![](\"http:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/chris_de_la_rosa_caribbean_pot_socamom.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I started eating \u2018good\u2019 Caribbean food from an early age and today it\u2019s only natural that I promote our lavish culinary culture to a craving global audience. <\/strong>Curries and stews rich in coconut milk, the unique flavours from salted pork, beef and our beloved saltfish (salted cod) and the backbone of which is (the stuff your mom would say \u201cput some meat on dem bones\u201d)<\/em> … ground provisions or \u2018food\u2019 as it\u2019s affectionately known in Jamaica.<\/p>\n I love my Caribbean food but it seems our relationship is somewhat of a one way street.<\/strong> Last Fall I was diagnosed with the early stages of type 2 diabetes. And if I honest about it, I\u2019d have to admit that I saw it coming!<\/p>\n The signs were there.. my waist-line (and chubby cheeks) were sending me messages, but like a true Caribbean \u2018man\u2019, I was invincible \u2013 Diabetes, Heart, Blood Pressure… nah, not me!<\/strong> Maybe I was caught up in the \u2018Yam\u201d hype Mr Bolt created when he destroyed the 100m field at the Olympics.<\/p>\n Like a schoolboy in the headmasters office (<\/span>principal for those too young to know what I mean<\/em>) waiting for the punishment to be handed down, I sat there as our physician went though the full list of things <\/span>which would go wrong<\/span><\/strong> if something wasn\u2019t done immediately. <\/strong>This was real, not going away and lifestyle changes had to be made. Most importantly, when, what and how much (portions.. something foreign to Caribbean people) I ate had to be addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n That was one of the few times in my life that I can recall actually being scared.<\/strong> I love life and my family too much to not be terrified!<\/p>\n My girls… (Photo Credit Chris De La Rosa)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Though I still find excuses for not exercising as I should, making smart changes to my diet is a start in the right direction. Here are 12 tips you can implement as a start…<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Changing your diet alone is not the answer to living a healthy life. Exercise, affection, family, feeling good about yourself, how you treat others and spiritual devotion, are all as important. But practicing good eating will go a long way in preventing you from being diagnosed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I started eating \u2018good\u2019 Caribbean food from an early age and today it\u2019s only natural that I promote our lavish culinary culture to a craving global audience. <\/strong>Curries and stews rich in coconut milk, the unique flavours from salted pork, beef and our beloved saltfish (salted cod) and the backbone of which is (the stuff your mom would say \u201cput some meat on dem bones\u201d)<\/em> … ground provisions or \u2018food\u2019 as it\u2019s affectionately known in Jamaica.<\/p>\n I love my Caribbean food but it seems our relationship is somewhat of a one way street.<\/strong> Last Fall I was diagnosed with the early stages of type 2 diabetes. And if I honest about it, I\u2019d have to admit that I saw it coming!<\/p>\n The signs were there.. my waist-line (and chubby cheeks) were sending me messages, but like a true Caribbean \u2018man\u2019, I was invincible \u2013 Diabetes, Heart, Blood Pressure… nah, not me!<\/strong> Maybe I was caught up in the \u2018Yam\u201d hype Mr Bolt created when he destroyed the 100m field at the Olympics.<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/chris_de_la_rosa_caribbean_pot_carnival_1_socamom.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n