Thursday December 25th: The Light of the world
December 25, 2025
Parang, pastelles & people: Trini Christmas lessons
December 25, 2025
By Cherice Bronte-Tinkew, RD
Another year is coming to an end and it’s important we spend time with family and friends, celebrating the Christmas season with hope, peace, joy and love. You may be planning for 2026, and practice makes perfect if we intend to focus on our diet and exercise.
Of course, no special pill or drink here, the basics of a healthy, balanced diet can improve so much. You may have heard the term insulin resistance from the doctor’s office. It’s not Type 2 Diabetes but it’s prediabetes. You can prevent it from getting to Type 2 Diabetes.
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body doesn’t respond to insulin, a hormone as it should. It can lead to increased blood sugar levels. There can be signs too, such as weight gain around the abdomen, discoloured patches on the neck or armpits known as acanthosis nigricans and fatigue.
Beyond family history, poor diet and lack of exercise are some risk factors of this condition. It can be challenging for some to work on these risk factors during the Christmas season. It’s important to reflect on what you did in the past and then find solutions.
Are you a person who avoids eating meals before a Christmas work lunch or a family dinner because you must try all the dishes when you get there? This can do more harm than good. You are more likely to overeat in a short period of time and overloading your system means hormones like insulin can be affected in how it works to remove sugars from the blood.
Yes, all those carbohydrate rich dishes like Spanish rice, potato salad, pastelle, macaroni salad, or lasagna can be portion overload. So don’t skip the early meals, practice small frequent meals.
This can allow your body to develop the cues for satiety or eating just enough. Remember you can use a different carbohydrate rich dish for different occasions. For example, I have mommy’s lasagna today then pastelles for tomorrow.
Don’t be afraid to increase the fibre in your favourite dishes. Dietary fibre can slow down the release of sugars in the bloodstream. Therefore, less pressure on insulin.
Choices like whole wheat macaroni instead of white macaroni, sweet potato or green fig in a potato salad recipe. How about spinach or melongene in a macaroni pie too?
Brown rice can be so tasty with garden herbs and spices added. Change can be good and tasty too. Whole wheat macaroni and brown rice options have double the amount of fibre compared to white macaroni or white rice per serving.
Are you aware of how many sweetened soft drinks or juice drinks you had at each family event, or even just at home after the Christmas grocery trip? Have you been drinking less water since the other beverages mentioned are present? The average adult may be drinking 4 or 5 times the amount of added sugars recommended per day from just one of these sweetened beverages.
Excess sugars in your diet can lead to weight gain too. Try drinking water with or after your meals. Choose low sugar or no added sugar options. You can mix 100 per cent fruit juice with a soda water too. Limit your alcoholic beverages, because they can lead to weight gain. Yes, their calories can add up too.
When last did you take a walk with your family and friends? Get out and get some exercise. You can socialise and get your steps in this season.
Regular exercise, five times per week, at least 30 minutes each time or 150 minutes total per week is recommended to reduce your chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity. This means it will do its job efficiently to remove the sugars from the bloodstream and use it as energy. So, let’s make the start today for better health in 2026.
Cherice Bronte-Tinkew has been a registered dietitian for over nine years. She is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians.
For more information: Facebook and Instagram pages @JustCherNutrition.
Email- justchernutri@gmail.com
