¡Celebra! National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15th to October 15th and pays tribute to the history, culture, and traditions of Americans with Hispanic ancestry. Here at Oldways, we’re celebrating the month in traditional Oldways fashion: by focusing on food!
This month, we’re recognizing the tremendous impact that Hispanics have had on the ingredients and flavors around the U.S. From different ethnic cuisines to everyday fare, ingredients like cilantro, rice, salsa, avocados, tortillas, and spicy peppers (all Latino!) are now part of the American diet.
Every year, we at Oldways celebrate Latino culture and traditions not only because it involves delicious food, but also to build awareness about the fact that following a traditional Latin American diet can reduce the rise of chronic diseases facing the Latino community.
The Latin American Diet
So what is the Latin American diet, you ask? As you can see from the Oldways Latin American Diet Pyramid [2], it is an eating pattern based mostly on plant foods like whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, beans and tubers, nuts, and plant oils. Including lean proteins like fish and chicken, milk, cheese and eggs, and some pork and beef, it is a tradition-based diet that includes regional and culinary differences while still providing a healthy way of eating based on science. Scientists have shown that following these traditional ways of eating reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and different cancers.
Latinos and non-Latinos alike can benefit from the healthy—and delicious—Latin American diet. In fact, non-Latinos may also be interested in learning more about the traditional Latino diet and incorporating different flavors and spices. A few examples you can try:
Try Out the Latin American Diet for Yourself!
Here at Oldways, we want to encourage Latino communities to bring healthy choices to the table and inspire everyone to reconnect with flavorful and healthy food traditions in order to improve health and well-being.
How do we do it? By giving you some tips! After checking out some Oldways recipes [9], you can also turn your own Latin American dishes more healthy and traditional by using the following healthy swaps:
And, for a more specific challenge: Try cassava! It’s a staple tuber of African heritage, and is eaten in Latin America, West Africa, and the Caribbean, where it’s also known as manioc, mandioca, or yuca. Cassava is usually peeled and boiled like potatoes. It is eaten as a main vegetable or stew ingredient and is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. In recent studies, the phytochemicals, resveratrol and yuccaols, that are found in yuca have been shown to have antioxidant properties, linking them to cardiovascular disease prevention.
Try it baked and pair with chimichurri, an Argentinian sauce comprised mostly of parsley and olive oil—or boiled with a garlic-lime sauce [12].
Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!
Links
[1] https://oldwayspt.org/system/files/atoms/files/OW_LatinoDietPyramid.pdf
[2] https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/latin-american-diet
[3] https://oldwayspt.org/system/files/atoms/files/LAH-HispanicHeritageCalendar.pdf
[4] https://oldwayspt.org/system/files/atoms/files/calendario_Herencia_Hispana.pdf
[5] https://oldwayspt.org/recipes/search?keys&diet%5B0%5D=98&items_per_page=12
[6] https://oldwayspt.org/resources/camino-m%C3%A1gico-guia-del-supermercado
[7] file:///latin-american-diet-pyramid-poster
[8] https://oldwayspt.org/resources/toolkits/latin-american-african-heritage-diets
[9] https://oldwayspt.org/recipes
[10] https://oldwayspt.org/recipes/lime-guacamole
[11] https://oldwayspt.org/recipes/no-soak-crock-pot-black-beans
[12] https://oldwayspt.org/recipes/yuca-garlic-lime-sauce