Nationwide Outreach Spreads Traditional Foods Message

Oldways Offers Free Latino Nutrition Tools

the Oldways Latino Nutrition Collection, a free online resource offering a variety of bilingual nutrition tools the educational organization has created through its 14 years of work celebrating traditional Latino lifestyles.

In time for Latino Nutrition Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), Oldways introduces a new initiative dubbed “Latino Nutrition in Your Community” to encourage health organizations, businesses and individuals to spread the word that making healthy food and lifestyle choices can help reduce the rise of chronic disease facing the Latino community.

The centerpiece of the campaign is the Oldways Latino Nutrition Collection, a free online resource offering a variety of bilingual nutrition tools the educational organization has created through its 14 years of work celebrating traditional Latino lifestyles.  The collection features practical tips, recipes and health information in both English and Spanish, available free of charge for individuals and health professionals to download and distribute.  In addition, through October 15, Oldways is offering free printed copies of its Camino Magico bilingual supermarket guide and its beautifully illustrated Latin American Diet Pyramid poster.

“Latinos, the fastest growing segment of American society, face serious health risks as they replace the nutritious foods of their traditional diets with a typical Western diet known for unhealthy foods and oversized portions,” said Sara Baer-Sinnott, President, Oldways, an internationally-respected non-profit.  “We are reaching out to Latino organizations nationwide to encourage them to share these tools honoring traditional Latino ingredients and lifestyles with their local communities.”

Oldways is already working with communities across the country, stretching from California to Illinois to Florida and hopes more will take advantage of this opportunity, Ms. Baer-Sinnott added.

“A lot of Spanish-speaking people will be touched by these resources,” said Cintia Aguilar, Latino Affairs Facilitator for North Carolina Cooperative Extension, in Raleigh, NC. North Carolina has the country’s fastest-growing Latino population, and Aguilar is working with all 100 North Carolina extension offices to use the materials in their community programs.

To date, distribution of these free materials is supported by General Mills, Herdez/MegaMex, Mission, National Watermelon Promotion Board, The Peanut Institute, US Potato Board, Soyfoods Association of North American, Tambobamba, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and Kwik’pak Fisheries.

To bring these educational efforts to even more communities, Oldways is looking for additional corporate partners.  Companies who would like to signal their commitment to Latino health by providing the resources to distribute these materials can visit our website for more information or contact Erika Ross, eross@oldwayspt.org, 617-896-4850.

Using its knowledge of traditional foodways and expertise in nutrition communications, Oldways is a strong voice for Latino health.  In 1996, Oldways created the Latin American Diet Pyramid as a visual guide to healthy eating.

Other initiatives have included a campaign that created and distributed 1,400,000 copies of its Camino Magico bilingual healthy eating guide; tastings of healthy Latino foods in national supermarket chains; creation of health information for consumers and health professionals; and establishment of Latino Nutrition Month to build awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.

Please contact Alison Clancy (aclancy@oldwayspt.org) or 617-896-4888) for more information, including hi-res graphics of the Latin American Diet Pyramid, or to schedule an interview with Oldways President Sara Baer-Sinnott.

About Oldways
Oldways (www.oldwayspt.org) is an internationally-respected non-profit, changing the way people eat through positive and practical programs grounded in science and tradition.  It is the parent organization for The Whole Grains Council and The Mediterranean Foods Alliance, and is well-known for creating the Whole Grain Stamp and the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.

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