Author: Breanna Whittle

Editor: Emily Usprich-Couture

Graphic Designer: Emily Sheng

Publisher: Rayna Almas

 

As a Canadian born into a Jamaican family, I grew up with Jamaican culture, music, lifestyle, and most importantly (in my opinion) food. Growing up in the west meant being surrounded by western lifestyles and somehow adopting them. This includes westernised foods as well! When I searched for “healthy meals” or “healthy snacks”, I didn’t see the home-cooked traditional meals that I grew up with, which made me wonder, are Jamaican dishes healthy?

 

To answer the question in a word, yes! Jamaican meals are not only incredibly delicious, but they are also high in nutritious content. Here are just a few healthy traditional meals that can be created with local Canadian ingredients:

 

Beginning with cornmeal porridge! This type of porridge is a fairly common breakfast food that can be found virtually anywhere in Jamaica. Cornmeal, coconut milk, water, nutmeg, vanilla, and condensed milk are commonly used ingredients to create the porridge. Cornmeal porridge is vegan and gluten-free since it is made without wheat and instead by pounding dry corn into fine grains. Cornmeal is high in iron, magnesium, fibre, folate, and a variety of other vitamins and minerals. Even though it helps with your digestion, a single serving of this porridge will keep you fuller for longer!

 

Next is Jamaican style steamed cabbage. I know this looks like a regular ol’ salad, but I can assure you that Jamaican style steamed cabbage is the upgrade you need! The flavours that burst in your mouth will lead you to think you’re eating at a high-end restaurant! The ingredients include cabbage, carrot, garlic cloves, thyme, all purpose seasoning, and red peppers. A single serving will provide you with fibre, calcium, protein, and vitamins A and C!

 

Following that, let’s chat about Oxtail Stew. Oxtail is a type of meat that is extensively used in Caribbean cuisine, particularly in Jamaica. It has a beefy flavour and is so tender that it just slips off the bone, if cooked correctly. Oxtail stew is created using oxtail meat, onion, thyme, ketchup, curry powder, lima beans, and other delicious ingredients. Jamaicans recommend adding corn, carrots, and/or mushrooms to your dish if you want to add more greens. Oxtail stew is rich in fibre, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. For added nutritious benefit, serve the stew with a side of rice!

 

Then there’s Jamaican Callaloo. Similar to spinach, Jamaican Callaloo (Amaranth) is another great leafy green! This recipe is comparable to the more well-known “Collard greens”! This is another delicacy for my vegan and vegetarian friends, or for anyone who enjoys experimenting with new ways to spice up their vegetables. Jamaican Callaloo can be cooked with tomatoes, thyme, onion, garlic, and a dash of scotch bonnet pepper for intensity. Jamaican Callaloo contains a mixture of potassium, calcium, protein, and vitamin C. This meal/vegetable is typically served with fried and/or boiled dumplings, breadfruit, and ackee & saltfish.

 

I knew I had to save the best for last. Finally, Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is a personal favourite of mine! Although this dish takes 2 hours to prepare, it is well worth the wait! Stew chicken is made with chicken thighs, thyme, pepper, browning sauce, onions, and other spices. It’s typically eaten with rice and peas, which is another Jamaican staple made with rice and red kidney beans. A single serving consists of potassium, carbs, protein, vitamins A and C, and iron.

 

Indulging in traditional delicacies is vital since it helps to preserve traditions! Traditional foods allow us to reconnect with our ancestors. I believe it is important to be able to do so while maintaining a healthy diet! I encourage you to research dishes from your culture and give it a try! This article shows just one of the many ways on how we are able to bring a piece of our backgrounds and serve it on a platter.

 

 

Sources: 

https://healthfully.com/nutrition-facts-about-jamaican-foods-6702343.html 

https://thatgirlcookshealthy.com/cornmeal-porridge-with-hominy-corn/ 

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/all-woman/are-there-any_146045 

https://thatgirlcookshealthy.com/jamaican-steamed-cabbage/ 

https://www.carbmanager.com/food-detail/md:e1586f6358ebf2d212688de78deb82ae/jamaican-steamed-cabbage 

https://www.savorythoughts.com/instant-pot-braised-oxtail-stew-recipe/ 

https://yasogrill.com/why-do-we-use-oxtail-in-jamaican-cuisine/ 

https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-oxtail-stew-2/ 

https://www.carbmanager.com/food-detail/md:ab72f63233dd0007e22241724dd6348f/jamaican-oxtail-stew 

https://healthiersteps.com/recipe/jamaican-callaloo/ 

https://www.myforkinglife.com/jamaican-instant-pot-rice-and-beans/ 

https://www.myforkinglife.com/brown-stew-chicken/ 

https://www.nutritionix.com/i/nutritionix/brown-stew-chicken-1-cup/5ab3f49f9a8fdac73f2cfa91