carry forward these traditional behavioral pattens to our adult years and then pass these on to our children. If these cultural eating/drinking patterns are detrimental to weight control, chances are that many people in our families will struggle to control weight.
Personally, I am a huge believer in “traditions” and that is a part of life can be very fun. As we age and certain older family members around us die, there is lots of sadness that occurs as these loved ones can no longer partake in the traditional gatherings and foods that are accompaniments.
So how can we reconcile the love of our traditions vs. our quest for health/happiness via effective weight control? Perhaps one way is to establish some “new” traditions with your family members as this relates to eating when gatherings take place and/or the day-to-day in home traditions.
I would GREATLY appreciate any insights you have as to what cultural/ethnic traditions you experience that are detrimental to your weight control AND one suggestion for a solution. Sharing these with others may allow for many more people to still enjoy the traditions yet keep on the path to better health. Write us at: info@spdiet.com
