Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits

¡Hola, Guapa!, ¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, Spanish

Latina y Saludable

November 25, 2019December 28, 2023 shared

En De Las Mías nuestra filosofía es una de orgullo por nuestra comida, nuestra cultura y nuestros cuerpos. Esta es la manera que nos empoderamos para vivir una vida más saludable. No rechazamos nuestras costumbres ni nuestra manera de ser. Nos aceptamos tal y como somos – todo el paquete – y así seguimos buscando el camino a la buena salud.

Los hábitos son los pilares de la vida y por eso en De Las Mías nos enfocamos en construir hábitos saludables.

Qué la vida saludable sea nuestra costumbre

Qué bonito fuera si pudiéramos vivir nuestras vidas en una manera saludable, como de costumbre. Nuestro camino no se trata de ir al país de los skinny jeans. Se trata de hacer cambios saludables poquito por poquito, siempre con la confianza que vamos a un destino sano y saludable.

Ya basta con las dietas

De Las Mías no es un Club de Dieta, porqué las dietas no funcionan.

Aunque no seamos un Club de Dieta, buscamos una solución sana y moderada al sobrepeso. Somos latinas, y nos queremos sentir guapas y atractivas, pero también sanas y fuertes.

Deja de ponerte en dieta

El dilema del sobre peso tiene solución. Pero repito que ponerte “en dieta” no es la solución. Sé que no me crees así que sigue leyendo…

“¿Tomarías un medicamento que ha fracasado el 95 por ciento del tiempo? Esa es la tasa de fracaso de la mayoría de las dietas tradicionales”. Eso es lo que Rebecca Scritchfield, una dietista licenciada, y autora de “Body Kindness” declara en su libro.

Imagínate, ¡Mujer! Gastamos miles de millones de dólares al año en dietas que no funcionan.

Buscamos la forma mágica de bajar de peso, la dieta mágica…Pero la dieta mágica no existe.

Lo que sí existe es una manera moderada y positiva de llegar a nuestros metas de vivir una vida saludable.

Aquí va: Primero, deja la dieta. Segundo, agrégale el amor propio y el hecho de aceptarte tal y como eres. Tercero, comienza a tomar pequeños pasos saludables y que se te conviertan and hábitos saludables. Y así formando los buenos hábitos vas a llegar a tu destino de la buena salud. Paso por paso te vas a sentir mejor y vas a lucir mejor. Con el tiempo si sigues tu camino vas a llegar a un peso natural para ti.

Esta técnica te ayudará a construir los hábitos sanos y saludables que te van a durar toda la vida. Si tu dominas estos buenos hábitos poco a poco, vas a sentirte cómo una Super Mujer – Super Poderosa.

Nuestros hábitos y nuestra identidad

Otro concepto que estuve estudiando es de James Clear, autor de “Atomic Habits.” El conecta los hábitos con la identidad personal. Clear declara que para cambiar hábitos, necesitas “integrar” el nuevo comportamiento como si fuera parte de ti. Tiene que formar parte de tu identidad, de lo que eres y de cómo te expresas.

Me acordé de algo que me pasó hace muchos años, cuando mi profesora de escritura, Miriam Sagan, me dio un buen consejo sobre ser escritora.

Quería yo lanzarme como escritora de cuentos y le dije que me preocupaba que nunca me convertiría en escritora porque nunca me iban a publicar mis cuentos. Y me contestó, “Cariño, una escritora no es alguien que se publica. Una escritora es alguien que escribe”.

Al principio, no lo entendí. “No estoy segura de lo que quieres decir”, le dije.

Ella dijo: “La manera de convertirte en una escritora es hacer lo que hace una escritora. Si quieres ser escritora, escribe”.

Desde ese entonces me llamo Escritora. Y sí, se han publicado bastante mis cuentos, pero publicar no me convirtió en escritora. Escribir me convirtió en escritora. Primero tuve que ser dueña de mi identidad como escritora y luego hacer lo que hace una escritora.

Mi hija es otro buen ejemplo. Sada es bailarina. Su identidad está envuelta en ser bailarina. Ella baila. Cuando no baila, no se siente como sí misma. Y eso es porque ella no está haciendo lo que hace una bailarina: bailar.

La ciclista monta su bici. La cocinera cocina. La escritora escribe. ¿Entiendes el rollo?

Ahora, hablemos de nuestra identidad como latinas. ¿Qué haces como latina que te hace latina? Piénsalo. Estoy segura de que puedes darnos ejemplos. ¿Cómo te latinas?

¿Eres Mujer Saludable?

Yo me identifico como Mujer Saludable. Es parte de lo que soy y de lo que hago. ¿Estoy en el “peso ideal” de acuerdo con las cartas de IMC? No. ¿Como donuts? Sí. De vez en cuando. Con un cafecito por favor.

Aunque me coma unas cuantas donuts de vez en cuando, yo me sigo identificando cómo una Mujer Saludable. Y eso es por lo que hago todos los días. Todos los días, como frutas y verduras. Salgo a pasear en mi bici. Doy mis buenas caminatas. Duermo bien. Bebo mis 6 vasos de agua a diario. Esos hábitos son parte de lo que me hacen sentir como Mujer Saludable. Ser saludable es parte de mi identidad. ¿Lo hago todo el tiempo? No. Pero puedo decirte que estos son mis hábitos diarios, mis costumbres. Estos son los hábitos que me convierten en dueña de mi identidad como Mujer Saludable.

Una palabra de precaución sobre las etiquetas y la identidad: Hay tanta investigación que declaran los problemas de salud que los latinos enfrentamos. Estos problemas de salud son reales, pero no son, ni deben ser, parte de nuestra identidad. Por ejemplo, tener diabetes no te convierte en “Una Diabética” – tienes diabetes, eres una persona con diabetes pero tú, querida, no eres Una Diabética.

Declara que quieres identificarte cómo Mujer Saludable. Haz lo que hace una Mujer Saludable. Hazte dueña de esta identidad. (Y no dejes que nadie te dé una identidad que no quieras.)

¿Qué te hace sentirte cómo Mujer Saludable?

¡Dime! ¡Ahora, hazlo!

Comienza hoy y sigue poco a poco.

¡Paso por paso se llega a lejos!

References:

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Book by James Clear

October 2018

Penguin Random House

Body Kindness: Transform Your Health from the Inside Out–and Never Say Diet Again

Book by Rebecca Scritchfield

December 2016

Workman Publishing

¡Hola, Guapa!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, Healthy Body, Healthy Comadres, Spanish

¡Cuídate, Mujer! Self-Care and the Modern Latina

October 18, 2019December 6, 2022 shared

How many times do you say “¡Cuídate, Mujer!” to your amigas and comadres?

How many times do you hear them say it to you? I hear it a lot. My comadre, Liz, almost always ends our phone calls with, “¡Cuídate, Mujer!”

The Age of Self-Care

Everyone is talking about Self-Care right now. And that’s a good thing, Comadres.

How are you doing when it comes to self-care? Latinas are famosas for putting everyone else first. We put ourselves last. Siempre estamos cuidando a somebody else.

At De Las Mías, we are all about inspiring you to take good care of you.

In the days of our mothers and grandmothers, when you heard some Chismosa say “ La Fulana se cuida muy bien,” it meant she had her hair and nails done. “Se cuida bien,” meant she took care of her looks and wore a girdle. Maybe she went out and bought herself new shoes or an outfit.

For us, self-care means much more than a mani-pedi. It means genuinely taking care of your mind, body, and soul.

Physical Activity & Taking Care of Your Body

What I’m talking about today, though, is for you to think about self-care in the context of taking care of your body.

Right now, take a moment and ask yourself, “How do I take care of my body?”

Make a list.

Does moving your body get on that list?

If you are like most Latinas, even if you know that moving that cuerpazo of yours is key to self-care, you probably don’t do it. No tienes tiempo, ni ganas. But because we want you healthy and poderosa, we want you to stop and think about taking care of your body as a vitally important part of being a healthy Super Mujer!

Here are some research-based facts to consider:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 get 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. That’s about 30 minutes a day for 5 days.
Only 23% of all American adults meet these guidelines.
By some estimates, only 9% of Latinas meet these guidelines.
Almost half of Latinas in the U.S. report never engaging in any leisure time physical activity.

Here’s the good news: Research shows that Latinas who know others who exercise are much more likely to exercise themselves. ¡Así que dale gas, Mujer! And start hanging out with those ladies who go for walks, or Zumba, or to the gym, or dance in front of the mirror when no one is watching!

Move for 30 Minutes a Day

If you are using our Healthy Lifestyle Checklist, you will see that “Move for 30 minutes” is right there on the list for you to check off every day.

Move for 30 minutes a day. It is one of the healthiest habits you can practice. And it doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some simple ideas:

Break it up in 10-minute chunks. My comadre Mary with diabetes goes for 10 minutes after each meal. This helps lower her blood sugar and makes her feel great.
Go for two 15-minute walks, like I do with my dog. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. Remember, it doesn’t have to be all at once.
Call your comadre and go for a walk n’ talk! Come on, you know you want to. Walking and talking with your comadre is good for the body and the soul!
Find a physical activity that gives you joy and do it for 30 minutes every day!
Anímate and go to Zumba! Dancing to Latin tunes is so much fun! I haven’t made it the full hour yet, but so what? I feel great when I go and the music is great!
Get a bike! Go for a bike ride. It’s the closest thing to flying!
Take a yoga class. It doesn’t have to be from a fancy studio. Check out the local YMCA or rec center. There are lots of on-line resources for yoga too. Try one!
Dance to the music in your own living room. Dance with your kids!
Clean the house! Do it for 15 minutes at a time. Mopping is good exercise and so is vacuuming.
If you sit in front of a compu all day, get up every hour and walk for 5 minutes.
Take the steps instead of the elevator. Park your car further away from the store so you can add a few steps.

The Benefits of Physical Activity

Research proves that the benefits of physical activity are great:

Prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke (the three leading health-related causes of death)
Help manage your weight
Make your muscles stronger
Improves your mood
Promote strong bones, muscles, and joints
Condition heart and lungs
Build overall strength and endurance
Improve sleep
Lower your chances of depression
Get more energy
Build your self-esteem
Relieve your stress
Increase your chances of living longer

Sources: Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, English, Healthy Body, Healthy Mexican Food

Healthy Habits & Self-Monitoring: A Powerful Tool for Change

October 10, 2019September 14, 2022 shared

Whether you’re trying to get to a healthier weight or just eat healthier, one of the most powerful tools you can use is self-monitoring. Self-monitoring is simply paying attention to what you’re doing and keeping track of it. You can use self-monitoring to improve your eating habits, track your physical activity, become more aware of your moods – you can even track how you’re spending your money. Self-monitoring gives you power.

At De Las Mías we like to say, ¡Saber es poder! Knowledge is power.

If you are trying to make healthy changes, self-monitoring puts you in the driver’s seat.

The De Las Mías app offers you two great self-monitoring tools:

The Healthy Habits Checklist
Activity Tracker

The Healthy Habits Checklist

Find this quick and easy-to-use tool on the De Las Mías app! It’s there to remind you of the healthy habits you need to lead a healthier life. Use it daily to keep up with your healthy lifestyle goals. The checklist will help you stay on track: Eat more veggies! Drink more water! Call your comadre! Cut down on sugar! When you use the checklist you build healthy habits.

Do it for 3 days straight. See what happens. Then do it for 5. Then do it again until it sticks.

The Healthy Habits Checklist is a great self-monitoring tool. The healthy habits on the checklist are proven to improve your health. Get into the habit of using the checklist every day. And then one day, ¡Boinas! You are in the habit of being healthy.

Start doing it today. ¡Te va encantar! ¡You’re gonna love it!

The checklist includes all the important healthy habit goals you need to lead a healthier life, but there are 3 we would like you to start with:

Eat more vegetables
Eat more fruit
Get more exercise

First, let’s talk about healthy habits and how to eat more fruits and veggies. Next, we’ll talk about how to build a healthy habit of moving your body every day.

Let’s Get Started with the Veggie Habit!

The very first 2 healthy habits we want you to build is to eat your fruits and veggies. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), only one in 10 adults in the U.S. get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Eating your daily fruits and veggies can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

To jump start your healthy habit of eating more fruits and veggies, our certified nutritionist, la mera Malena Perdomo, came up with daily menus you can try from our recipes. If you choose your meals from the many delicious De Las Mías recipes, you’ll be well on your way to building healthy habits and becoming a Healthy Habit Super Mujer!

At De Las Mías, we are taking a page from the latest research that shows that you don’t have to count every calorie to get to a healthier weight. You can get to a healthier weight by building healthy habits over time. This is a more balanced way of living and one that you can keep up over your whole life. We’re not losing 30 pounds by Christmas here, Comadre. We’re working on a healthy lifestyle you can keep up ¡Por Vida! (And no, you don’t have to give up tamales.)

So Malena, our nutritionist, works with hundreds of women all over the country in her own practice as well as helping De Las Mías. She tells us, “Many of the women I work with want a simple approach to eating healthier. I help them by giving them a menu to follow for the week.”

Tres Días of De Las Mías: Three-Day Meal Plan

So her is a 3-day De Las Mías plan that she prepared for you. All of these recipes can be found on the De Las Mías app or website. We call it, Tres Días of De Las Mías!

Here’s how it works:

Review the recipes , check your pantry for ingredients you may already have, and go shopping for the rest.
Try the plan for 3 days and start checking off those healthy habits.
Let us know how it goes.

Remember this: De Las Mías is evidence-based! That means that all our Mexican, Southwestern and New Mexican recipes align with the highest standards set by the USDA as heart healthy and good for you! Our recipes are developed by our Test Kitchen Chef, Lori, in Saguarita, Arizona and then Malena analyzes them in her kitchen in Denver, Colorado. Our recetas are tried, tested and approved by Latinas just like you!

¡Buen Provecho!

Day 1 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Breakfast: Spinach Scramble with Queso fresco (140cals) – Check off 1 serving of veggies!

Lunch: Watermelon and Almond Salad (130cals) and Enfrijoladas de Pollo* (400cals) – Check off 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of veggies!

Dinner: Tuna Tacos (330 cals) and Nopalitos Salsa (1cup 40cals) – Check off 1 serving of veggies!

Snack: Add one fruit, like an apple, orange or banana – Check off 1 more serving of fruit!

¡Eso! You just checked your 3 veggies and 2 fruits for the day! (All this for under 1200 calories – not that you’re counting!)

Day 2 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Breakfast: Brunch Quesadilla (250cals)

Lunch: Turkey Taco Salad* (320 cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Dinner: Spicy Cauliflower (60cals), Roasted chicken* (190 cals), and Lori’s Quinoa Jalapeño Salad* (220cals) – Check off 2 serving of veggies!

Snack: Add a cup of chopped fruit like melon, pineapple, and strawberries . Have an orange, apple or banana. – Check off 2 servings of fruit! (Note: Fruit is better with – ¡limón y chilito!)

¡Eso! You just checked 4 servings of veggies and 2 fruits for the day! (Total calories for the day: 1,040. Pero lo más importante is you are building your healthy habits!)

Day 3 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Breakfast: Old Fashioned Mexican Oatmeal* (90cals) and Mango Banana Smoothie* (180 cals) – Check off 1 serving of fruit!

Lunch: Shrimp and Veggie Taquitos (230cals) with Pico de Gallo Salsa (1/2 recipe: 55cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Dinner: Poblano Chicken Soup (140 cals) Arroz Verde* (150 cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Snack: Add your two fruits and check them off!

¡Eso! You just checked 4 servings of veggies and 3 fruits for the day! (Total calories for the day: 845.

*Recipes only available on the De Las Mías app. Download it today! Available on Google Play and App Store.

Note: For these three days, we are just counting veggies and fruits, but notice you are eating whole grains and lean protein too! ¡Eso! You are well on your way to becoming a Healthy Habits Super Mujer!

And we kept the calorie count low on purpose to encourage you to add some healthy snacks, such as your 2 frutas al día, a handful of almonds with a crispy apple, some hummus and veggies, a quick licuado or gazpacho in the afternoon slump.

Healthy Habits Recap

So just to recap: Here you have 3 full days of healthy eating that honors your culture and your buena salud! Get into the habit of eating your 3 veggies and 2 fruits a day and get into the habit of using the Healthy Habit Checklist. And soon you will be a Healthy Habit Super Star!

This is the way you create a habit:

Find something you like, for example, our delicious ways to eat more fruits and veggies.
Do it. Do it again. And repeat until it sticks.
Use the Healthy Habit Checklist to see how you’re doing and to nudge you to keep doing it! (Self-monitor!)
Enjoy those ¡Esos! And share them!
When you get through to the other side of Tres Días of De Las Mías, get yourself a reward! Flowers! A romp through Instagram or Pinterest! A new nail polish. You get the picture.
Encourage your amigas, comadres, hermanas and even your vatos to join you in your healthy habit quest!

See our 9 Steps Healthy Eating Plan for more ideas on how to embark on a healthier life.

¡Unidas for a Healthy Life!

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 6: Healthy Eating, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, English, Healthy Mexican Food

The Taquito Diet™

November 28, 2018December 28, 2023 shared

The Taquito Diet

At De Las Mías we don’t normally use the word – ‘diet.’ Diets have gotten to be trite and boring, and we don’t like them very much. We know that if you go on a diet, the chances of you succeeding are slim. (No pun intended.)

Therefore, De Las Mías is not a diet club. We are a healthy lifestyle community. And we are here to help you take steps to be your healthiest self! We focus on the pleasure of eating and cooking good food. We don’t believe in deprivation, as evidenced by our “Poquito de Todo” philosophy. But because we are a healthy lifestyle community and we want to meet your needs, we do pay attention and many of you want to lose weight and want to get healthier and stronger.

We’re with you! We support you on your healthy lifestyle journey, but we don’t want you to go on a diet.

Proud Latinas

As you get to know De Las Mías better, you also know that we are proud of being Latinas, and we love nuestra comida. You will find De Las Mías recipes that are Mexican, New Mexican, and Southwestern. We are proud Latinas, Mexicanas and Chicanas and we want you to be proud too! We come from a rich Indo-Hispano tradition and we have a passion for our indigenous roots and foods!

As we grow and add more recipes and ideas on how to live healthier and more joyful lives, we want to add more ways that you can connect with your roots through your enjoyment of delicious, healthy food. And since most Latinas are both indigenous and Spanish, we want to fold in our love for the Mediterranean way of eating and enjoying food. So we are providing you with two ‘undiets’: The Mediterranean (Un)Diet and The Taquito (Un)Diet!

The Taquito (Un)Diet!

I am so proud of being Mexican! We are blessed with one of the most diverse, healthy and delicious foods in the world! Our Indigenous mothers and Spanish fathers, through many trials and tribulations combined to make us and our food, Mestizas! And what a beautiful combination that ended up to be. If you feel like geeking out on the origin of the taco, check out the Smithsonian: Where did the Taco Come From?

Take the humble taco, a portable bundle of deliciousness and health! It’s the perfect package of whole grains, lean protein, vegetables and even sometimes fruit!

You’ve heard of the grapefruit diet, the celery diet, the paleo diet, the Atkins diet, the blah-blah-blah diet! Now let me tell you about the Taquito Diet™, Baby! It’s a modular, delicious, nutritious and soul feeding pathway to health! You saw it here first!

Here is the skinny on the Taquito Diet:

1. You can make a healthy taco!

2. You can lose weight and enjoy your soul food while eating tacos.

3. You can mix and match, get creative and have fun while achieving a healthy lifestyle for you and your familia!

The taco could change your life! ¡Creélo! Believe, Comdres!

Here’s how it works:

1. Start with 3 corn tortillas.

We’re all about eating more whole grains and these thousand year old tortillas are a great low calorie, whole-grain, flavor-packed vehicle for all things deliciosa!

2. Make a sassy sofrito.

One of the very first things that my mother taught me about cooking is to always start with a sofrito. She said that my food would always be delicious if I started whatever I was doing with this magic concoction. It seems like every family has their own version of sofrito. My sister always adds a little fresh garlic, carrots and celery. My Ecuadoran consuegra calls it “Refrito,” and hers includes garlic, onion and achiote.

In our family, it meant simply frying up green chile, onion and tomato in a bit of olive oil before adding your meat, your eggs, or your frijoles de la olla. In Spain, sofrito almost always involves garlic and red pepper. So, the takeaway here is that almost all Spanish, Mexican and Latin American cooks use some kind of sofrito.

Hint: this is one place to add a veggie serving to your day.

3. Add a delicious meat or veggie heart!

A roasted chicken is an easy, simple way to fill your taquitos. Sometimes if we haven’t had a chance to cook dinner, I will stop by the market and get one of those rotisserie chickens that are already roasted. I remove the skin and chop it up for taquitos. I always start with the simple green chile, onion and tomato sofrito my mom taught me to make.

Carne asada is always a class taco choice. Or for the vegetarians in your life a delicious spicy cauliflower.

4. Top it off with soul-affirming salsa. ¡Qué viva el chilito!

Salsa is in our blood. Our indigenous ancestors were making salsas before the Spaniards landed. ¿Sabes qué? Mexican salsas originated with the Aztecs. And apparently, the Incas and Mayans were no slackers when it came up to making these tasty concoctions. (Ají, any one?) The base of a good salsa is, el chilito! You cannot have a good salsa without chiles, but the next most common ingredient is el tomate — the tomato.

Salsa, of course, has evolved and many other healthy ingredients were added such as cilantro, parsley, epazote and other spices, and lest we forget, the heroic avocado! Today, there are hundreds of different kinds of salsas. We love fruit salsas, like mango, peach and jicama salsa. Salsas can be raw or cooked. My own favorites are raw salsas, like Pico de Gallo with jalapeños or a good Hatch green chile, or even the humble Anaheim! But one thing is for sure, and that is that salsas are healthy foods that you can use in great abundance and feel good about it. Get your veggies here, Comadres!

Here are some of our favorite salsas:

5. Serve with a side of roasted veggies or raja de chile verde.

And just for safe measure another serving a veggies. 😉

Here are 4 Taquito Diet Recipes in our app to start you on your journey to a better taco!

Tacos de Camaron
Tacos de Atun
Pork Taquitos
Lazy Sari Avocado taquitos

All of that for just about 500 calories! No fooling. ¡Buen provecho, Guapas!

〰️

Check out the De Las Mias app. It’s free and ready for download in the Google Play Store. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @delasmiaslife.

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, English, Healthy Mexican Food

Mom, Why Is My Tortilla Brown?

January 17, 2018December 1, 2022 shared

During a recent check-in with a De Las Mías comadre, Laura (not her real name), shared that since getting on the De Las Mías app she has started making healthy changes for her whole family.

One of the steps she took was to swap white flour tortillas for whole-wheat flour tortillas. She was proud of herself, she said, for making healthy changes. She recognized that this new way of life was affecting her whole family. (¡Eso, Comadre!)

She giggled when she told me that her little boy asked, “Mom, why is my tortilla brown?”

Her answer to her jito was that brown tortillas are better for you than white ones.

Laura’s little boy is smart because he knows that sometimes when we do things we have to know why. Knowing why is a good motivator.

Share the benefits of eating healthy foods with your family. Here are some good reasons to eat whole grains:

Whole grains have important nutrients for your body such as protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins
Whole-wheat flour is better than white flour because when the grain is refined from brown to white, many nutrients are lost
Whole-grain and whole-wheat flour contains all parts of the grain so you get all the nutrients that the bran, germ and endosperm contain
Whole grains may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, just to name a few
Whole grains may help you maintain a healthy weight
Whole grains are high in fiber, and give you an easy way to add more fiber to your diet. Fiber helps you digest your food and it’s good for your panza

Here are some whole grains to add to your healthy eating adventures:

100% whole wheat tortillas (¡Qué vivan las brown tortillas!)
100% whole wheat breads (Look for “whole wheat,” “100% whole grain” or “whole (other grain)” as the first ingredient)
Whole-grain pasta
Whole oats/oatmeal
Whole-grain corn (from corn meal, not corn flour)
Blue corn tortillas!
Popcorn (¡Eso! Kids love popcorn!)
Quinoa (food of the Incan gods)
Brown rice
Wild rice

Look for whole-grain recipes in the De Las Mías app!

Got whole-grain recipes to share? Send them to us and we will choose some to include in La Cocina!

¡Unidas for a Healthy Life!

¡Hola, Guapa!, ¡Hola, Madrina!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, Healthy Comadres, Spanish

Mujeres y altares, nichos y santuarios – ¡Que viva la Morenita!

December 11, 2017December 1, 2022 shared

Cada año durante las fiestas navideñas, siento mucho orgullo por ser mexicana. En esta temporada siento todas las culturas que llevo dentro de mí con más fuerza. Podría ser porque todos los 5 sentidos se me despiertan con los sabores de nuestra maravillosa comida, los colores brillantes de las luces y decoraciones, la música de las Posadas y toda la diversidad de nuestras celebraciones Indo-hispanas. Hay tradiciones tan bonitas que celebramos en esta temporada. Y aunque pienso que nos enfocamos demasiado en “la compradera”, de todos modos, sigue siendo la temporada más mágica del año.

En nuestra familia, la temporada comienza con el día de la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Uno de mis primeros recuerdos me lleva de regreso a mi niñez en Nogales, Sonora y Arizona. Era la costumbre que muchas familias en el lado mexicano de la frontera hacían una ofrenda a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y la ponían en las ventanas dando a la calle.

Mi mamá nos llevaba a pasear por los vecindarios para ver a las distintas formas en que la comunidad honraba a Nuestra Señora. Desde la distancia mirando hacia las lomas de Nogales, se podían ver las docenas de ventanas iluminadas con foquitos de muchos colores. ¡Era algo maravilloso!

Como mexicana, soy una clásica Guadalupana, y venero a la Morenita todos los días del año. Creo que es precisamente porque le llamamos la Morenita que tengo tanto amor por ella.

La leyenda dice que ella vino a las Américas para dar consuelo a los pueblos indígenas para aliviar un poco su sufrimiento. Me da consuelo ese pensamiento y siempre lo llevo en mi corazón. Hay otras explicaciones más cínicas sobre el milagro de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, como ya lo saben. Como que nuestros antepasados españoles inventaron la historia con el fin de convertir a los pueblos indígenas, pero yo sigo creyendo en ella.

Una costumbre encantadora que muchas latinas practican es en hacer pequeños altares o nichos a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Cuando yo estaba criando a mi hija Sara, teníamos fiestas de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe e invitábamos a los amiguitos a hacer nichos de cartón. Recogíamos pequeñas cajas, papel de China y cartulina, restos de otros diferentes papeles o telas, cualquier cosa que se nos antojaba o que podíamos encontrar. Así nos juntábamos a hacer los nichos y hacíamos fiesta.

Había una señora encantadora en Santa Fe, llamada Connie Hernández. Ella era muy devota y tenía una pequeña tienda religiosa donde se vendían estampitas religiosas de varios santos. Yo hacía mi carrera anual a con Connie para comprar las estampitas de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe para poner en nuestros nichos. A los niños les encantaba esta actividad, pero siempre fue divertido ver a los adultos que querían participar también.

Aquí están algunos de los nichos, altares y arreglos que tenemos en nuestras casas y algunos que hemos hecho para esta ocasión especial.

Comadres, si tienen un santuario, nicho o altar para honorar a Nuestra Señora, nos encantaría verlos y publicarlos!

¡Felices Fiestas, Comadres!

¡Y que viva la Morenita!

¡Hola, Guapa!, ¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 8: Healthy Habits, Spanish

¡A comer bien en 9 pasos!

April 24, 2017December 1, 2022 shared

En De Las Mías, creemos que la moderación es clave para una mejor manera de comer. Por eso adoptamos la filosofía “un poquito de todo” y así disfrutar de todo un poco. Nuestra nutrióloga, Malena, diseñó un plan para comer saludablemente, dándote las herramientas necesarias para comer bien y saludablemente.

Un plan para comer saludablemente y ayudarte en alcanzar una vida moderada.

Un poquito de todo. Come poquito de todo. Cuida el tamaño de tus porciones. ¿No estás segura cuál es la porción correcta? Mira nuestra gráfica informativa “¿Qué es una porción?”

¡Tantas frutas y verduras! Come más de éstas. Que sea tu meta comer hasta cinco frutas y verduras al día. Adelante. ¡Empieza con tres! ¡Y agrega más poco a poco! Busca la “Ensalada de pavo con tostadas” de Lori. ¡Si te comes esta ensalada deliciosa, estarás a la mitad de tu meta de cinco frutas y verduras al día!

Cambia a granos integrales.Come más pan y pasta de harina integral. Come tortillas de maíz y de harina integral en lugar de las de harina blanca. Prueba otros granos, como la quinoa. Haz clic aquí para la “Ensalada de quínoa” de Lori. ¡Riquísima!

Los chicharrones son muy traicioneros. Reduce tu consumo de grasas trans y saturadas. (¡No importa cuán encantador se vea, el chicharrón no es tu amigo!) Elige el aceite de oliva o de cártamo en lugar de la manteca de cerdo. Come carnes más magras, como pollo o pavo. Quítale el cuero al pollo y córtale la grasa al puerco. Usa pavo molido en lugar de carne de res molida para tacos y otros picadillos. Haz clic aquí para el delicioso “Chorizo de pavo” de Lori. (Nadie notará la diferencia).

¡Queso bajo control! Adoramos los quesos… pero con medida. Cambia los quesos de leche entera y de mucha grasa por los de leche baja en grasa y por quesos como el mozzarella/Oaxaca o el queso fresco.

¡Aguas con la sal! Cuida la sal y el sodio en tu dieta. Evita agregarle más sal a tu comida. Lee las etiquetas de comida empaquetada para ver cuánto sodio contienen.

¡Gánale a la chatarra! La comida chatarra no es saludable ni para nuestros hijos, ni para nosotros. Evítala.

Cuidado con los dulces. Reduce tu consumo de dulces y azúcares y bájale a la cantidad de alimentos con azúcar adicional.

¡Agua! Bebe agua en lugar de refrescos y otras bebidas azucaradas. Hazte tus propias deliciosas aguas frescas con frutas y verduras.Haz clic aquí para nuestra receta de “Agua de pepino.” ¡Es súper refrescante en un cálido día de verano!

¡Es tu turno, comadre! Sigue este plan todos los días. ¡Comienza a comer mejor y conviértete en una super-mujer saludable!