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Festival Foods in the Immigrant Diet

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Abstract

Dietary acculturation for immigrant groups has largely been attributed to the “Westernization” of indigenous diets, as characterized by an increased consumption of unhealthy American foods (i.e., fast foods, hamburgers). However, acculturation and adoption of western dietary habits may not fully explain new dietary patterns among racial/ethnic minority immigrants. The immigrant diet may change in such a way that it elaborates on specific ethnic traditions in addition to the incorporation of Western food habits. In this paper, we explore the role that festival foods, those foods that were once eaten a few times a year and on special occasions, play in the regular diet of immigrants to the US. This paper will focus on the overconsumption of ethnic festival foods, which are often high in carbohydrates, animal protein, sugar and fat, as opposed to Western “junk” food, as an explanation for the increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders among new immigrant groups.

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Acknowledgments

All authors participated in the development of this paper. All authors wrote the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding for this paper was provided by a current 5-year NIDDK-funded study examining racial/ethnic disparities in type 2 diabetes among Asian Americans (the Pan Asian Cohort [PAC] Study, 1R01DK081371-01A1, 2009–2013).

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There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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  1. Health Policy Research Department, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, 795 El Camino Real, Ames Building, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA

    Kristen M. J. Azar, Ariel T. Holland & Latha P. Palaniappan

  2. Asian American Studies Department, California State University, Northridge, CA, USA

    Edith Chen

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  1. Kristen M. J. Azar
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  2. Edith Chen
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  4. Latha P. Palaniappan
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Correspondence to Latha P. Palaniappan.

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Azar, K.M.J., Chen, E., Holland, A.T. et al. Festival Foods in the Immigrant Diet. J Immigrant Minority Health 15, 953–960 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9705-4

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