
As Diabetes Specialists, it is helpful and fun to become familiar with the foods of different cultures and regions. For today’s Question of the Week, we are quizzing participants on their recognition of a common dish from a Latin American country. Can you identify where this dish called Bandeja Paisa, shown in this picture, originates from?
Which country does this dish originate from?
- Ecuador
- Puerto Rico
- Peru
- Colombia
Click here to test your knowledge!
This Question of the Week is provided by Lorena Drago, multicultural nutrition expert. Thanks Lorena! You can join Lorena for a culinary trip that highlights the foods and traditions of the six largest Hispanic subgroups in the U.S.
Join the Webinar Series – Crack the Cultural Code with Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDCES
We are excited to share our guest blog post by multicultural nutrition expert, Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDCES. In addition to creating an amazing 6-week series that provides participants with tools, including live cook-alongs, that highlight the foods and traditions from the six largest Hispanic subgroups in the U.S. Lorena is a great story teller, plus, she is offering a $30 discount for her program series which starts November 2nd. Thanks Lorena for your sense of humor and your determination to get this spicy conversation going!
All Hispanic people like spicy foods, right?

Actually…
Funny story. I was eating a family-style meal with colleagues recently and took a bite from a dish that was spicy hot. I said, “Ooo – not for me. This is too hot.”
They looked at me and asked incredulously, “Aren’t you Latina?”
Yes, I am.
“Didn’t you grow up eating hot and spicy foods?”
No, I did not. I am Colombian.
“Don’t you eat hot foods in Colombia?”
No, we don’t. What we eat depends on the region in which you live. We have nine regions in Colombia, and I was raised in the Caribbean region. Therefore, the food that I tend to eat differs from the Pacific, Andean, Amazonian and other regions in the country.
We laughed over this, and a conversation about culture and food preferences ensued.
Join Lorena’s Webinar Series – Crack the Cultural Code. Starts Nov 2 – Save $30 with COACHBEV discount.
Many of us make assumptions about what our clients, including Hispanics, eat. What if you had a solid understanding of the food and culinary preferences of the six major Hispanic subgroups in the U.S.? You can! It’s time to Crack the Cultural Code!
The first—and only—training to address the food, nutrition and health of the 6 largest Hispanic subgroups in the U.S. kicks off November 2nd.
This 6-week program is for YOU; dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, and for all those who provide counseling to the Hispanic population and are asked, “what can I eat now?” Join us if you wish to improve healthcare outcomes for the Hispanic clients you serve who are at risk of chronic diseases, including diabetes. This program will provide you with the tools to counsel clients from the six largest Hispanic subgroups in the U.S. Improve health outcomes. Learn the nuances, food preferences and culinary know-how to confidently counsel your Hispanic clients.
Cost: $179 dollars – COACHBEV discount for $149 dollars
(COACHBEV cannot be added to other discount codes).
Register now: “Breaking the Cultural Code: How to Counsel the Hispanic Population, Featuring the Cultures and Cuisines of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, El Salvador, and Guatemala” 12 CEUs available
Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDN, CDCES
Lorena specializes in the multicultural aspects of diabetes self-management education and is an expert in developing culturally and ethnically oriented nutrition and diabetes education materials. She founded, Hispanic Foodways which received the New York City Small Business Award in 2006. She developed the Nutriportion™ Measuring Cups that has the calorie and carbohydrate amounts of common foods embossed on each cup and the Nutriportion™ Hispanic Food Cards that have pictures and nutrition composition of common Hispanic foods.
Lorena served on the American Association of Diabetes Educators board of directors from 2006-2010, Chair for Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition. She was Past President of the Metropolitan New York Association of Diabetes Educators in 2004. Lorena won the Diabetic Living People’s Choice Award in 2012 and Latinos & Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition Trinko Award in 2016.
She is the author of the book Beyond Rice and Beans: The Caribbean Guide to Eating Well with Diabetes published by the American Diabetes Association. She is a contributing author and co-editor of the book Cultural Food Practices published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and was print communications chair for the Diabetes Care and Education Specialty Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from 2012-2015.
Read more here about Lorena and Cracking the Cultural Code
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