Dietitians crave variety in dietary suggestions

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AUSTIN, Texas – There is currently a national push to diversify the field of dietetics to expand what we consider “healthy eating.”

Food is something we all care about. So much of our culture revolves around food. Many of our happiest memories came from around the table, and food can be a comfort in difficult times.

But when it comes to “healthy eating”, we’re pretty much on the same footing.

Kale, quinoa, and cauliflower can be some things that automatically come to mind. But the truth is, there are a wide variety of foods that can make up a healthy diet.

Nutritionist Vanessa Beltran knows what we see on grocery store shelves can vary depending on where you live.

Beltran holds up a calabacita squash and explains, “You may not find these in many regular stores. It’s much more about what you would find in Mexico.” She takes another vegetable and adds, “And you probably wouldn’t see this either, it’s a chayote squash. This was another thing I ate as a kid.”

Hand holds up chayote squash. (Spectrum News 1)

When Beltran longs for a little touch of home, she visits La Michoacana.

Beltran was born in Mexico City and moved to Texas when he was six. Since then, she has only traveled to Boston once to do her Masters of Public Health at Harvard.

“I came back as soon as I could because I’m Texan through and through – and Mexican,” she laughs. “I really missed my culture when I was in the northeast. You really can’t find the chayote or the calabassa anywhere in there. “

But Texas is not without its own loopholes.

“It is very difficult to find dietitians who speak Spanish and are completely fluent. And sometimes that’s what patients need,” explains Beltran.

After the shop, we gathered in Beltran’s kitchen to prepare calabacitas, which she believes is a traditional Mexican dish.

Vanessa Beltran, a nutritionist, uses lime juicer over a bowl of vegetables. (Spectrum News 1)

“Whenever I woke up at my grandmother’s, the first conversation I had at the breakfast table was almost always: ‘Okay, what are we doing for lunch?'” .

Beltran is most in her element in her kitchen.

However, this element differs from person to person. And that is one of the reasons there is now a national push to diversify the dietetics field.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, of the 93,000 registered dietitians in the US today, 3.1% are Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% are black, and 0.03% are Native American.

As a result, recommendations for what we consider “healthy eating” are fairly one-dimensional, and non-Western foods are usually ignored. Beltran says that’s a problem.

“I could have a Pakistani patient followed by a Nepalese patient followed by a Nigerian patient. Was I really well equipped to speak to any authority or to speak with real knowledge of many of these diets that were not my own?” No.”

As the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Austin Registered Dietitians Alliance, Beltran leads the way in building cultural literacy.

“Often we don’t stop – through politics or even through practice – thinking about what foods are good for these communities,” she said.

She says when dietary recommendations are divorced from a person’s culture, they are not only less successful, but also less sustainable.

“If you look at these communities, they have disproportionately high rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure,” she said.

Beltran describes food as “the rhythm of my day”.

As she takes the first bite of the food that has just been prepared, she says, “Reminds me to be home,” a feeling she hopes everyone will share one day.