Hi ,

Don’t believe me when I tell you that…

You don’t have to choose between your health goals and the food you love.

But believe the people I’ve worked with when they said:

I didn’t feel like I was on a ‘diet.’ I still enjoyed my favorite Filipino dishes but in a way that supports my health goals.

It wasn’t about restricting myself but understanding my body better.

I developed a healthier relationship with food. I learned discipline in eating healthy while not depriving myself of my cravings. It’s more about food moderation rather than elimination, which made the whole experience sustainable and enjoyable.

In my 16 years of experience as a dietitian, I’ve had the privilege of working with countless Filipinos who feel torn between wanting to improve their health and holding on to their love for Filipino food.

In this email series, we will

1. Explore more about our love and hate relationship with Filipino food
2. Evaluate our mindset that affect how we perceive food and health, and
3. Discover ways to incorporate local dishes into a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Let’s dig in.

Pinoy Comfort Foods FTW

You can change your hair and you can change your clothes

You can change your mind, that's just the way it goes

You can say goodbye and you can say hello

But you'll always find your way back home.

– Hannah Montana

Despite the growing popularity of foreign cuisines in the Philippines - Korean buffets, Japanese ramen, and Italian pizzas - our deep connection to home-cooked Filipino dishes remains.

These familiar flavors remind us of who we are and where we come from, offering a sense of comfort and belonging no matter how much our palates explore or adapt.

This is because food isn’t just about nutrients - it’s also an emotional and cultural anchor, a connection to our heritage and the people we love.

It’s the lechon at fiestas, pancit and lumpia at birthdays, the tangy warmth of sinigang on a rainy day, and the savory simplicity of adobo over freshly steamed rice. These dishes are more than recipes - they’re the stories we share and the traditions we carry forward, linking generations through the universal language of food.

…But Filipino Foods are Unhealthy

I get this comment a lot whenever I post something about Filipino foods on social media:

Drowning in fat.

Too much sugar.

Unli rice.

Think about local favorites - lechon kawali, crispy pata, or pancit canton. These dishes are rich, indulgent, and usually tied to celebrations.

Add the typical carinderia menu (dinuguan, fried pork chop, inihaw na liempo) into the mix, which many rely on for convenience, and it’s easy to see why Filipino eating habits get a bad rap. Portions of rice can also be on the generous side, and some dishes use a bit too much oil, salt, or sugar.

As a dietitian, I’ve seen how these beliefs come from real struggles.

Clients often tell me how difficult it is to balance the comfort of family meals with the pressure to meet their health goals like losing weight, managing hypertension, or controlling blood sugar.

For more than a decade, I've been creating meal plans that include clients' food preferences - local dishes and comfort foods - and seeing them succeed at achieving their health goals.

So I thought, maybe "healthy diet" is not just about the food we eat but also about the mindset we bring to the table.

In my observation, there are three key mindsets that contribute to the negative perception of Filipino foods.

Next week, we will dive into these mindsets to better understand why these beliefs exist - and how we can change them so that we don't have to choose between our health goals and the food we love.

See you then,

Grace