Food nourishes our body, provides us nutrition and helps in managing diseases. Food also gives us comfort, brings back memories, and binds one another. 
 

How we eat and what we eat reflect our culture. These are habits and preferences tied to our values, beliefs, and identities. These cultural practices can be incorporated into our daily meals. The dishes we eat can also bring us warmth and good feelings. Continuing to find pleasure in our food is an integral part of a healthy meal plan.
 

Here are a few ways you can bring your favorite cultural food to the table while managing your diabetes:

• Follow the healthy eating principle

You probably have seen the healthy plate – half of the plate filled with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter of it with carbohydrates sources, and the remaining quarter with protein foods. It is a visual guide to remind you to have different food groups. If your culture does not use a plate to eat, try using your hand to guide you – have about two fists of non-starchy vegetables, one fist of carbohydrate food, and about a palm size of protein choice.

• Choose carbohydrates that are high in fiber

In addition to the widely available whole wheat or brown rice products in the market, you can also try including fiber-rich carbohydrate ingredients that are familiar to your culture. These include starchy vegetables (cassava, yuca, taro, yam, pumpkin, sweet potatoes), legumes (lentils, pinto beans, black beans), and grains (corn, amaranth, barley).

• Try a variety of protein sources

Chicken is the most preferred protein in the United States, but you can incorporate the protein food that you have enjoyed in your culture. These may include different types of fish, plant-based sources (e.g., legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh), different types of animal protein (e.g., mutton, quail, duck), and dairy-based protein (e.g., cheese, yogurt). Choose a plant-based protein, fish, or meat of leaner options more often.

• Reduce, replace, rebalance

It is recommended to decrease the consumption of processed grain products and added sugar. You can do so by replacing some of the processed grain products with whole-grain food. For example, replacing white rice with brown rice. If this is not your preference or a specific food product or ingredient(s) are crucial for your cultural dishes, you may consider reducing the frequency or the amount of these ingredients. You may also try by rebalancing your plate, such as adding more non-starchy vegetables.
 

Talk to one of our registered dietitians if you would like to discuss more how you can personalize your plate, your meals for your culture.
 

We have provided two recipes from our Latino Diabetes Initiative and Asian American Diabetes Initiative for you to try!