Spanish Diet Acculturation

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Molly Arts Spanish II Seora Hidalgo 3/23/24 Acculturation of Spanish Diets Acculturation is a term that refers to the assimilation of one culture into another. As more Latin Americans and Spanish speakers move to the US, research suggests that dietary quality has potential to be compromised when associated more with the US mainstream diet and culture, especially in younger generations. In this essay, we will cover how income affects dietary quality among Spanish-speaking people in the US. Furthermore, we will examine the questions someone from the target culture may have and the solutions we are able to provide. Lastly, we will discuss the differences in meal time and other cultural differences between Spanish speaking countries and the US. …show more content…

Culture is such an important part of our being and having moved somewhere that doesn’t have the same cultural practices as you can affect the way we live. According to Rafael Pérez, “After controlling for child age, gender and BMI status, it was suggested that dietary quality among Latino children may be compromised as they assimilate more into the USA ‘mainstream’ culture”(Pérez). Based off of this excerpt, an issue with cultural significance can be that the longer that you live in America and assimilate with American culture, the diet of the student can be compromised. Not only can the diet of the student become less healthy, but the diet itself can shift cultures. This can affect the student emotionally, as culture is such a big part of who everyone is. Lastly, we will go further into the culture that we’ve been discussing so much. Spanish speaking culture differs from American culture in terms of the time at which they eat food, types of food, and how meal time itself works. For instance, Spaniards eat dinner around 9-11 P.M.. In America, most people are asleep by 11 P.M.! Spaniards place little importance on breakfast and eat their biggest meal, lunch, around 2-3 …show more content…

Benitez said, “Gradual shifts in diets and trying new things slowly. Don’t force them to do something they are entirely open to. Be sympathetic and take their feelings into consideration” (Benitez). Furthermore, the different types of food that Americans and Latinos/ Spaniards eat can be a big adjustment that, as Americans, we can help with. According to Shubert and Rodriguez, “Spanish cooking varies greatly from region to region, linked to local products and traditions”(Shubert and Rodriguez). This brings up another interesting point. In America, most buy their food from their big chain stores, while Spaniards get food fresh from local markets. In summary, we discussed acculturation and the effects that it will have on a new student from a Spanish-speaking country. Furthermore, we discussed how we have the ability to ask and answer questions sought and provided to us to gain a better understanding of the subject for both parties. And lastly, we discussed how different the two cultures are, between meal time, types of food, and how we can help ease people into another

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