Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

Guatemala, grilled meats are cut into pieces and eaten

directly on corn tortillas as tacos.

These are often served with a variety of salsas

based on tomato or tomatillo with onion, chile, cor-

iander leaves (cilantro), and other local seasonings.

Tamales are made with corn (or corn and rice) dough

that is stuffed with chicken and vegetables. The tam-

ales are steamed after being wrapped in banana leaves.

Salvadorianpupusasare toasted tortillas filled with

cheese, beans, or pork rind eaten with coleslaw and a

special hot sauce.

Central American and Mexican Dishes

Beyond the basic staples, the cuisine of Mexico and

Central America is rich with many regional variations.

The tortilla-based Mexican preparations familiar in the

United States are generally simpler in form in Mexico.

Tacosare generally made with meat, chicken, or fish

grilled or fried with seasoning and served on tortillas;

enchiladasare filled tortillas dipped in a chile-based

sauce and fried; andtostadasare fried tortillas topped

with refried beans or meat, and sometimes with vegeta-

bles and cream.Chiles rellenosaremadewiththelarge

and sweet chilepoblanoand filled with ground meat.

Examples of specialty dishes includemole, a sauce made

with chocolate, chile, and spices and served over

chicken, beef, or enchiladas; andceviche, raw mari-

nated fish or seafood made along the coast throughout

Central America and Mexico.

Influence of Central American and Mexican

Culture

As two cultures intermingle, foods and prepara-

tions from each tend to infiltrate the other. This is

clearly the case near the U.S.-Mexican border, where

Mexican immigrants and return immigrants have

incorporated foods from U.S. diets into their tradi-

tional diets. The result has been a modified form of

Mexican cuisine popularly known as ‘‘Tex-Mex.’’

Beyond the border, this Americanized version of pop-

ular Mexican foods has spread throughout the United

States through the popularity of Mexican restaurants.

In the United States, tacos and tostadas tend to have

less Mexican seasoning, but include lettuce and

shredded processed cheese. Flour, rather than corn,

tortillas are more widely used along the border. Many

foods, such as soups and chiles, prepared along the

border have become known for their spicy hotness,

due to the Mexican-influenced use of chiles and chile

powder.

Benefits

The staple diet of the region—corn and beans,

supplemented with meat, dairy products, and local

fruit and vegetables—is nutritionally complete and

well suited to a healthful lifestyle. The proper combi-

nation of tortilla and beans provides an excellent com-

plement of amino acids, thus supplying the necessary

amount of complexprotein. The process of liming the

maize makes the calcium and theniacinin the tortilla

more bioavailable, and this food is a major source of

these nutrients. In addition, the traditional prepara-

tion of tortillas with a hand mill and grinding stones

appears to addironandzincto the tortilla. Beans are

excellent sources of Bvitamins,magnesium,folate,

andfiber. The tomato and chile-based salsas, along

with several of the tropical fruits such as limes and

oranges are important sources ofvitamin C, and the

variety of vegetables and yellow fruits such as papaya,

melon, and mango provide excellent sources ofcaro-

tenoids, which are precursors ofvitamin A.

Risks

Unfortunately, limited financial access to this

variety of foods for many people in Central America

and Mexico means that the diet often does not

include sufficient levels of vitamins andminerals.

For low-income groups, lack of access to animal

products contributes to deficiencies in iron, zinc,

vitamin A, and other nutrients. When animal prod-

ucts are included, there has been a tendency to choose

high-fat products such as sausage and fried pork

rinds (chicharron). The use of lard and a preference

for fried foods also contributes to high intakes of

saturated fatand cholesterol among subsets of the

population.

Changes in Dietary Practices

Throughout the world, the diets of traditional

cultures have experienced what has been called the

‘‘nutrition transition,’’ particularly during the last

few decades of the twentieth century. In Mexico and

KEY TERMS

Macronutrient—Nutrient needed in large quantities.

Malnutrition—Chronic lack of sufficient nutrients to

maintain health.

Micronutrient—Nutrient needed in very small

quantities.

Undernutrition—Food intake too low to maintain

adequate energy expenditure without weight loss.

Central American and Mexican diet