Category: Health & Wellness

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The Journey of Flavor and Faith: Discovering The Flavor of Panamá

A reflection on heritage, faith, and the beauty of sharing authentic Panamanian recipes from the heart of Central America.

Some journeys begin with a destination in mind, and others start with a longing — a quiet desire to reconnect with something familiar, something sacred. Writing The Flavor of Panamá: Authentic Recipes from the Heart of Central America was both for me. It was a journey back home, guided not only by memory but also by faith.

Food has a way of bringing us closer to one another, to our roots, and even to God. Just like life, cooking is a process that unfolds one step at a time. You don’t always see the finished meal when you begin, but you trust the process — that with patience, care, and a little faith, it will all come together beautifully.

That reminds me of how God leads us. He rarely gives us the full list of directions — only the next step. Much like a GPS, He guides us one turn at a time, trusting us to follow His voice. And when we do, we discover that He’s been preparing something rich, meaningful, and full of sabor all along.

Panamanian cuisine tells a similar story. It’s a tapestry woven from many influences — Indigenous, African, Spanish, and Caribbean — coming together in perfect harmony. Dishes like Sancocho, Arroz con Pollo, and Patacones speak of community, resilience, and joy. Each meal reflects a history of faith, endurance, and celebration.

As you turn the pages of The Flavor of Panamá, I hope you’ll do more than follow recipes. I hope you’ll take time to savor — not just the flavors, but the memories and lessons that rise with every simmering pot. Let each dish remind you that, just like in cooking, the beauty of God’s plan often reveals itself step by step.

So take your time. Gather your ingredients. Stir in gratitude.
And as the aromas fill your kitchen, let them remind you that the same God who seasons our lives with purpose and grace has also filled the world with flavors worth celebrating.

Let’s cook, let’s remember, and let’s give thanks — one dish at a time. ¡Buen Provecho!

✨ Bring Panamá to Your Table

You can find The Flavor of Panamá: Authentic Recipes from the Heart of Central America on Amazon.
May its pages inspire connection, comfort, and a taste of home wherever you are.

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Down the Road of Fasting and Plant Paradoxes

Lately I’ve been intermittent fasting.  I basically lowered my caloric intake significantly by only eating between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but yet I am not losing any weight. 

Why is that? How is it possible to eat only two small meals per day, exercise daily, and still not drop a pound?

I was online surfing through YouTube videos when I stumbled upon a video by a Doctor Jason Fung, a nephrologist, and he was explaining that traditional treatments for diabetes have been ineffective and that there is a better way of treating people with the disease.

The video caught my interest because I know many people, family and friends, who are living with diabetes believing there is no cure and that it is their lot in life to prick their fingers regularly.

According to Dr. Fung, diabetes is treatable and curable.  He is an avid advocate for fasting.  Now this is not the reason I am fasting.  I’ve been doing it for quite a while now but became frustrated with the lack of positive results.  I figured there has to be something else going on in my body to explain why it is such a challenge reaching my weight-loss goals.

After watching a couple of Dr. Fung’s videos I began watching another video by Dr. Steven Gundry, the author of the Plant Paradox which happened to follow Dr. Fung’s videos.

As I stated earlier, I had questions as to why I’m supposedly eating healthy and I’m exercising regularly but yet I’m not losing any weight.

Dr. Gundry explained that there are certain elements in the foods we eat that can at times can cause more harm than good.

One such element is a protein he identified as lectin (with a C), not to be confused with the hormone leptin (with a P).

In his video, which was actually an advertisement for supplements he markets, Dr. Gundry is explaining what lectin actually does in the intestinal tract.

He says the protein creates tears in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract causing toxins which should be expelled from the body to leak out back into the bloodstream, causing other problems throughout the body like itchy skin, acne, allergic reactions, inflammation, among other unpleasant things.

The toxins in the blood taxes the immune system, rendering it virtually ineffective.

I decided to put Dr. Gundry’s Plant Paradox to the test, which means there are a lot of foods that I love to eat that I will have to do without for a while to see if this actually works for my body.  As I approach 50 I am recognizing my body is changing and the best thing to do is to flow with the changes and determine what works best.  I know that I cannot eat the way I used to twenty-five years ago so now I have to figure out what I can eat and design a diet that works for my body and my lifestyle.

I will be chronicling my findings as I proceed forward.  Feel free to leave comments and suggestions or even to share your own experiences with weight-loss and just overall dietary health.

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Stepping into 50 with a Better Me

I am 49 years old and one of my goals this year, 2021, is to be physically healthier in my fifties than I’ve been in my forties.

Growing up I was relatively healthy.  I was neither obese or skinny.  My average weight in my twenties and thirties was between 125 and 130 pounds.

And then I turned 40 and everything changed.  My hormones started to go haywire.  I started to get menstrual pimples which were leaving marks on my face, and no matter how often I worked out and how little I ate, I was packing on the pounds.  My GYN prescribed birth control pills which somewhat got my hormones under control, enough to stop the pimples, but the pill did nothing for my weight.  Over time, the pill created another problem, blood clots, which travelled up to my lungs and could have caused me to have a stroke, or worse.  This forced me to stop taking the pill, which meant the return of pimples.

My ideal weight is between 145 and 155 pounds.  Right now I weigh a glorious 180, which is pretty heavy for someone standing at 5’1”.  Quarantining and not being able to go to a gym to workout did not help matters.  The truth is I do not have the discipline to workout at home by myself. If I’m home, once I sit down on my couch or lay down on my bed, I am not getting up to work out.  I’m more motivated and hold myself accountable when I’m at a gym with other people. In the most recent months, pre-covid, I enjoyed going to “I Love Kickboxing” or ILKB. The one hour session included cardio, strength training and a lot of punching the bag, which is a wonderful way to relieve stress. It was fun and energizing and I was able to lose weight rather easily.

My primary reason to lose the weight is to take the pressure off my joints.  I have occasional joint pain in my hips and knees, which I know is caused by the extra weight.  Better to fix this problem now than to end up using a walker later.

I just recently joined a gym and I’m looking forward to engaging a solid and consitent workout regimen.

Also, for the month of January, I decided to do a fast in which I will not be eating any meats, poultry, pork or dairy.  I expect that eliminating these elements from my diet, at least for a month, will significantly increase my ability to lose weight, decrease the overall inflammation in my body, and possibly balance my hormones.