NUTRITION ED - Celebrate All Cuisines

NUTRITION ED – Celebrate All Cuisines

Contrary to what you may have heard, you do not need to feed your family kale and quinoa every day to be healthy. There is more than one way to eat. The food you and your family like to enjoy is valid. Diet culture and the constant wave of advice on what and how we should eat are overwhelming and misleading. This article will encourage you to accept the foods you feed your family and give you gentle nudges that will expose your family to new cultures.

I am Filipino American and growing up, I always wondered if my food was acceptable by peers and society. I remember my elementary school teacher would ask us what our favorite food was. I thought my classmates were going to say all types of food given the diversity of the class. I was wrong. Everyone said foods that were typical in a Western diet like hamburgers, pizza, and pasta. I was afraid to say pork adobo (a soy sauce and vinegar braised pork dish), a dish I grew up eating almost every week. I gave in to peer pressure and said my favorite meal was pizza.

Kids are influenced so much by the things around them, so it is important to teach them that all food is valid. There is no good or bad food. All food gives us the energy needed to fuel our bodies. Every culture has an eating pattern that has been proven to be beneficial to their health.

There are so many benefits to eating foods from different cultures. You get to learn about different vegetables, fruits, proteins, and whole grains. By opening our minds and our stomachs to different cuisines, we will never get bored of eating the same thing every day!

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends people use MyPlate (pictured below) as their guide to eating.⁵ It is important to remember that MyPlate is just a set of guidelines. It recommends lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and calcium-rich foods.⁵ This can be found in any culture, so you do not have to change what you eat.

Below are some healthy nudges for your family to try with the goal of exposing them to new cultures. Also, check out the photos below of different cuisines from all over the world.

Try different cuisines:

Visit an authentic restaurant in your area.
Create a culture food wheel. Once a week, a member of the family will spin the wheel, and whatever culture it lands on, that is what you have to make a meal based on.
Talk with your school about having a multicultural day.
Talk with the teacher about creating an open space for all foods to be accepted.
When looking for a recipe to make, base your search on ethnicity rather than race. For example, instead of Asian cuisine type in Chinese cuisine.

USDA MyPlate⁵