USDA Dietary Guidelines 2016: How to Follow it the Latino Way

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A new set of dietary guidelines released by the USDA Thursday calls for the elimination of sugar and the increase of vegetables in meals. However, the usual Latino diet is already on the right track, according to the experts.

"A traditional Mesoamerican diet is naturally high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, such as corn tortillas," said Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel via NBC News. Calvo and Esquibel wrote the book "Decolonize Your Diet: Plant-Based Mexican-American Recipes for Health and Healing", which they claim proposes the same concepts that are found in the new dietary guidelines.

Calvo particularly believes that a lot of the food and culinary favorites in Mexican-American cultures are inexpensive and wholesome, per Inside The Bay Area. The book includes 100 vegetarian recipes based on Mesoamerican dishes that Latino immigrants in America can adopt. "We are coming from a Mexican-origin political context, so for us, we want people to honor the amazing food history of our indigenous ancestors by eating those foods and keeping those recipes alive," Calvo said via The Pioneer Online.

Here are some of their suggestions that Latinos can follow alongside the new USDA Dietary Guidelines:

1) Don't discount beans. Millennial Latinos think beans are "a poor-person's food" but they're one of the easiest and cheapest to cook at home. Beans and legumes are also packed with nutritious benefits especially when added in stews and soups along with vegetables. "Cooking a pot of beans from scratch is a micro-revolutionary act that honors our ancestors and the generations to come," the experts stated in the Decolonize Your Diet website.

2) Not fond of vegetables? Consider cooking with verdolagas or Mexican Parsley. These are commonly grown, readily available and can be added in soups, stir fry dishes, omelets, tamales and carnitas, per Specialty Produce. Like the spinach, verdagolas are rich in potassium, magnesium and beta carotene.

3) Eat your grains. The quinoa is known as a superfood that can substitute for carbo-rich white rice. However, the experts also suggest adding amaranth and chia seeds in your diet. These grains are rich in protein, iron, vitamins and fiber, among other nutrients.

4) Increase fruit intake. One way to help curb sugar cravings is to eat more fruits. But, if you only enjoy tropical fruits, adding more variety like mangoes and papaya should make your diet better.

5) Learn to love fish. A typical Latino diet comprises pork and chicken dishes but Calvo and Esquibel encourages adding seafood such as shellfish and ceviche in the weekly menu.