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A Taste of Latin American Heritage

About this class

About this class

A Taste of Latin American Heritage (ATOLAH) is a six-lesson nutrition and cooking program. Most programs run over the course of six weeks, offering one class per week. This healthy eating model celebrates the traditional eating patterns (or “diet”) of our ancestors, indigenous people and immigrants whose food traditions shaped the culinary landscape of the four regions of Latin America: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Participants explore the major food groups of the Pyramid while learning healthy eating habits with simple, delicious recipes based in the foods and flavors of Latin American heritage. Each lesson is based on a different plant-based food group in the culinary traditions of the various people and regions of Latin America.

 “Meals are easy to prepare and they taste really great. The best part is that they are healthy.” 

“I love coming to this class.”

“Me servio’ muchisimo a nivelar mis comidas a ser firme mejor con mi misma y lo mas importante, conocer nuevas personas” [It helped me a lot to balance my meals to be better with myself and most importantly, to meet new people]

A Taste of Latin American Heritage impact by the numbers

Across the full group, there were statistically significant improvements in consumption of fruits, herbs, whole grains, and nuts as well as in exercise frequency.

Based on pre- and post-survey data collected from 252 A Taste of Latin American Heritage participants in TX, NJ, MD, MA, OH, NY, and FL:

33%

Report eating more
in fruits

32%

Report eating more
in vegetarian meals

32%

Report eating more
herbs and spices

31%

Report an increase in
exercise

30%

Report eating more
vegetables

30%

Report eating more
nuts and seeds

30%

Report eating more
beans

99%

report that history and heritage are motivators
for eating well

Reach and impact

Oldways’ heritage-inspired cooking and nutrition curricula (including A Taste of Latin American Heritage, A Taste of African Heritage, and A Children’s Taste of African Heritage) have reached thousands of people across the country.

  • At least 422 classes have been taught since 2012
  • 113 cities across 26 states (plus Washington, DC) have hosted a class series
  • More than 2,300 people have participated in a class

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is modeled off of A Taste of African Heritage, a research-tested approach with results published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. You can find more research related to Latin American Heritage diets here.

Evidence-based results

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is an evidence-based “emerging” approach. Participants report several improved healthy eating behaviors.

  • Increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
  • Increased weekly exercise frequency
  • 99% reported heritage as a motivator for eating well

Class Directory

Instructor

Site

When

Fee

Open to Public?

Instructor

Jacquelyn Saez

Site

NKCDC

When

Sep. 24th 2024 – Oct. 15th 2024, Tuesdays 4pm to 6pm

Fee

NA

Open to Public?

Yes

No class in your area?

Become a teacher and bring A Taste of Latin American Heritage to your local community.

Information for teachers

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is an excellent programs to teach for anyone working in nutrition, education, food service, faith-based initiatives, community outreach work, or public health and wellness. You don’t have to be a chef or nutrition professional.

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Take our free teacher training program to get started.

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Teacher Resources

Tips for fundraising, kitchen setup, collecting surveys, and more.

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Share details about your upcoming class series.

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Purchase & License Info

Curriculum available in both print and digital formats.

FAQs about A Taste of Latin American Heritage

What Are A Taste of Latin American Heritage Classes Like?

A Taste of Latin American Heritage brings the Latin American Heritage Diet Pyramid to life. This healthy eating model celebrates the traditional eating patterns (or “diet”) of our ancestors, indigenous people and immigrants whose food traditions shaped the culinary landscape of the four regions of Latin America: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Participants explore the major food groups of the Pyramid while learning healthy eating habits with simple, delicious recipes based in the foods and flavors of Latin American heritage. Each lesson is based on a different plant-based food group in the culinary traditions of the various people and regions of Latin America.

Lesson 1: Herbs and Spices

Lesson 2: Tubers

Lesson 3: Whole Grains

Lesson 4: Fruits, Vegetables, and a Healthy Lifestyle

Lesson 5: Pulses

Lesson 6: Nuts, Seeds, and Oils

Bilingual (all pages are in both English and Spanish)

¿Cómo son las clases de “El sabor de la herencia latinoamericana”?

El sabor de la herencia latinoamericana da vida a la pirámide. Este modelo de alimentación saludable celebra los patrones de alimentación tradicionales (o “dieta”) de nuestros antepasados, pueblos indígenas e inmigrantes cuyas tradiciones alimentarias dieron forma al paisaje culinario de las cuatro regiones de América Latina: México, América Central, América del Sur y el Caribe. Los participantes exploran los principals grupos de alimentos de la pirámide mientras aprenden hábitos alimenticios saludables con recetas simples y deliciosas basadas en los alimentos y sabores de la herencia latinoamericana. Cada lección se basa en un grupo diferente de alimentos a base de plantas en las tradiciones culinarias de las diversas personas y regiones de Am.rica Latina.

Lección 1: Hierbas y especies

Lección 2: Tubérculos

Lección 3: Granos integrales

Lección 4: Frutas, vegetales y un estilo de vida saludable

Lección 5: Legumbres

Lección 6: Nueces, semillas y aceites

Bilingüe (todas las páginas están tanto en inglés como en español)

Who Are The Classes For?

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is designed for people of all ages and interests, including:

  • Anyone who wants to add more flavor and nutrition to their life.
  • Anyone interested in learning more about Latin American heritage and culinary history.
  • Friends wanting to get healthy or to start a cooking club together.
  • Teens and preteens just learning how to cook.
  • Seniors craving the foods of their childhoods and a taste of the old ways.
How Can I Attend A Class?

Check out our class site directory to locate a class near you. And if you can’t find one happening now, don’t despair! New classes are added all the time, so check back with us regularly. Or, become a teacher and bring the class to your community.

Who Can Teach the Classes?

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is an excellent programs to teach for anyone working in nutrition, education, food service, faith-based initiatives, community outreach work, or public health and wellness. You don’t have to be a chef or nutrition professional. Our on-demand (1-hour) teaching training webinar (available in both English and Spanish) will give you the background information you need to know to confidently teach this course. Lesson plans have easily-followed, step-by-step guides for preparing and teaching.

How Do I Start Teaching?

After you’ve viewed the (1-hour) teacher training webinar, fill out our “Become a Teacher Form” or contact [email protected] to get started. To access the curriculum, you can either: buy a license for 1 year of digital access, or buy hard copies of the curriculum books. More details on these two options below:

Licensing

Organizations interested in teaching A Taste of Latin American Heritage can license the curriculum on an annual basis, which will allow the licensee to download a PDF version of the curriculum and related resources.

  • Standard Single-Site License: For community health centers, SNAP-Ed providers, and other local organizations/small businesses. $300 per year per program
  • Multi-Site License: For larger national organizations, or organizations with multiple sites.

Contact [email protected] to learn more.

Purchasing the Curriculum

Alternatively, organizations can purchase the printed teacher’s manual ($34.99) and student handbooks ($249.99 for a bundle of 15) in our webstore with or without a license. Please note that photocopying the printed curriculum is a violation of the copyright. The minimum order of student handbooks is 15. Classes are also encouraged to purchase the Latin American Heritage Pyramid Poster ($19.99) to display in the class, and purchase the trifold brochures ($39.99 for 100).

How was A Taste of Latin American Heritage Developed?

Before we created our cooking and nutrition curricula, we first assembled an advisory committee of nutrition scientists, culinary historians, and experts in Latin American nutrition and culinary history to develop the first Latin American Heritage Diet Pyramid in 1996. In the decades that followed, the Pyramid was updated with recommendations from our advisory committee as new research became available.

A Taste of Latin American Heritage was developed after numerous requests from partners who knew and loved A Taste of African Heritage, and were looking for something to speak to the Latin American community. A Taste of Latin American Heritage was reviewed by Mexican-American nutrition professionals, and was professionally translated by a Costa Rican Harvard nutrition professor with feedback from Mexican-American dietitians as well. The program was piloted at 15 sites across the country before being relaunched in 2022.

In line with best practices, the curriculum is a dual English-Spanish format, whereby participants who are more comfortable learning in Spanish can see the Spanish words, and also see the English words right next to them to make grocery shopping easier. We continually collect feedback to optimize the program.

Is A Taste of Latin American Heritage Evidence-Based?

SNAP-Ed recognizes three levels of evidence-based approaches: research-tested, practice-tested, and emerging. As one of our newer programs, A Taste of Latin American Heritage is considered an “emerging” approach.

A Taste of Latin American Heritage is modeled off of A Taste of African Heritage, a research-tested approach with results published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. You can find more research related to Latin American Heritage diets here.

Can I Teach a Class Online?

Yes! Please visit our Virtual Teaching Tips page for more information.