Latest / Baddie In Progress Podcast / I’d Choose to Be Latina in Every Lifetime

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I’d Choose to Be Latina in Every Lifetime · Baddie In Progress Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, we are back.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, took a week off of recording, and honestly, it was because of technical difficulties and also scheduling difficulties, but guess what?
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: I got a new mic, so I hope you can hear a difference.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I was having like audio problems last week, so that was like the main reason why I didn't record, but yeah, I'm hoping that this mic is a lot better and a lot crispier.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I hope from here on out we just only get better and better and better.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Anyways, so for this week, I wanted to kind of stick with the theme of Hispanic Heritage Month, and it's also breast cancer awareness month as well.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So for my women out there, make sure to just always be aware of our bodies and routinely check yourself.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: I say this because my mom, um my mom had breast cancer, that was actually what made her get sick in the first place, and you know, as you guys know, she's like no longer with us anymore.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, she was primarily diagnosed with breast cancer, and when she got diagnosed and she started learning um how women should be checking for breast cancer, she like stressed it on me so much, and so she would always like tell me all the time, like, you need to check yourself, like this is how you check yourself, make sure to check yourself every month, and yeah.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Understandably, she just didn't want me to go through what she went through, right?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, just a reminder out there for my for my girlies, and yeah, on the topic of Hispanic Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I kind of just wanted to talk about being a Latina in fitness, how my life might be different now than the way that I grew up, and then also I wanted to talk about our food.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously, there's a bunch of different kinds of Hispanics and Latinos.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I am going to be talking about Mexican food because I am Mexican, so that's I I'm gonna I'm gonna be totally honest.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like I only really know about my culture's food.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: I have tried other cultures' food and it's amazing, but I feel like I know our food a lot better.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna talk about our our food um and how a lot of the times people deem Mexican food as unhealthy when it's actually some of the healthiest food out there.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you guys have seen, actually, I think almost everyone has probably.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because it's been honestly, I feel like Latinos have had their moment this year.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's been like a party this year.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the reason that I say that is because after the Bad Bunny Super Bowl, everyone was just like so happy, I would say, to have like Latino culture showcased on such a big stage, and you know, like Carol G did her moment too at the Coachella stage, also just showing off our culture and everything, and then the World Cup came around, and of course, everybody is so happy that their culture is a part of this, right?
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: But in Mexico, obviously, you guys saw that um like North America was the host for the World Cup.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: In Mexico, people were having a blast, and I think that was just another way that like Latinos were able to have so much fun during this time of the year, right?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: There were just so many big moments this year where Latinos got to share their culture and their love and their pride, right?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I just think it was it it's been awesome.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a party, it's been super cool.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and all over the internet people have been saying I would choose to be Latina in every lifetime, and I love that that has been like kind of a trend or whatever, or that people have been saying it over and over and over because I honestly feel that so deeply.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: I love, love, love my culture.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love where I come from, and I've always felt like this.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like even when I was a kid, when what my family would get together and we would make like Mexican food, we would have like our little traditions and we would just always get together all the time.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, like my family speaks Spanish, so they would like only talk in Spanish.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember as a kid, I was a very observant child, so I feel like I took things in a lot deeper than most kids my age would.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe because I'm a Capricorn, I don't know.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm still like this, but as a kid, I definitely took things in very deeply.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: I observed a lot, and I just remember that even as a kid, I had like an overwhelming feeling of feeling proud to be where I was from.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Even as an adult, still so proud of where my family comes from, despite the struggles and everything, but I definitely would choose to be Latina in every lifetime.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I love that trend.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's so funny, but it's also so true.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to quickly talk about being a Latina in the fitness industry and how my life and my diet and yeah, my lifestyle has changed from childhood versus what it's like now.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, my life would not be what it is now if it wasn't for my immigrant grandparents coming here, so I want to give credit where credit is due.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: I would not live the life I live now if it wasn't for them, and I love them for all the sacrifices that they've made for us, and I just think that they deserve that moment.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Growing up, I would say we didn't grow up in the wealthiest household.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't grow up with money, we really didn't have much, but my mom did everything she could.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would say in my household health wasn't necessarily a priority.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that putting food on the table was more of a priority, paying our bills was more of a priority, and getting kids to school is a priority, right?
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: So really in my household, our main priority was just our well-being, making sure we had something to eat, making sure that we did our best, but I wouldn't say that health was like at the center of everything.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I also don't put any blame on my mom for like not really knowing or understanding what it is to live a healthy lifestyle because who really knows, night, right?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, no one really knows until you dedicate the time to really learn it.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And my mom, she was a waitress, waitress working every hour that she could just so that she can provide for us.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, in no world would I blame her for not knowing proper nutrition, right?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: She cooked amazing, like she made amazing meals.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, one of the things that I missed the most about her is her cooking.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, as somebody who now knows proper nutrition and what my plate should look like, what I eat now is very different from what I ate growing up, and that's okay.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: I understand that a lot of households run the way that mine did when I was growing up.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Nutrition is just not the main priority, and that's understandable.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm again, like I said, not putting any blame on anyone.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, health really is a privilege in this country, and it sucks.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Growing up the way that I did, and ultimately resulting in also losing my mom, that is what made me really prioritize my health, and like I said, I know not everyone can, but girl, like I went through some trauma, and it just that catapulted me into really caring about my health.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: You also don't have to be 100% perfect if this is something that you want to do, you just have to start small.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you can start by reading nutrition labels, reading ingredient labels, you can start swapping out one of your meals, one of your meals that you might find a little bit on the unhealthier side, and swap it for at least one healthy meal.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, you don't have to be perfect if you're trying to transition into something that's more of a healthy lifestyle.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Starting off small is better than nothing.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Just a little tip if you find yourself in the same situation I was in.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things that sucks about being a Latina in fitness is that well, I don't know about you, but I feel like there's not enough.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: There's not enough of us.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like there's a lot of reasons for this.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um in our culture, I feel like health is not of the utmost priority, and I feel like the reason for that is because of socioeconomic issues or obstacles.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of the times you're dealing with families that are first generation in this country and working multiple jobs, ultimately just working to provide for their families, put food on the table, and pay the bills.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so any extra time that they have is usually spent resting, cleaning, spending some time with your kids.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, just speaking from personal experience, things I've seen in my own family, um, but also families of my friends as well.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: I know that there's a lot of people in my culture like this, and I feel like it's important to talk about this.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like when you live this way, you you kind of not necessarily put your health on the back burner, but you always assume that it's something that you're gonna get to.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh you yeah, I'll get to that later, I'll get to that later.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: I can start working out in a couple months or whatever, right?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: But a lot of the times that time never comes.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then once something really happens, like a chronic health condition, that's when you realize, man, I should have given this a little bit more attention, or I should have prioritized moving my body more.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe after dinner with my family, we could have all gone on a walk together.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Little things like that.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, that was like a little bit of a tangent, but I just thought it would be important to talk about and highlight that this is something that a lot of people go through, and as easy as it is to just you know wanna raw on the couch after a really long day of work, your health is still so so so important for your longevity.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: And just go for a walk, like even just going for a walk after dinner, that alone can add years to your life.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Anyways, I feel like another reason why we don't see enough Latinas in fitness is because again, a lot of us are like first generation and we are basically forced to go to college because your family did not come here for you to just not go to college.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, college is also a huge privilege here, which I understand.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: I also went down that route.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: I also went to college right after high school, and I am very grateful for that experience.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: When I graduated from college, I literally felt unstoppable.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: It felt amazing to be able to give my family a bachelor's degree.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: It was just, it was awesome.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I'm so proud of the Latinas that go to college and get their bachelor's and master's and PhD and everything.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like amazing.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that having Latinas enter the health and fitness space is just as important.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like it's important for us to teach our parents and our grandparents how to eat properly with our food, with Mexican food.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because, like I mentioned earlier, a lot of the times people say that Mexican food is super unhealthy, but it's actually some of the healthiest food out there because most of our food is plant-based.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think what makes our food quote unquote unhealthy is the portions, but also portions, this again goes back to socioeconomic issues and not wanting food to go to waste, right?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: But in reality, our food is actually super healthy, it's really high in protein, it's really high in fiber, and our food is mostly plant-based because we eat a lot of beans.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's so funny when I say beans because of course everyone associates beans with farting.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, we eat a lot of beans and a lot of our stuff is corn-based, like tortillas, for example.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And before you go and say that tortillas are unhealthy, corn tortilla is one of the best carbs that you can have because it's a plant-based carb and it has fiber in it.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Fiber is good for fat loss, it's good for your digestion.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: Beans have a lot of fiber in them, which is why people are always farting every time they eat beans.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's so funny.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I don't know if you know this, but farting is like a good thing because it means that your digestion is working, it means that you're getting enough fiber in.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, fiber is good for phallos.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Fiber is also super good for those people that have like high cholesterol, just so you know.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Anyways, so like I said, Mexican food, honestly, some of the best food out there tastes amazing, also very healthy.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: When you think about our salsas, our salsas are just veggies blended up, it's usually just tomatoes, onions, and chiles blended all up together.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: Some people do make the mistake of adding too much oil in it, and that's what makes it unhealthy.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that most of the time when a Mexican dish can be quote unquote unhealthy, is because of the oil that is put in there.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: We do use a lot of oil, for example, like if you make enchiladas, enchiladas are first fried, so tortilla, the tortilla is fried in oil, and then you take it out, you put sauce, and then you stuff it with like chicken, right?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So technically, an enchilada can be healthy.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: You have your tortilla, you have your carbs, you have your protein source, you have your chicken, you have your salsa, which is just mostly chile, it's veggies, you know.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: The issue here is that it's drenched in oil, it's fried in oil, that's what makes it unhealthy.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: The way to make this healthy though, is to instead just spritz a little bit of oil on it, just like an avocado oil, and then air fry it.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Just air fry it really quick.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you can also just heat up a pan, spritz the pan really quick, and then flip the tortilla on each side just to like cook it a little bit, and then uh you can do your you can stuff it with your chicken and put your sauce.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's literally the smallest modification, and it makes a world of a difference.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: It takes it removes so much of the fat that is in enchiladas.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Also, the other issue is that usually when we make enchiladas, it's traditionally made, or at least in my household, it was traditionally made with vegetable oil, and vegetable oil is terrible for you.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Terrible.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's a seed oil, so it causes inflammation.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's not the healthiest oil out there, um, it's not the best fat source.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, if you use oils in your food, I would recommend using an avocado oil, an olive oil, or a coconut oil.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Those are gonna be the best kinds.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: So now when I cook, I only use avocado oil or olive oil.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: If I make an enchilada, not just one enchilada, obviously, I I usually eat like three or four, but if I make enchiladas, I'm just gonna spritz a little bit of avocado oil on a pan, and then just flip my tortilla on there both sides, and then stuff it with chicken and then put the salsa over.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: You could just also kind of roll them up like taquitos, spritz a little bit of oil, put it in an air fryer so they can cook in there for a bit, and then just take them out and put your sauce over.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's really simple.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: I promise it tastes exactly the same.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: The only difference is that you're using way less oil.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can still enjoy enchiladas, you can still enjoy like really amazing Mexican food.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's just we just need to make little modifications here and there to make it slightly healthier, you know?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I just want to highlight beans and rice for a second, right here, because yes, beans and rice are both carbs, okay.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: I know that everyone's like beans, protein, like yes, beans have protein, and it has a good amount of protein compared to other veggies or other carbs, but it's still a carb, okay?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, but beans are an amazing source of fiber, really good source of fiber.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the easiest way for you to get a good amount of fiber in for the day.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think like a cup of beans is around like 15 grams of fiber, which is for a lot of us, like that's like half the amount that you need for the day.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would say most women should have at least like 30 grams of fiber per day.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then our rice, our rice is we call it red rice, but red.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Rice, it's just rice with like a tomato sauce base, depending on how you make it, right?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you make it a little bit more traditional or however you want to make it, but usually add um tomato sauce into it.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people also add veggies to it, like corn and carrots, sometimes peas as well, and that just adds more fiber, like you're adding more veggies, more fiber to your rice.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to highlight this.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to show you not to demonize your culture's food.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: I just it pisses me off when people say that Mexican food is unhealthy when it's some of the healthiest food out there.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: What makes it unhealthy is the portions and the amount of oil that you use.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can easily make these modifications at home and still enjoy Mexican food, okay?
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are a Mexican girly and you feel like you can't be on your fitness journey and eat Mexican food, I just want to let you know you're completely wrong.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: I have tacos at home all the time.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: I have enchiladas at home all the time.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: We have beans all the time.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: So just a quick tip the next time that you're at your family's carna asada, you can have beans and rice.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: I would just prioritize your protein source, okay?
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're gonna have carne asada, make sure you have a good amount of carna asada as the first thing on your plate, and then you can have your beans and rice on the side, okay?
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to add some healthy fats onto that plate, then add a little bit of avocado.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: So these little tweaks right here is kind of how I go about still enjoying the foods that I grew up with, but also making sure that they kind of fit into my macros so that I can still get results.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing is you always put your protein on your plate first and then build your plate around that protein.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Also pay attention to your fat source and making sure that you're minimizing your fat source as well because it can easily add up.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: There's a big difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Being a Latina in the fitness industry has shown me that there's still not enough of us, and even though there isn't enough, someday there will be.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: But for right now, I feel like as women in wellness or women who just continue to keep learning about health and fitness, wellness, it's our job to educate those generations that came before us, like our grandparents, our parents, and teach them that our food is not unhealthy.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: But we do need to be smarter about the way that we cook our food and we plate our food, and like that, we can still enjoy the food that comes from our culture.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's time to teach those generations how to live a healthier lifestyle because they already sacrificed so much for us.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Most of them didn't know how to prioritize their health, and because we have the privilege and the resources to learn, I think it's our time to step in and show them how to do it.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now that I'm an adult and I have the resources and the knowledge to learn about my nutrition and my health, I really wish that I had the opportunity to show my mom.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I really hope that you teach the people in your family how to enjoy your culture's food in a healthy way.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you guys have a great rest of your Hispanic Heritage Month.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to those who celebrate.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I hope you are so proud of where you come from.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoy your culture's food.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoy time with your friends, with your family, and don't forget to thank your families for all the opportunities that you have because they came here.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, and I'll see you guys next week.