Latino Nutrition Month Oldways Releases Latino Health Tool Kit

Target Latino thanks the Latino Nutrition Coalition and Oldways for allowing us to publish this important information for dissemination within our community. Let’s hope that we all work together for the betterment of our nutrition and that of our children.

—————-

BOSTON, September 15, 2009 – In celebration of Latino Nutrition Month from September 15 through October 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.

Latin Diet Pyramid – Copyright 2009 Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust – http://www.oldwayspt.org/

For Consumers, the kit offers:

• A 7-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: time savers and smart swaps
• Tip 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 emailing 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 websites. These programs include:
1. An updated Camino Mágico, a downloadable, bi-lingual 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 websites 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 our websites.  Prizes include wonderful Latino food products, autographed copies of our 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′ X 3′ poster with an updated illustration of the Latin American Diet Pyramid will be available at The Oldways Store on September 21, 2009.

Links:

Find Oldways on Twitter – OldwaysPT

Find the LNC on Twitter – LatinoNutrition

Oldways on Facebook – Become a Fan!

The Official Oldways Blog – The Oldways Table

About Oldways and the Latino Nutrition Coalition

Oldways is an internationally-respected non-profit, changing the way people eat through practical and positive programs grounded in science, traditions, and delicious foods and drinks.  The Latino Nutrition Coalition is an Oldways program inspiring Latinos to improve and maintain their health through traditional foods and active lifestyles. LNC members include: General Mills; Herdez; Splenda; La Moderna; Mission Foods; National Watermelon Promotion Board; The Peanut Institute; Soyfoods Association of North America; Splenda  Sweetener Products; United States Potato Board; and Wisconsin Milk  Marketing Board.  You can learn more at www.oldwayspt.org and www.latinonutrition.org.

Header photography credit: IStockPhoto