Is Haitian Food Healthy?: Why I say yes, Haitian food is healthy food.

I find that the people who struggle with this question the most are Haitians living in the US. Perhaps after moving to America, and getting caught up in America’s robust diet culture we lose sight of the significance of our cultural roots and dietary practices. Moving to a new country is already difficult and it becomes more challenging when you’re already having a hard time finding what you need in the grocery store at a reasonable price.

It becomes more challenging when you start getting confusing messages from your medical providers. Ultimately, it starts to seem like everything you knew about food is wrong. If you are internet-savvy you probably spend quite some time scrolling through social media or watching YouTube videos. Chances are you are bombarded with advertising on a multitude of topics. A lot of the advertising is directly related to fitness and weight loss programs or how to prepare “healthy” foods to promote weight loss. You might also see a lot of preparations of “healthy” foods that don’t look anything like Haitian food. After watching enough of these advertisements you may eventually click on them or start to look things up and you end up with even more advertisements targeted to your “health” interests. With so much of this exposure, it’s easy to start to believe that this is what you need to look like and this is what you need to do to be a healthy part of this society.

I have had many clients coming to me for my help on obtaining a “flat tummy” or achieving their goal of getting back to their old weight from high school or middle school. Neither of those are indicators of health. And both goals can actually be harmful to a person’s health by creating an unhealthy obsession with the numbers on the scale and forcing themselves to eat foods they don’t like.

The United States of America, a land filled with opportunity, is also a country filled with people who are constantly trying to diet and be thinner. In the Haitian culture we might find that extra weight is preferred. However, the thin ideal is pervasive in the American healthcare system. This is because thinness has inappropriately been associated with being “healthy” when that is not the case. Did you know that a thin person can have the same medical conditions that an overweight person has? When an overweight person presents with medical issues, their healthcare provider will likely start by telling them that they have to lose weight. But when a thin person presents with the same medical issues, why is the response going to be different because of what they look like?

When you think of healthy food, what foods do you think of? When I have asked my non-dietitian friends this question, they tend to collectively describe a healthy meal as quinoa, plain chicken breast, and broccoli. You might have also heard about the Eurocentric Mediterranean diet being glamorized as a healthy diet here as well. The diet culture in America is a cause for concern because it attempts to say only overweight people are unhealthy, and only certain foods are healthy when that is not the case. If you can accept this, you will have an easier time navigating your healthcare journey.

After being slammed with all these mixed messages, we fail to remember one key thing. What the influencers, some medical providers, and the rest of the advertisements are not taking into consideration is YOU. The suggestions they are making do not take the individual person into consideration. They don’t know who you are, where you’re from, what your dietary practices are, what religion you practice, what your socioeconomic status is, where you live, and what medical conditions you have. I mean, imagine taking 15-30 seconds to tell someone you don’t know to change their entire lifestyle to follow someone else’s culture and dietary practices in the supposed name of health. It is absolutely unnecessary and distressing for the people having to process this. That being said, I am boldly stating that Haitian food is healthy food. The classic Haitian diet is what I call a plant-heavy diet.

This is a concept that is not so easy to understand because it goes against every single thing we were taught. Having access to the internet means being bombarded with health information every day. Then, if you’re lucky you get the bonus of friends, family, and coworkers also giving their health and wellness input. A lot of this information may not be valid or from verified healthcare professionals but it is very enticing to listen to and try.

But why is it easier to try what the influencer tells us to do and avoid what they say to avoid? For some reason, we feel like we need these rigid guidelines to be healthy but again, that is not necessarily the case. Embarking on a wellness journey does not mean that you need to disregard your culture to live a militaristic lifestyle. The biggest problem with that is, that’s not sustainable for you. You have to go to work (some people have to work odd hours), you probably have children to raise, you probably have parents you’re taking care of, you probably have a medical condition, you probably can’t realistically spend money on the fancy things people are promoting (that usually don’t even work). All these things affect what you are able to do in the name of health so why not do it in a way that suits you? Especially if Haitian food is healthy food.

The Haitian diet is filled with fruits and vegetables. Every Haitian in the United States has a mango tree in their backyard or they know someone who supplies them with mangoes annually. We love apples, papayas, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, bananas, avocados, pineapples, eggplants, spinach, onions, carrots, cabbage, beets, okra, and lettuce. All these plants are filled with fiber and filled with antioxidants and filled with a wealth if vitamins and minerals, to prevent chronic diseases. The Haitian diet is filled with grains. We love our rice, this is true. We joke that parties are not official if there isn’t rice on the table. But we also love our pitimi, ble, and cornmeal. These are also, great sources of nutrients and fiber. The Haitian diet is filled with starchy root plants such as different kinds of potatoes, yam, yuca, malanga. Yes, they are high in carbohydrates but those very carbohydrates have given our ancestors….people, children and adults the energy to get through the days. The Haitian diet is also filled with proteins such as meats, seafood, and beans just like the famously-touted Mediterranean diet. Haitian food is healthy food.

By no means was this a comprehensive list of all the healthy foods available in the Haitian diet. My point is, we can eat foods from our culture and thrive. In our confusion, we are missing that opportunity to thrive. Our foods bring so much variety that there’s a food for every color of the rainbow and more. So, why are we quick to throw away our own foods in exchange for non-Haitian foods perceived to be healthier?

Haitian food coupled with a wide variety of cooking methods is the key to a healthy and sustainable diet for Haitian people.