Runninghead: Filipina Diet

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Filipina Diet

Ivy Tech Community College

2-­‐10-­‐12

Filipina Diet

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For my person of culture I interviewed Z.R. who is originally from Manila, Philippines. Z.R. is my Mother-­‐In-­‐Law and my friend and she has lived here for over 35 years. Z.R. told me that when she first moved here she could not eat anything, she said it made her very sick and she lost a lot of weight during those first few months. Then she finally found an Asian food market and found things that she could eat. Z.R. is presently 72 years of age, height is 5 ft 1 in, she weighs 115 lbs and her weight does not fluctuate.

In the interview her 24 hour diet goes as follows;

Breakfast -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Lunch -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ Approximately ½ cup brown rice 5 oz lightly breaded pan fried cod fish Homemade salad with ingredients as follows; Organic red leaf lettuce, organic spinach, avocado, organic celery, almonds, tomatoes, onion, sprinkle of chia seeds and organic Bragg vinegar mixed with honey and sesame oil. -­‐ 2 glasses of water Old fashioned oatmeal approximately ½ cup 1 piece of 100% whole wheat toast 1 medium sized fresh orange 1 ½ glasses organic unsweetened soymilk

Filipina Diet Dinner -­‐

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Turkey sandwich using Hormel Natural Choice approximately 3 oz., 2 pieces 100%whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato, and Olive oil mayonnaise.

-­‐ -­‐ -­‐

Pineapple, approximately ¾ cup 1 cup green tea 1 glass water

Within this 24-­‐hour period Z.R. also drank about 2-­‐3 more glasses of water. She also had a snack of an organic blueberry Greek yogurt cup. She also takes a multivitamin daily; she is on no other medications. Therefore, I calculated her approximate calorie count to be 435 for breakfast; lunch was 498, dinner 299 and a 170-­‐calorie snack. This would bring her total calorie intake for this 24-­‐hour period to be approximately 1402 calories a day, well under 2,000 which is recommended.

In relation to the food pyramid Z.R.'s diet is quite adequate. According to the USDA, an

adult diet should consist of 2-­‐3 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese, 2-­‐3 servings of the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans eggs and nut group, 3-­‐5 servings of vegetables, 2-­‐4 servings of fruits, 6-­‐ 11 servings of the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group, and use sparingly fats, oils and sweets. (USDA, 2012) Z.R. met the requirements in each of these categories which are shown as follows; USDA Food Guide Pyramid Requirements

Z.R.'s Daily Portions

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2-­‐3 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese

1 ½ glasses organic unsweetened soymilk

1 organic blueberry Greek yogurt cup

2-­‐3 servings of the meat, etc group

5 oz. lightly breaded pan-­‐fried codfish

3 oz. Hormel Natural Choice Turkey

Almonds

Homemade Salad with multiple veggies

1 medium sized fresh orange

Pineapple, approximately ¾ cup

Blueberries within yogurt cup

3 pieces of 100% whole wheat toast

Approximately ½ cup brown rice

3-­‐5 servings of vegetables 2-­‐4 servings of fruits

6-­‐11 servings of the bread, rice, etc.

Oatmeal approximately ½ cup

Olive oil mayonnaise (approx. 2 tsp.)

Fats, oils and sweets (sparingly)

(Please note her oatmeal portion and rice portion would count as 2 servings each and 3 pieces of bread equals 3 servings)

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According to an article by the USDA the "adequate intake for total water was set based on the median total water intake from a survey in the United States" and was based on the idea that thirst will tell you how much fluid intake your body needs (USDA, 2012).

The data from this survey states that an average woman should consume around 2.7 Liters of fluids a day. Z.R. also meets these requirements; she consumed approximately 2.8 L of water (including the green tea) and an additional approximate 500 ml of unsweetened organic soymilk. In regards to Fats vs. Proteins a study published in the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition participants reported greater satisfaction, less hunger, and weight loss when the fat in there diet was decreased and the protein content was increased (Mikkelsen,Toubro & Astrup, 2000). I think the best part of Z.R.'s diet is the fact that it is very low in fat and is very high in protein. Z.R. says that she pretty much stays the same weight, she doesn't diet. I think that a major contributing factor would be the fact that her diet is high in protein and low in fat. She states that she doesn't over eat and that she doesn't require large portioned meals, I think the high protein diet helps her to remain feeling full. Z.R. states that she doesn’t have any cultural food rituals, however I beg to differ. Since

she is my mother-­‐in-­‐law and I am around her quite a bit, I do know that she has quite a few things that she makes that could be considered ritualistic. On certain holidays like birthdays and New Years Z.R. always makes and eats pancit, a dish made with rice noodles, small cut up vegetables like carrots, onion, cabbage, small pieces of chicken and shrimp, she also puts boiled egg on top and uses soy with lemon juice on the side. When I asked her why,

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she told me that this dish is eaten on these holidays to promote a long and healthy life. She also believes that ginger pretty much is a cure all. She has told me many times to use ginger for certain sicknesses, including morning sickness in pregnancy. She told me there is a certain dish that uses chicken, rice and ginger that is given to women with morning sickness in the Philippines. I would have to say that this dish is very effective, at least for me it was.

Z.R. is very active for 72 years of age she does all the housework and does a lot of

cooking (which she loves). She also watches my two young children who are ages 3 and 4 ½, three to four days a week, they wear me out and I am half her age! During the warmer weather she has a huge garden and spends a lot of time in it, she also walks almost every night. She tells me that she has an inversion machine that she use about 15 minutes daily. Z.R. also uses lightweights to exercise her upper extremities, since she recently had surgery on her shoulder.

I am very thankful to have my mother-­‐in-­‐law. I think that it is part of her culture to eat

well and be healthy, Polynesians are much like the Asian culture in that they are very health conscious. Because of this fact my mother-­‐in-­‐law teaches me about her food and culture. This helps me and my family to eat healthy and be healthy and I love her for it!

References Mikkelsen, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2000). Energy and protein metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Retrieved from www.ajcn.org USDA. (2012). Nutrition and your health: Dietary guideline for Americans. Retrieved from www.health.gov USDA. (2012). The food guide pyramid: A guide to daily choices. Retrieved from hhtp://www.nal.usda.gov