Do you remember the delicious cultural foods from your childhood that always brought you joy? I know I do! Growing up, my parents ran an ice cream parlor in Trinidad and we always had the most amazing coconut ice cream. When we moved to Georgia, it was a bit of a culture shock for us. We would have curry for dinner and my mom would pack it for our school lunches. Let me tell you, my classmates were definitely surprised when they saw me eating cold curry and rice! But as we got older and wanted to fit in, we started to distance ourselves from these foods and opted for what everyone else was eating.
It wasn't until I was older and dealing with chronic illness that I realized the profound impact these cultural foods had on my physical and emotional well-being. And it turns out, there's actually a strong link between healthy food choices and happiness, according to a journal article in the Journal of Positive Psychology. So, I'm excited to share some of my favorite cultural foods with you, like dates, coconut, mango, and curry, and how they can support your overall health and well-being. I hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane as much as I do!
