How to Eat Healthy at a Filipino Party

I know many many Filipinos and Filipino Americans who have Diabetes.  After one of those many diabetics told me about a class called “Managing Diabetes for the Filipino Lifestyle” that she attended at Kaiser Permanente, I just had to find out more. While searching for this class, I noticed this amusing yet informative video series on how to eat healthy at a Filipino party. Aside from the question of whether you even want to eat healthy at a Filipino party, it had some good tactics that Filipinos or any one else could use for eating out at events, particularly where there is a buffet.

The video goes over the following techniques to eat healthier:

1. Don’t starve yourself before the party
2. Scan the buffet line
3. Use the Plate Method
4. Try to get food only once
5. Take food home

You might be wondering about some of these, particularly if you haven’t spend a lot of time around Filipino.  Events are almost always buffets, and thus the advice to try and go through the food line only once.  Number 5 is a good response when the host gives you the line “Did you try ….?” and you don’t want to insult him or her by saying no.

In addition, the video has a wry sense of humor.  The lead characters’ names are a play on the occasionally wacky  first names and nicknames that Filipinos use.  It is even funnier when because they are used by middle aged people.  One line I enjoyed comes when Sweetheart (actual first name of the doctor) talks about how you should eat colorful food, but “Halo-halo doesn’t count.”  FYI – the desserts at the top don’t count either.

Check it out!   Start at the Introduction, and the video will roll through all of the parts.  Kaiser provides this video and other resources aimed at Filipino Americans here.