The Importance of Eating Right for Hispanic Americans

Why is Eating Right So Important?

We all know that it is a good idea to eat correctly, but why is this so important? A well balanced diet provides energy and nutrition to keep your body in optimal health. This includes not only eating an appropriate amount of fat, carbohydrate, and protein, but also meeting vitamin, mineral, and water needs.

A healthy diet can help prevent chronic diseases including obesity, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes. The World Health Organization has published a very surprising statistics related to unhealthy eating. They stated that over 2.7 million deaths worldwide could be contributed to a lack of fruit and vegetable consumption. This is a significant number of deaths which could have potentially been prevented through better food choices and food availability.

Eating a healthful diet is especially important for Hispanics because this group is at a higher risk for many chronic diseases. For example, Mexican Americans are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with diabetes. Hispanic people are 1.5 times as likely to develop kidney disease related to diabetes and are more likely to die from diabetes-related causes.

Hispanic people are less likely than non-Hispanic white people to have high blood pressure. However, the 20% of people over 18 that do have high blood pressure are less likely to control this condition. High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for stroke and should be taken seriously and be treated with appropriate medication and a healthful diet.

High cholesterol and triglyceride levels are other diet-related condition that affects many Hispanic Americans. Approximately 16% of Mexican Americans have high cholesterol levels. Diets high in cholesterol are strongly contributed to this health condition. High cholesterol and triglycerides should be monitored and addressed through diet and medication (if needed) because these conditions contribute to heart disease.

So, now we know a bit about why eating right is so important for health. But, you are probably wondering how to eat a healthful diet. Look below this blog at the entry entitled “Latin American Diet Pyramid.” This article offers brief, helpful advice on how to eat right and continue enjoying traditional Hispanic foods. Enjoy!

Latin American Diet Pyramid

A Helpful Tool for Healthy Hispanic Eating

Latino Nutrition Month (September 15 - October 15) is drawing to a close, but that doesn’t meant that you can’t enjoy the delicious and flavorful Hispanic foods and cuisine throughout the year! Although most of us are familiar with Latino food and likely eat it either in our own homes or when we dine out, it can be a daunting task to plan a healthful Hispanic diet without the proper resources.

A wonderful resource for Hispanic nutrition has been made available by a non-profit called Oldways, the parent organization of the Latino Nutrition Coalition. This organization has developed a Latin American Diet Pyramid which can be found at www.oldwayspt.org. The first version of this pyramid was created in 1996, and is has been revised and modified to meet the needs of consumers and educators all over the U.S. The latest version features both Spanish and English text as well as vibrant illustrations to bring the Latin American Diet Pyramid to life!

This pyramid is more important than every before due to the declining health of some Hispanic Americans. Like many others, Latinos who come to the U.S. often pick up unhealthful American practices such as eating high-calorie, low-nutrition meals and getting very little exercise. A return to the healthful, native diets and practices of the Hispanic culture can help make a positive impact on the increase in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease many newcomers to the U.S. experience.

So, what’s the deal with the Latin American Diet Pyramid? According to the Oldways website, this pyramid is “an educational guide to healthy eating that relies on familiar, inexpensive, tasty, healthy, and easy-to-prepare foods.” Sounds good, right? And it is! Let’s take a quick look at the pyramid!

Bottom Layer

The bottom layer makes up the foundation of a healthy Latino diet. Like many healthful diet plans, this section features plant based foods. Eat these items at every meal!

Vegetables – Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, healthful phytochemicals and antioxidants! All different types of vegetables used in Latino cooking such as zucchini, tomatoes, kale, tomatillos, squash, okra, chilies, and cactus are good for you and can be eaten liberally. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a wide variety of vegetables and flavors!

Fruits – Fruits, like vegetables, offer vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, but they also can satisfy your craving for sweets! Be sure to incorporate many types of fruit such as breadfruit, mangoes, papayas, pineapple, cherimoya, guava, grapes, and kiwis into your diet daily. Avocados are also an excellent fruit, but don’t fall into the typical ‘fruit’ class. Avocados are a great source of healthy monounsaturated fats, but like all fats are high in calories and should be enjoyed in moderation.

Beans, Legumes, and Tubers – These items are fundamental to all Hispanic diets. Keep an eye out for beans such as kidney or black, tubers such as yucca or taro, and grains such as corn, amaranth, quinoa, and wheat. Yams, sweet potatoes, and peanuts also fall into this category.

Middle Layer

The middle layer features many types of protein and also dairy products. These items should be eaten daily.

Dairy, Poultry, Seafood and Shellfish – These items are typically eaten daily, but are typically not stand-alone foods. When incorporating poultry, seafood or fish, combine them with foods from the bottom layer to maintain a healthful balance.

Top Layer

The top layer features items which should be eaten in moderation. These items are not forbidden and can still be enjoyed, but should only be eaten weekly. (Note that older versions of the Oldways pyramid feature this top layer as one triangle, but newer versions split these categories into two separate layers.)

Red Meat – Red meats are a good source of protein and iron, but have been linked to both cancer and cardiovascular disease increased. Eating red meat should be limited to only a few times per week.

Eggs – Eggs are also great source of protein, but the yolk is high in cholesterol. For this reason, eggs should be used only 1-2 times a week.

Sweets – Latino desserts are flavorful and rich, but don’t need to be eliminated completely. Just be sure to eat these items only a few times a week and they can still be part of a healthy, satisfying diet.

The Latin American Diet Pyramid is truly a great resource which you can use to guide your meal planning and decision making! By combining these basic principles with an active lifestyle, you can optimize your health! The intriguing traditional diets of the Hispanic culture offer a healthful diet – something which can (and should) be valued by all different people.

Boutiful Benefits of Beans

Beans Offer Many Health Benefits!

Beans (legumes) are a large part of the Hispanic food culture. A good example of the importance and use of this food can be seen in the consumption of beans by Mexican Americans. This group of people eat approximately 34 pounds of beans per capita. This seems to be an especially large amount when compared to the average non-Hispanic American who consumes only six pounds per capita.

Different Hispanic cultures use different types of beans in their cooking. Black beans are often used by Cubans, Southern Mexicans, Central Americans, and Venezuelans, where as Cubans Central South Americans and Hispanic Caribbeans prefer red kidney beans. Pigeon beans are also popular in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Chick peas are used in Venezuela and Brazil.

Although different varieties of beans vary in both flavor and color, all have similar nutritional value. A 1/3 cup serving of cooked beans has about 80 calories and contains complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and no cholesterol or saturated fat. Legumes, when combined with grains, also provide all of the essential amino acids your body needs. This means that you can have a healthful, complete source of protein without the unhealthful fats found in meat.

Beans are not only useful for meeting daily protein requirements, but also offer many amazing health benefits. Legumes are a wonderful source of soluble fiber, which has been proven in many clinical trials to lower cholesterol. A University of Kentucky study showed that consuming one cup of beans per day can lower cholesterol as much as 19%! Fiber also promotes healthy digestion and intestinal function and may help to prevent colon cancer. Fiber helps to keep you fuller for a longer period of time, which can be especially useful when trying to lose weight and control appetite. Other studies have also shown that consuming beans can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Incorporating more beans into your diet is not as difficult as you might think. Both dried and canned beans offer the same benefit, but it is important to note that canned beans contain a lot of salt (sodium), which can be problematic for those with high blood pressure. If you are going to use canned beans, be sure to rinse them thoroughly to remove excess sodium. Those new to eating beans can begin adding beans to the diet by substituting beans for meat twice a week or adding them to already-loved dishes. Try preparing soups or other meatless dishes such as bean spreads. Legumes can also be added to salads or incorporated into snacks.

A few brief tips to remember when cooking beans are as follows:

• When cooking dried beans, change the water several times during the soaking process. This will help to eliminate the gas-causing indigestible sugars.

• It is commonly recommended to drink more water and a dietary aid such as Beano when adding legumes to the diet because the increase in dietary fiber may bring slight flatulence. As you continue eating beans, your body will adjust to the increased fiber and flatulence should pass.

• Note that dried beans double or triple in size when soaked and cooked. This is necessary to remember when cooking legumes to avoid boiling over.

• Beans are done when they can be mashed easily with a fork or between two fingers.

Incorporate beans into your diet today! They are not only tasty and filling, but provide many health benefits and offer a heart healthy, no cholesterol alternative or supplement to meat.