What makes Jamaican food so popular?

The Jamaican National Flag 

The National Motto of Jamaican is “Out of Many, One People”, and this applies to all aspects of our culture. Our local dialect, Patois, is a mixture of words from all the people who have inhabited the island from it was first discovered to this day. This is also true of our cuisine which sees influence for the first people to inhabit the island, the Tainos, this is evident in our tradition of jerking meats. The various groups that have heavily influenced our cuisine include the Tainos, Africans, Indians, Chinese, and to a lesser extent the English and Spanish. This has resulted in a fusion of cooking methods and the consumption of foods that are seen as bizarre to visitors to the island. However, no matter how bizarre, it will be tasty. 

Controlling Serving and Portion Sizes

"Having a balanced diet does not require you to withhold the foods you enjoy from yourself, you just need to carefully plan and stick to the recommended portions and consume them appropriately.”

It was drilled into our heads, don't follow crash diets, practice portion control so many times, that I don't even stop to investigate fad diets anymore. Having a balanced diet does not require you to withhold the foods you enjoy from yourself, you just need to carefully plan and stick to the recommended portions and consume them appropriately. What does this even mean? Too much or too little of the required foods will result in an imbalance. 

While it may seem daunting to try to take control of your food portions or even to differentiate Servings from Portions, as with everything else, it just takes a little research. I have outlined below how you can go about doing so.

Healthy Snacking

"Snacks are meant to be smaller meals that help to prevent you from feeling hungry, keep your blood sugar stable, and prevent overeating. This also helps you to satisfy your caloric requirements for the day."

Snacking is having small meals in between your regular three meals per day. In Jamaica when we talk about snacks, we are actually referring to high calorie, high fat, and low nutrient foods like cheese puffs, chips, pastries, sweets, and sugary drinks. However, we all know that for the most part these foods simply fill us up with empty calories. How are we supposed to snack and consume healthy snacks? 

Reading Food Labels for Nutrition Facts

"Using pre-packaged foods is not a bad thing, because food manufacturers are legally required to list everything they add during the manufacturing process. They are also required to establish a baseline for the number of servings in one package and defining what one serving of their product is."

A huge part of meal planning usually tends to emphasize home-cooked meals, because this usually leads to an easier way to control exactly what we are consuming. However, this is not very practical for most people who purchase pre-packaged foods because it is cheaper and more convenient than fresh options. However, using pre-packaged foods is not necessarily a bad thing, because food manufacturers are legally required to list everything that is added to these foods during manufacturing. They are also required to establish a baseline for the number of servings in one package and defining what one serving of their product is.  The information is usually placed on food labels however you need to know how to interpret it for it to be useful to you.

Recipe for Jamaican Rice and Peas

"Rice and Peas is a dish that combines red kidney beans with white rice that is then cooked in a liquid full of herbs spices and seasonings along with coconut milk, this dish is very flavorful and complements any protein."

Rice and Peas. Photo courtesy of franksoupbowl.com

Rice and Peas is a dish that is a constant in the Jamaican diet that combines red kidney beans with white rice that is then cooked in a liquid full of herbs spices and seasonings along with coconut milk, this dish is very flavorful and complements any protein. While kidney beans are a source of protein there is usually not enough in a serving of rice and peas to satisfy the protein requirements to be eaten on its own, it, however, adds a little extra protein and fiber. There are variations such as adding gungo peas but those are for very special occasions like Christmas dinner, you will however find rice and red kidney peas available throughout the year. Rice and peas is a vegan dish, if not by design, by necessity, and regularly eaten by almost everybody on the island.