Nutrient Analysis of Selected Web recipes
Nicole Jean, RD, LDN
Recipes abound on the Web for good tasting, traditional Haitian foods. These foods provide us with major nutrients, some highly desirable, and some that need to be limited. Listed below each following recipe is what a serving provides in terms of Calories, Carbohydrates, Fat, Cholesterol, Protein, Sodium and Fiber.
All information relates to the serving size. If your serving is twice as large, you must double the nutrient values. For example, in the recipe for Bannann Peze, the number of Calories listed (269) is for only 1/2 of a plantain. If you eat a whole fried plantain, it provides you with about 538 Calories.
The values are approximations. They were compiled from different sources. Also, the nutrient values of a food may vary depending on the soil where it was grown, length of cooking, exposure to air, water...
The Daily Values, a new term on food labels, may be used as reference. They help to judge whether to limit the intake of a food due to its nutritive content. The Daily Values are suggested for an adult who wants to plan a healthy diet, and is consuming about 2000 Calories daily. For people on a restricted diet, lesser values may be more appropriate.
Reading the Nutrient Analysis of recipes and the Nutrition Facts labels of food packages helps us to make wise food choices. Whereas a lunch that consists of a bowl (2 cups) of Soup Joumou provides about 411 Calories and 13 grams of Fat, another traditional lunch of Griots (4oz), Bannann Peze (1 plantain), and only 1 cup of Rice and Beans sets us back by 1069 Calories, and 52 grams of Fat (more than half the suggested intake for a day).
We have acknowledged the source of these recipes, and we are grateful to the authors. Some of the recipes were modified to cut down on the Fat content, the Sodium content or the Serving Size.
Selected Recipes
Nicole Jean is a Registered Dietitian who practices currently in Florida.
Read her Nutritional Tips for Haitians series of articles written for Windows on Haiti.