Experiences of Latinos with Diabetes in the Central San Joaquin Valley Page: 47
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I argue that these "concrete ideas" still exist today. There exists a health food paradigm that is
the driving force behind what is acceptable to eat if one hopes to achieve assimilation into the
health culture groups of the United States. This does not need to be the reality, traditional
Mexican food is not inherently "bad", rather it is an "American style" diet that causes problems
for individuals.
Furthermore, "Despite aspirations to eat a balanced diet, to some extent the luxury of
humoral eating had been reserved for the gentry in Europe....diets varied along class lines. The
very poor had relatively little variation...could not always afford to eat according to what they
thought was best for their health...familiar with...dietary ideas of their day...aspired to follow
contemporary medical advice whenever possible." (Wallach 2013, 12). In the interviews I
conducted this seem to be very true, even today. The Diabetes Education Program provides
nutrition advice and recommendations that are not affordable to all patients in attendance. This
then places patients at a disadvantage of knowing what foods are best for managing their
diabetes, yet when they are unable to participate they return to the folk etiologies and remedies
(teas and other regional remedies) to manage by making do. It is precisely managing by making
do that the participants I interviewed demonstrated their resilience to difficult economic
hardships, identity loss (through diabetes diagnosis) and found ways to manage their chronic
disease by being resourceful.
Behavior Change
In this last and final theme, I would like to take the opportunity to summarize the
previous themes and point out that despite these emotional and existential trials; the patients with
whom I had the opportunity to sit down and interview reported behavior change after having47
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Cortez, Jacqueline Nicole. Experiences of Latinos with Diabetes in the Central San Joaquin Valley, thesis, May 2018; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1157605/m1/54/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .