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Obesity among Latinos has turned into another narrowly defineddiscourse on how culture is seen by researchers and policy makers as aliability.
What else could contribute to the alarming trend in recent studies that show how Latino youth are more likely to suffer from obesity than “non-Hispanic whites or blacks?” In a study by the Mathematica Research Policy Institute, 26% of Latino children studied were obese by the age of three. Most research studies treat the “Hispanic” category as racially distinct -- as if the millions of Spanish speakers from diverse countries, ethnicities, and races shared a common gene. Add to the list the infamous issue of diet -- which is directly correlated to this purported Latino gene. Such would have to be the argument since this research study mentioned that socioeconomic status was not a factor, given that other groups racial were of the same economic background. Would it be over the top to suggest that food quality and assimilation into US consumerist culture are culprits? Lets look at these two issues a bit more closely. This isn't propaganda for an all-organic diet, however, overall food quality of US produce has declined drastically. Brouse your neighborhood grocery isle and you'll find that the nutrients which counteract the effects of weight gain are missing. For example, an important nutrient normally found in food is Conjugated Linoleic Acid (or CLA), a fatty acid that not only helps with fat loss but also has other healing benefits. Before the 1970’s, Americans didn’t need to worry about adding CLA to their diet because both dairy and meat products contained ample amounts. Today, US livestock are no longer grass-fed. Intake of CLA has dropped by 80% and the average consumer is confined to getting their intake from supplements. What is missing from the discussion on obesity is the quality of food we are often forced to buy. This is why many Latino activists like Aida Giachello, founder and director of the Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center of the University of Illinois, works with restaurants and grocery stores within Latino communities to make sure they offer healthier options. Rodolfo Chapla at the University of Notre Dame, recounts his story of gaining 20 pounds when moving to the US and learning English. He actually lost weight when he didn’t know English and couldn’t order food. Chapla, along with experts from the Pan American Health Organization , argues that much of the problem with obesity among Latinos can be blamed on a “health transition.” He argues that many Latinos immigrating to the US are leaner that those who have been living here for a longer period. The fact of the matter is that chronic illnesses are not native to Latino culture. Giachello argues that problems of language, and literacy make it hard for many Latinos to understand the nature of obesity and the risk for disease like diabetes. The fact of the matter that is for many Latinos, their main concern when it comes to diseases in their home country is to avoid a mosquito carrying malaria. Even worse is the constant back and forth discussion among medical professionals on what foods are good and bad, which often leave people confused and with no real understanding of what it means to have a healthy lifestyle. What’s good about the work of people like Chapla and Giachello is their commitment to combine their research with action. Most of the time, it’s the everyday experience of those who are being studied that get overlooked in the midst of de-contextualized research. Cudos for them! Image: Fernando Botero 
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