Healthy Eating... or Lack Thereof

One thing you find when you travel is that it’s hard to eat a healthy diet when you’re on the road, but we’re finding it even more so in PR. When we were in southern Europe, it wasn’t bad because they eat the Mediterranean diet, so wherever you go, it’s fresh fish, fruits and veggies, splashed with olive oil. I’ve notice that when you travel in the Caribbean, it’s a completely different game. The Caribbean diet is all about fried starch with absolutely no fiber whatsoever. They don’t try to fake it. Just meat, meat, and more meat, battered and fried. I have a high tolerance to unhealthy food, and even I was fed up.

In Rincon, we got some fresh fruit at the guesthouse, but eating out and getting lunch involved, you guessed it, meat. I think we’re all going to have a dietary crisis. We headed out to the rainforests on the east coast, and stopped at the beach side huts (kioskas) that serve food, and it was even worse. I have been searching for a good serving of rice and beans, and it has thus far eluded me. At the kioskas, I asked for beans and rice, and got this really greasy fried rice with a few beans thrown in for good measure. Add in some fried chicken, and you got a meal. Not quite what I expected, and afterward, I felt like I needed a shower in bad way. A commented on how she felt like all the grease was oozing out her pores, and I concur.

I even asked some people on the beach if they knew where to get some fresh fruits or vegetables, and they had no clue. The one guy lived there and said to try the gas stations. We actually found a grocery store, and a nice one, to boot. We got a bunch of fruit and cereal and bread to eat, but it is interesting how the people we have encountered eat. Not a very healthy diet, and truth be told, it shows. There are some very large people out here, and it must get brutal in the heat. I think the situation feeds on itself, you eat a crappy diet, gain weight, the heat makes you sedentary, and you gain more weight eating a crappy diet. Kind of a drag. Unfortunately, as well know, the unhealthy stuff is tasty and cheap, so I can’t see the situation changing any time soon, despite what we know about nutrition and health.

Oh well, you just have to do the best you can. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Princess Fancy Hen for the pic.