Hi! I’m Grace, a mom on a mission to get more protein into my family’s diet.
As a first-generation immigrant, I grew on a rice-heavy diet. Every meal involved rice, whether it be regular white rice, or congee, or sticky rice… the list goes on and on. Rice became a staple in my life, so much so that I literally didn’t know how to survive without it! I didn’t think of anything wrong with a rice-heavy diet until I started trying to conceive - when my doctor diagnosed me with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome,) which made it difficult to conceive. Then with gestational diabetes once I finally got pregnant! My sugar levels were so high after drinking the glucose solution, my doctor placed me on a strict low-carb diet… which meant I had to stay away from rice.
My love for rice made the rest of pregnancy incredibly difficult, but it also made me realize how much better I felt living on a high-protein + low-carb diet. I slept better, focused better, and noticed a significant shift in my energy level. However, as someone who ate a primarily Asian diet, I had to get very creative to feed my body more protein and less rice.
So I set out to experiment in my own kitchen, blending the high-protein ingredients I ate during pregnancy with the diverse cuisines that I grew up with. The experiments allowed me to see the beauty of fusion, to create delicious Asian-inspired recipes that are packed with proteins from different backgrounds! Ever since then, I’ve been able to reverse my pre-diabetes postpartum and help others find the balance between satiating their Asian taste buds while nourishing their bodies.
