Your Culture, Your Health: How Latinos Can Prevent Chronic Disease
How the American Diet Is Changing Latino Health
Latinos have become one of the largest and fastest-growing populations in the United States. Since 2001, Latinos have been the largest minority group in the US, largely due to births in the United States. Over 60% of latinos in the U.S. are second or third generation, and of that figure, 33% are first generation. As generations grow up in the U.S., cultural traditions — including traditional approaches to food — can begin to change.
This matters because food is more than nutrition. Food is culture, family, celebration, and tradition.
Traditional Latino diets can include beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, herbs, and other nutrient-dense foods. But as families become more accustomed to the American lifestyle, convenience foods, sugary drinks, oversized portions, and highly processed foods can become more common.
That transition can have consequences for long-term health.
Latino communities in the U.S. experience significant rates of chronic diseases, particularly type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Understanding these risks isn't about blaming your culture or your food. It's about understanding how your environment has changed — and making intentional choices about what you want to carry forward.
You don't have to abandon your culture to become healthier.
Chronic Diseases Affecting Latinos in the U.S.
Latino communities experience disproportionately high rates of several chronic diseases—type 2 diabetes being one of the most significant concerns.
Diabetes can affect much more than blood sugar. Over time, poorly controlled blood sugar can contribute to complications involving the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and blood vessels.
Cancer and cardiovascular disease are also major health concerns among Latinos in the United States. Certain cancers, including liver, stomach, and cervical cancers, specifically affect the Latino community.
Health outcomes can also be influenced by factors beyond individual food choices, including access to healthcare, socioeconomic conditions, language barriers, health literacy, and cultural attitudes toward medical care.
That distinction is important. Health isn't simply about willpower. It's also about access, education, environment, and the choices available to you.
3 Steps to Improve Your Health Starting Today
1. Reduce Added Sugar and Highly Processed Foods
You don't have to eliminate every food you enjoy.
Instead, start by becoming more aware of how much added sugar and highly processed food you're consuming.
Look at your beverages first.
Soda, sweetened coffee, energy drinks, and other sugary beverages can add a significant amount of sugar without making you feel particularly full.
Try replacing one sugary drink each day with water, unsweetened tea, or another lower-sugar option.
Small substitutions can become sustainable habits.
2. Move More Throughout the Day
Physical activity is one of the most effective tools you have for improving metabolic and cardiovascular health.
And movement doesn't have to mean going to the gym.
Take more steps.
Walk after dinner.
Dance to your favorite music.
Play with your kids.
Take the stairs.
Get up from your desk throughout the workday.
Movement should be something you can incorporate into your life — not something you have to force yourself to tolerate.
3. Add Nutrient-Dense Foods & Spices to Support Gut Health
Cancer and gut health
Cancer often develops when your body’s natural processes fail, allowing rogue cells to grow unchecked. For Latinos, cancers affecting organs related to gut health are a major concern. Therefore, it is essential to be mindful of what you consume. Ensuring your diet is rich in folate, vitamin A, D and E will improve gut health and reduce cancer risk.
Incorporate these foods and spices into your diet to balance gut health and boost essential nutrient intake of folate, vitamin A, D, and E:
Dark leafy greens: Spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Whole grains: Foods such as quinoa and other whole grains provide fiber and important micronutrients.
Seafood: Fish provides protein and, depending on the type, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
Alkaline spices to improve gut health:
Turmeric
Cumin
Coriander
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Fennell
Ginger
All herbs
Adding these nutrient-dense foods and spices to your diet can go a long way toward preventing chronic diseases and maintaining overall health.
You Don't Have to Give Up Your Culture to Get Healthy
One of the biggest misconceptions about getting healthier is that you have to abandon the foods you grew up eating.
You don't. Your goal isn't to erase your culture from your plate. It's to find ways to make the foods you already love work better for your health.
Keep the flavors. Keep the family recipes. Keep the traditions. Then look for opportunities to modify portions, increase vegetables, add more nutrient-dense ingredients, reduce excessive sugar or sodium, and choose less processed versions when possible.
Healthy living should fit into your culture — not require you to give it up.
Continue Your Health Journey
Start with the bigger picture:
→ Why Lifestyle Choices Shape Your Long-Term Health: Chronic Disease
Learn about cardiovascular disease and diabetes:
→ How to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease & Type 2 Diabetes: Leading Chronic Diseases in the U.S.
Learn more about nutrition and gut health:
→ How Ginseng and Cerasee Tea Can Heal Your Gut
Explore natural nutrition strategies:
→ Why You Should Trade Your Supplements for Herbal Teas
Your Health Is Still in Your Hands
Latinos in the United States face significant health challenges, including higher rates of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. But these statistics don't have to define your future. Start with what you can control. Move your body more. Eat more nutrient-dense foods. Reduce highly processed foods and added sugar. Learn about your personal health risks. And don't be afraid to ask for professional help when you need it.
You don't have to completely change who you are to become healthier. Your culture can be part of your health — not something you have to leave behind.
If you're ready to build healthier nutrition, movement, and lifestyle habits, virtual coaching can provide the structure and accountability to help you turn those intentions into consistent action.
About the Author:
COACH DEE | Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, CSCS, ACE—CPT
Deborah Park, known as Coach Dee, is the owner of Drip Training LLC and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. With a background in architecture and kinesiology from the University of Virginia, she has extensive experience in personal training and athletic coaching in a clinical (physical therapy) setting. Coach Dee combines her scientific knowledge with years of hands-on experience and generational knowledge of food as medicine to create programs that empower clients to regain control over their bodies and minds.
Her journey into personal training was deeply influenced by her personal struggles, including recovering from a life-changing car accident that led to PTSD and pain from scoliosis. This experience gave her a unique understanding of the connection between mental health and physical well-being. Coach Dee is committed to helping clients develop resilience, build strength, and rediscover their confidence—no matter the challenges they face.
