Latino nutrition group celebrates healthy living

Resources From Oldways Celebrate Latino Nutrition
Gourmet Retailer, Sept 17, 2009

In celebration of Latino Nutrition Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Oldways and the Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC) have released "Latino Living -- A Guide to Better Health Through Traditional Food and Active Lifestyles" for both consumers and health professionals.

"'Latino Living' was originally designed for health professionals and dietitians, but it is so user-friendly and simple that it's perfect for consumers from coast to coast," said Sara Baer-Sinnott, executive vice president of Oldways.

For consumers, the kit offers:
• A seven-day Healthy Latino Meal Plan, with recipes and grocery list.
• A bilingual Latino Lifestyle Calendar, featuring a tip-a-day for following the healthy Latin American diet.
• New, illustrated, bilingual Latin American Diet Pyramid, with basic guidelines to help plan daily meals.
• The following in both English and Spanish:
--A list of Latin American super foods
--Kitchen Strategies: timesavers and smart swaps
--Tips for Kids: cooking, lunches and snacks
--Tips on how to exercise with your family


For health professionals and RDs, the kit offers:
• All of the above, plus
• Statistics concerning obesity, nutrition, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer rates occurring in the Latino American population.
• A detailed explanation of the Latin American Diet Pyramid, along with basic guidelines that help plan daily meals.
• Weekly Goal Tracking and 24-Hour Recall Sheets.

Consumers, health professionals and RDs can request this free resource (on CD-ROM or online) by e-mailing or calling Adriene Worthington (aworthington@oldwayspt.org, 617-896-4876).

Coinciding with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino Nutrition Month will introduce consumers to a variety of ways to cook, eat and enjoy the Latino diet pattern. The introduction of an updated Latin American Diet Pyramid will stress the importance of putting plant foods such as fruits, veggies, grains (mostly whole), nuts and peanuts, beans, and spices at the core of one's diet. Additionally, consumers can enter Oldways/LNC's Latin American Diet Recipe Contest (see below) to win a variety of prizes.

See what else is happening during Latino Nutrition Month on the Oldways and LNC Web sites. These programs include:

1. An updated Camino Mágico, a downloadable, bilingual supermarket shopping guide to help Latino shoppers make healthy choices among the endless food options available at supermarkets today.

2. Latin American Diet Recipe Contest featured on the Oldways and LNC Web sites and on the official Oldways Table Blog. Consumers should submit a recipe that uses at least two Latin American Diet products (list is featured on the Oldways Table Blog). Winners will be drawn at the end of the month, and announced on their Web sites. Prizes include wonderful Latino food products; autographed copies of the widely praised book, "The Oldways Table," chock-full of wonderful recipes and short essays about food and wine experiences; and the new poster of the Latin American Diet Pyramid.

3. A 2-foot-by-3-foot poster with an updated illustration of the Latin American Diet Pyramid will be available at The Oldways Store on Sept. 21, 2009.