title: Picking fruit from our backyard's trees: The meaning of nostalgia in shaping Latinas' eating practices in the United States.
abstract: Based on a focus group study conducted in New York City (NYC), this paper examines the traditional staples (i.e., nostalgic foods) that Latinas regularly consume in the U.S., along with their beliefs regarding the impact of such foods on weight gain and related body image. Our research findings highlight the "double-bind" of nostalgic foods, defined by Latinas' retention of highly caloric familiar items along with their progressive abandonment of fresh produce and fruits. Despite participants' efforts to eat healthy staples from their homelands, they mostly kept foods perceived as unhealthy (e.g., fatty meats, fried foods). This phenomenon was informed by the "same-food paradox," represented by Latinas' beliefs that the same traditional foods that would make them lose weight in their native countries would lead them to gain weight in the U.S. Our qualitative data show that participants' concerns about their weight gain in the U.S. is in tune with their general body dissatisfaction, as indicated by our quantitative results. Finally, our findings reveal the role of stress in promoting Latinas' deleterious daily habits, including their consumption of fat-saturated snacks. Overall, these results speak to the cultural and structural barriers to healthy eating that financially strapped study participants experienced in NYC. In order to design successful public health interventions targeting Latinas, the nostalgic aspects of food preferences should be considered in conjunction with the barriers that keep them from engaging with healthier lifestyles in the U.S.
authors.affiliation: Queens College, Department of Sociology, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Powdermaker Hall 233A, Queens, NY 11367-1597, USA; Doctor of Public Health Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY), USA. Electronic address: anahi.viladrich@qc.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Anahí
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viladrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue TRB 6th floor 628X, New York, NY 10016, USA. Electronic address: mbt274@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tagliaferro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D058870:Food, Organic; D005638:Fruit; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011634:Public Health; D014197:Trees; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body image; Eating practices; Food; Hispanics; Latinas; Nostalgia; Obesity