Let's be honest — doubles is one of the great joys of living in Trinidad and Tobago. Hot bara, channa, pepper sauce, a little shadow beni. There's nothing quite like it at 6am on the way to work. We're not here to tell you doubles is the enemy.
But if you're eating doubles every day — or even several times a week — and you're wondering why your weight, energy, or health goals aren't moving the way you want, this article is worth reading.
A standard doubles consists of two pieces of bara — fried dough made from flour, yeast, and turmeric — filled with curried channa (chickpeas) and topped with various condiments.
A typical doubles with slight pepper contains roughly:
350–450 calories · 15–20g of fat · 45–55g of carbohydrates · high glycaemic load
Add a sweet drink alongside it and you've consumed 600+ calories before 8am — mostly from refined carbohydrates and fried fat.
The bara itself is deep-fried, which means it absorbs oil during cooking. The channa is nutritious on its own — chickpeas are high in protein and fibre — but the combination with fried dough, condiments, and the sheer size of a typical portion adds up fast.
The problem isn't doubles itself. The problem is frequency combined with the rest of a typical TT diet. If doubles is your breakfast, fried chicken is your lunch, and you're washing everything down with a sweet drink, you're consuming a large amount of fried food, refined carbohydrates, and added sugar every single day.
That combination — over weeks and months — contributes to weight gain, elevated blood sugar, inflammation, and low energy. It's not about one meal. It's about the pattern.
The Slimdown 360 Clean Plate Challenge asks you to cut doubles for 30 days. Not forever — just 30 days. The goal is to break the daily habit and give your body a chance to reset.
Most people who complete the challenge report that after 30 days, they still enjoy doubles occasionally — but the compulsive daily craving is gone. That's the real win.
What to eat instead in the morning:
Boiled eggs with fruit · Oats with coconut milk · Yoghurt with local fruit · Roasted breadfruit · A smoothie with spinach, banana, and coconut water. All satisfying, all faster than standing in the doubles line.
We want to be clear: the 30-Day Clean Plate Challenge is a kickstart, not a permanent diet. Moderation is always the goal. After completing the challenge, we encourage you to speak with your doctor or health practitioner about a long-term eating plan that works for your body and your lifestyle.
But if you want to see what 30 days without fried food, doubles, and sugary drinks feels like — the challenge is free and starts today.
Start the free 30-Day Clean Plate Challenge. No subscription, no credit card, no catch.
Start the Challenge 🔥