Growing Up Pilipino-American

I was born in Manila, Philippines and came to United States when I was two years old. We were the basic middle-class family, growing up in Silicon Valley before it was called "Silicon Valley." From our backyard to the hills to the east, there were endless cherry orchards. Pictures of my cousins and siblings shaded by cherry trees, and picking cherries race through the mind. That was home for me, something I constantly miss now that modern technology has morphed the farm town that was into the hustle and bustle we have today.

I'm very proud of my Pilipino heritage. The people, the culture, the history of the Pilipino people and all of their accomplishments is something I'm proud to be a part of. Given all of that, because I've lived here for most of my life, I've as much an American as I am Pilipino. And for my friends and family who have grown up here, there are few common threads with respect to health.

1.) We are afflicted with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, etc. This shouldn't be a surprise, because this is true for all of America.

2.) As a people, we have a sedentary lifestyle. Again, not a surprise.

3.) As a people, we combine the worst of American Fast Food, with the oil-laden, meat centric, deep fried, white-rice heavy Pilipino cuisine. As if the Standard American Diet wasn't bad enough, go to any Pilipino party or for that matter, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and you'll see this firsthand. Our diet, as a people, is horrible.

So, why are our parents and loved ones stricken with health issues? Why do they have countless medications (another post)? Is it because we don't eat right and we don't exercise enough?

Let me give you an example of our family. At any given family party, you'll find some or all of the following:

- Lichon. A whole roasted pig, skin on.
- Lumpia. Deep fried beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and veggies in won-ton wrapper, rolled like a taquito.
- Fried chicken or fish.
- Beef stews, like caldereta or kare-kare (oxtails with peanut butter).
- BBQ'd chicken, ribs, steaks.
- Pancit - Noodles with veggies and pork or beef.
- Lots and lots of white rice.
- Sugar laden desserts, like leche-flan.

If you're lucky, you may find some fresh fruit and maybe some head lettuce with ranch dressing. Now, I love my relatives and my family and I know the effort it takes to put together a party. Heck, I've prepared for family parties myself. But, seriously, what are we doing here? And the scary thing is, this is how we eat on a daily basis. Maybe not all at once, but we'll have lots of white rice with one of the dishes I mentioned above. The percentages are all wrong here. We should eat a plant-based diet, with little or no meat or dairy, with very limited oils and sugar. And yet, we do the exact opposite. We eat tons of white rice, we deep fry, and we eat way too much meat. And I'm not even taking into account all of the junk food (chips, soda, cookies, fast food, etc.) that we as Americans, are also prone to consume. It's the worst of both worlds.

It's not easy to change, I'm finding that out firsthand even in my immediate family. My mother, bless her heart, is trying her best, but it's tough to overcome years of habit. She still wants to get those french fries, and eat rice and meat. But, I'm trying to help her understand that by changing her habits, she can reduce her dependency on her numerous medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. My sister just told me that she's lost 6 lbs. and that her blood sugar levels have lowered enough to reduce her insulin dosages. We've seen this before, we just hope she stays with it. My nephew, bless his heart, has yo-yo'd just like his Uncle, is now trying to go plant-based. He just texted me the other day, saying he felt like a "champion" instead of feeling crappy all the time, now that he went off of the auto-pilot junk food diet (cereal, salami sandwich, frozen pizza) to a plant-based diet. Finally, my little sister told me the other day that since she's gone plant-based, she hasn't had a seizure (knock on wood) since. This is pretty incredible, because she has seizures daily, or sometimes multiple times per day. She's as vibrant as I've seen in a long time. And I hope and pray that she stays with it.

So for all my Pilipino brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, lolos, lolas, and kids. Please do yourself and your loved ones a favor. Be conscious of what you're putting into your body. Find out and learn more. And if anything, take a cue from the Japanese and Koreans, who's grandparents and often great-grandparents are still alive (I'm talking all 4 grandparents!). They eat well and take care of themselves, why don't we do the same?