Bilingual campaign helps Hispanics with Type 2 Diabetes enjoy healthy traditional foods.

New tools are available to help Hispanics enjoy healthy versions of their favorite recipes and control portion sizes, all designed to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. The recipes and other materials are part of a campaign called Más que comida, es vida, which means “It‚s more than food. It‚s life.”

The campaign was developed by the National Diabetes Education Program, a joint program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

“Más que comida, es vida provides new tools to Hispanics to prepare traditional foods in a more healthy way. A few simple adjustments can make these dishes healthier and lower in fat and calories,” said Betsy Rodríguez, public health advisor of the National Diabetes Education Program’s Hispanic/Latino Work Group.

Más que comida, es vida features materials written in English and Spanish, including a recipe booklet called Ricas recetas para personas con diabetes y sus familiares (Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families), that offers food ideas specifically designed for the Hispanic palate.

Among the healthy recipes now included in the booklet are: Spanish omelet (tortilla Espanola), beef or turkey stew (carne guisada de res o pavo), Caribbean red snapper (pargo rojo caribe), two cheese pizza (pizza de dos quesos), and avocado tacos (tacos de aguacate).

Fleishman-Hillard is contributing to this initiative with the NDEP, according to Ana Toro, vice president at Fleishman-Hillard Atlanta and chair of FH Multicultural. She is the NDEP’s Hispanic/Latino work group liaison. Fleishman-Hillard has been working with the NDEP creating materials for the US Hispanic market and other ethnic minority groups.