Welcome to the Latino Nutrition Coalition!
The Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC) is an Oldways’ educational program inspiring Latinos to improve and maintain their health through traditional foods and active lifestyles. The LNC creates practical, culturally-aware materials in English and Spanish that help Latinos combine the best of their healthy food traditions with the realities of modern American life.
News
Acculturation associated with several unfavorable dietary changes
Study that shows Latinas give up a healthy diet as they get more acculturated to life in the US. Read more
Breast Feeding Make Kids Smarter
A study published in the May issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry found that prolonged breast feeding is linked to higher scores on some intelligence tests in childhood. Read more
Traditional Mexican diet cuts breast cancer risk
Latinas appear to have a lower incidence of breast cancer than non-Latina white women. Following a traditional Mexican diet may help lower the risk of breast cancer in both Latina and non-Latina women. Read more
Latin cuisine is hot!
A report by the National Restaurant Association lists Latin American cuisine as a major culinary trend for 2008. Read more
Walking an hour a week cuts colon cancer risk
Walking an hour per week helps reduce the risk of colon cancer, and the more strenuous the exercise, the lower the risk, a new study found. Read more
Cost of diabetes in the US surges
Diabetes-related costs in the U.S. total $174 billion per year, up 32% since 2002, a report from the American Diabetes Association said. Read more
Just how seriously do people take diabetes?
According to focus groups put together by the American Diabetes Association, diabetes doesn't scare people as much as other health issues such as cancer and heart disease.
Focus group participants were asked to rate the severity of various health problems on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not serious at all and 10 being very serious). Cancer and heart disease consistently received 9s and 10s in terms of severity. Diabetes, on the other hand, only received scores of 4s and 5s.
Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that is affecting more and more Latinos everyday. It causes problems in the kidneys, eyes, limbs, sexual function, mental health, and sleep among many others.
So why is there such a huge disconnect between the reality of diabetes and the general perception the public has of the disease? Click here to read the eye-opening article by Tara-Parker Pope published in the New York Times.
For more information about diabetes, click here.
Camino Mágico Bilingual Shopping Guide
Eating healthy starts with shopping healthy. With the millions of products on grocery store shelves, making healthy shopping choices can be difficult.
The LNC launched Camino Mágico, the first comprehensive bilingual supermarket-shopping guide targeting the Latino community, in May of 2007, to help Latino shoppers make healthy choices among the endless food options available at supermarkets today. In its first year, over a million copies of Camino Mágico were distributed nationwide.
Traditional Latin American cuisine is rich in flavor and is very healthy; food and drink traditions are passed down from generation to generation.
The LNC encourages Latinos to reconnect with their food traditions in order to improve their health. Camino Mágico is a fun and easy way to reconnect to traditions with a modern twist. It’s pocket-sized, to conveniently guide shoppers towards healthy food choices.
The 16-page guide contains:
- Nutritional guidelines based on the Latin American Diet Pyramid
- Calorie management information
- Balanced plate image
- Basics of reading food labels
- Portion control guidelines
- Recipes and meal ideas
Camino Mágico is distributed free of charge. Visit our Resources page for more information.