New Hispanic nutrition guidelines promote healthy eating

A Californian nutrition council has published guidelines for Hispanic consumers in an effort to encourage good nutrition amongst the nation’s most unhealthy population.

The nutrition information, published by the Dairy Council of California, places strong, but not exclusive, emphasis on dairy products.

The industry body said it aims to help families make good food choices even when limited by busy time schedules. The recommendations could further prompt the dietary supplement industry to follow suit and target the specific needs of the Hispanic population.

"With today's families having less time together due to more mothers in the workplace and busier schedules overall, making every effort to have family meals at home will allow parents to not only watch what their kids eat, but also give parents the opportunity to act as role models, which can be a very effective tool in keeping kids healthy," said Monica Montes of the Dairy Council of California.

The group yesterday announced that its website MealsMatter.org provides nutritional tips in Spanish as well as English, to cater for the nation's growing Hispanic population.

"Latin foods are full of flavor, and making simple changes to traditional recipes will significantly improve the nutrition content of the dishes. Cooking with low-fat milk and reduced-fat cheeses keeps the flavor while eliminating extra fat," said Montes.

Other suggestions include baking or grilling meats and vegetables instead of frying them, or serving kids low-fat milk instead of soda to boost nutrients and help eliminate extra sugar in their diets.