latin american diet

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The historical pattern includes the following (with several parenthetical notes

adding contemporary public health perspectives):

 

 

An abundance of food from plant sources, most notably maize and potatoes, but

also including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, rice, cornbread,

tortillas, beans, nuts, and seeds.

Daily preparation of meals in the home, with a preference for locally grown

foods, (which were prepared in a way that enhanced the health promoting

micronutrient and antioxidant content of these foods).

Limited availability of edible oils. Fats obtained by the consumption of fruits,

nuts, and certain vegetables containing significant level of lipids, such as

avocados, walnuts, cashews, peanuts and palm oil.

 

Daily consumption of chiles in small amounts, ubiquitous at almost every meal.

 

Weekly consumption of poultry, (especially turkey), and fish.

 

Abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes,

root vegetables, cassava and yucca; usually consumed during main meals.

 

Daily intake of chocolate, consumed as a hot beverage of mainly water and cacao

beans.

 

Red meat eaten sparingly, only a few times a month.

 

Regular physical activity at a level which promotes healthy weight, fitness, and

well-being.

 

Moderate consumption of alcohols made from a variety of fermented fruits and

vegetables, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and

one glass per day for women (from a contemporary public health perspective, wine

should be considered optional and avoided when consumption would put the

individual or others at risk).

 

 

and

 

Trends in dietary patterns of Latin American populations.

 

Bermudez OI, Tucker KL.

 

Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Research Center on

Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, 02111-1524, USA. odilia.bermudez

 

It is important to characterize the level and magnitude of changes in food

consumption patterns in Latin American populations as they undergo demographic

and developmental transitions because of the effects of such changes on the

development and progression of chronic diseases. This paper examines trends in

food intake across regions in Latin America. Although trends in apparent food

consumption differ in magnitude and timing, the overall patterns of change are

remarkably consistent. Intakes of total fat, animal products, and sugar are

increasing, even while there have been rapid declines in the intake of cereals,

fruit, and some vegetables. The costs of the increased prevalence of chronic

disease associated with these dietary changes are already affecting health

systems still coping with malnutrition and infectious disease. Because this

pattern of change is predictable, it is important to learn from the experiences

gained in countries that are more advanced in the transition. Efforts to educate

the population on the importance of a healthy diet and to issue policies to

improve the availability of a healthy food supply can help to reduce the rapid

escalation of obesity and chronic diseases.