Culturally Creative Nutrition
Bring the taste of home to your heart-healthy lifestyle! Discover how creative food swaps, vibrant spices, and balanced recipes can help you enjoy the flavors you love while supporting your health goals. Celebrate cultural traditions by making your meals both meaningful and heart-friendly.
Important Education Takeaways
A variety of eating plans can support optimal health. A healthy diet should be unique to each individual person.
Many factors can influence our food preferences including family heritage, geographic location, food availability, learned cooking practices, preferred flavors, and favorite traditional dishes. Instead of trying to conform to one prescribed eating plan, aim to optimize your cultural food preferences to support your health goals.
Prioritize these eating habits to live a longer and healthier life. Focus on the commonalities among different eating plans to improve your dietary quality and enhance your overall health.
Some of the healthiest diets around the globe stem from Asian, Mediterranean, and Nordic countries and frequently highlight whole foods, fresh vegetables & fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins. These cuisines tend to prioritize high quality, nutrient-dense foods while minimizing intakes of highly processed foods, added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats.
Priority Foods and Practices
Plant-foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds
High fiber, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rich foods
Whole, fresh, and locally sourced foods and minimally processed ingredients
Healthy cooking methods
Moderation and portion control
Limited Foods and Practices
Meat and animal products
Heavily processed foods and convenience items
Added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats
Though the individual food components vary from cuisine to cuisine, these overarching commonalities appear to be directly correlated with longer life expectancies and lower rates of chronic disease including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Healthy eating around the world. Find healthful ways to enjoy your own culturally preferred foods and challenge yourself to try other global cuisines to experience new and exciting foods, flavors, and traditions.
Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, Spain)
Diet rich in olive oil, fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish and seafood.
Emphasis on fresh local foods, home-cooking, and family mealtimes.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Italian White Beans and Vegetables, Greek Chicken Meatball Bowl, Roasted Turkey Tenderloin & Italian Vegetables, Blueberry Tabouli Salad, White Beans with Tinned Fish.
Okinawan (Japan)
Diet heavy in fish, seafood, soy, seaweed, rice, sweet potatoes, and green tea.
Emphasis on nutritional quality and healthy cooking methods.
Portion control and “Har Hachi Bu” or the practice of eating until only 80% full, meaning you should stop eating when you first feel comfortably satisfied — a similar approach to mindful eating.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Baked Salmon Sushi Cups, Immune-Boosting Ramen, or Baked Salmon & Quick Cucumber Salad.
Nordic (Sweden, Norway, Iceland)
Rich in root vegetables, berries, whole grains including dark rye bread, fatty fish, healthy fats, free-range meats.
Focused on local, seasonal foods.
Regimented in balance and moderation.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Warm Winter Salad, Balsamic Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Spiced White Fish with Fennel & Citrus Salad, or Smoked Salmon Split Pea Chowder.
Loma Linda (California)
Predominantly plant-based, high in whole grains, legumes, soy, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables with some dairy and eggs, minimal to no meat.
Focused on whole/minimally processed foods.
Emphasis on community, positivity, and kindness.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Lentil, Cucumber & Spinach Salad, Good Morning Hot Cereal, or Tofu Scramble.
Nicoyan (Costa Rica)
High in squash, corn, black beans, rice, tropical fruits, root vegetables, and dairy with small amounts of lean chicken and pork.
Plant-forward, high fiber, nutrient dense, whole food focused.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Black Bean and Corn Salad, Mango Cucumber Salsa with Chicken, Quick Cuban Black Beans, or Food Truck Roasted Chicken.
Korean
High in vegetables, fermented foods, soy, seafood, poultry, and spices.
Utilizes low fat cooking methods, low in added sugar.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Kimchi.
Vietnamese/Thai
Focused on lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, rice, noodles, broths.
Utilizes flavorful yet low-fat cooking methods.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Larb Salad, Brothy Chicken and Confetti Rice, Sizzling Noodle Stir-Fry, Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce, Weeknight Pho, Lettuce Wraps, or Chicken & Rice Super Soup.
African (West, North)
Consists of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Basic Shakshuka or Green Shakshuka.
Middle Eastern (Isreal)
High in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and unsaturated fats.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Hummus So Many Ways, Tahini Marinated Chicken Thighs, or Wraps-to-Go with Hummus and Curry.
Indian
Primarily plant-based, rich in lentils and legumes, and flavorful spices.
Try these Basecamp recipes: Dal Bhat, Savory & Sweet Chicken Curry, or Shrimp Curry.
Enjoy global flavors. Add interest and variety to your cooking routine by trying new cultural dishes.
Find recipe inspiration from cultural cookbooks or cooking classes
Source unique ingredients from local international markets.
Utilize traditional herbs and spices to add vibrant and unique flavors to your recipes.
See May highlights for common herbs and spices by cuisine.
Incorporate creative food swaps to put a culturally diverse spin on some of your favorite dishes.
Embrace food fusion for fun and delicious new meals!
Food is more than just fuel. Cooking and eating should be enjoyed, savored, and celebrated. It is a way to share meaning, heritage, and nourishment with yourself, family, and friends.
Take the time to discover the stories behind your favorite foods. Trace back the origins of old family recipes or learn traditional cooking methods from your elders. Savor the flavors of your favorite cultural dishes or challenge yourself to try new ones. Create lasting memories by connecting with family and friends over good food. And fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to live a longer and healthier life.
Recipes
Recipe of the month: Basic Shakshuka and Green Shakshuka
As always, this recipe is the showcase of our live taught, virtual cooking class. Our chef and registered dietitian bring the recipe to life as they walk you through food prep, swaps to meet dietary or taste preferences, plus tips and tools to support you being your own healthy chef at home.
Bonus recipe: Shrimp Ceviche
From Jamie’s kitchen to yours, our monthly bonus recipes are published on our website and social media the 4th Wednesday of each month. We invite you to browse our recipe collection and come back often to find more flavorful and heart-healthy recipes.
We invite you to join us for the live taught, virtual nutrition classes each month to gather more information on our nutrition topics. This is also an opportunity to ask topic-related questions of our experts as well as connect socially with attendees for idea sharing. As a registered participant for our In the Kitchen program, you receive a few reminders ahead of each scheduled monthly classes, but here’s an easy to remember schedule: Nutrition Education (30-minutes, 2nd Wednesday, 12pm), Cooking Class (up to 60-minutes, 3rd Monday, 12pm).
Contributing authors: Jamie Libera, RD, LD, CCTD, registered dietitian, Providence.