Category: English

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 3: Stay On Track, English, Healthy Body, Healthy Mexican Food

What is Portion Control: Part 1

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Do you have a grandma or madrina who’s always using old Spanish dichos to give you guidance?

Dichos are little golden nuggets of wisdom passed down by generations. They abound in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and California.

Not surprisingly, there are many dichos about food, like the New Mexican favorite, “Panza llena corazón contento.” That one (full stomach, happy heart) could get you in a whole lot of trouble if you let it. Better to counter it with “Poquito porque es bendito,” (A little bit because it’s sacred). Sooo much more civilized, and your abuelita would approve. It cultivates honoring your food as if it is sacred.

I’m sure many of you have seen your tíos or tías crossing themselves before they dive into a bowl of pozole. That’s the same idea: blessing your food, pausing and becoming aware of how delicious it looks and how grateful you are to be enjoying such a lovely meal…

Now think about this: what if you treated your body as if it were a sacred place, as if it were the temple in which you live? Imagine, if you treated your body with that much respect and love, how eating would change for you.

What if “poquito porque es bendito” guided your daily enjoyment of food? This old dicho passed on to us by our ancestors is perfectly aligned with our De Las Mías philosophy of “Poquito de Todo”—eat a little of everything.

At De Las Mías we want you to be passionate about food and passionate about your body. We want you to be Food Positive and Body Positive. We want you to embrace the deliciousness of our food and our cultural connection to it, and we want you to love and accept your body as it is now.

In keeping with our Poquito de Todo philosophy, we want you to make healthy changes that will result in a more empowered life and a healthier connection with your body. By embracing this “eat a little of everything” approach, you can make slight changes that will result in better health.

One of the ways to do that is to become aware of the size of your servings. We don’t want you to give up your favorite foods and family recipes—we just want you to reduce those serving sizes.

One tool to get a handle on serving sizes is our En Tus Manos Infographic. This handy little tool shows you how to use your hands, like your grandma did back in her day, to measure food.

Try it and let us know how it goes!

Check out our other articles in Healthy Mexican Food for ideas on how to cut down on serving sizes and enjoy your food.

¡Hola, Guapa!, Edición No. 2: Support, English, Healthy Comadres

Better Together: How to Start a Comadre Support Group

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We have just finished analyzing the results of our 2 year De Las Mías study! And our research confirms that a healthy lifestyle journey goes better if you have a comadre by your side! Yes, it’s true. Supportive friendships have been proven to help us make our lives better, and health is no exception. Social support and supportive friendships are keys to making healthy changes and having a healthy life.

In our work with our comadres at De Las Mías, we have come across several great ideas on how to nurture healthy and supportive relationships. Would you like to have a group of women support you in your healthy lifestyle journey? You can do that by inviting your girlfriends, comadres, madrinas, hermanas and tías to download the app and join the De Las Mías digital community. You can also start your own in-person De Las Mías Support Group. Here’s how!

How to Create a Comadre Support Group

1. Make a date

 

 

Invite 3 to 5 of your best friends and comadres who are ready to start living a healthier lifestyle. Agree on how often you will meet. We recommend once a week for 4 weeks. Then decide if you want to continue to meet once a week or go for every two weeks. This might be stating the obvious, but do what works for your group.

2. Take Turns

 

 

A great way to build support and confianza is for each person to take 3-5 minutes and give an update of what is on her mind without interruptions or advice. This is great practice. I don’t know about you but my comadres and I are constantly interrupting each other! You get your own special 3 minutes to say what is on your mind. Then the next comadre takes her turn.

 

3. Ask First

 

After you go around the circle and each one has shared without interruptions, you can respectfully ask if they want advice. If they say yes, offer your words of wisdom.

 

4. Speak from Your Own Experience

 

Try to speak your own truth. Say things like, “This is what worked for me,”  or “This is what I did that really helped.” Avoid saying, “You should…”

 

5.Share Your Goals

 

¿Sabes qué? Research shows that if you tell someone that you are making a change it increases your chances of sticking to it. Next time you are having a group meeting or even just sharing a private cafecito with your best friends, state your goal out loud. “Comadre, I am committing to cutting back on Gummy Bears.” (Or Oreo cookies, or chicharrones, or Doritos. You get the picture.)

Getting together on a regular basis to share your goals, frustrations and progress will get you to your healthy goals a lot quicker than doing it alone. Plus, it will be more fun!

Activities for Your Comadre Support Group

  • Do you want to walk more and sit less? ¿Sabes qué? If you commit to going on a walk with your comadrita 3 times a week for just 15 minutes, you are much more likely to do it. You might even do it for longer!
  • Start a Healthy Lifestyle Group at work. If you are lucky enough to get an hour for lunch, eat your lunch for 30 minutes and then go for a healthy walk for 30 minutes. If you can’t go for 30, go for 15! We know a group of 3 teachers that pitch in and buy the makings for healthy salads for lunch for the work week. They share the cost of the groceries, make healthy salads to share, and then go for a 20 minute walk. They feel great and have even shed a few pounds without getting obsessive and ‘all loca’ about it. Try it!
  • Is there a pretty street or an interesting neighborhood that you have often admired on your way home from work? Gather your comadres in your car-cancha, drive there and then go for a long walk. If you’re lucky enough to live in a town with a plaza, like Santa Fe, Albuquerque or Mesilla, New Mexico, cruise around the plaza and take in the beautiful adobe architecture of your ancestors.
  • Design a treasure hunt! Get some fun little objects like a shell, an old door knob, a porcelain duck, and an old teddy bear. Hide the objects around your neighborhood or the nearby park. Give your crew some clues and go walking for treasures. Take the kids or take your kid at heart.  
  • Make my day and go for a De Las Mías group bike ride! Take pictures and share them with us so we can post them on our Instagram feed! (I have a bias! I LOVE MY BICI! And I want you to love your bici too!)
  • Walk and pray! I am not kidding. I found a group of comadres and compadres in Silver City, New Mexico that used to pray the rosary while they walked laps around the field of the local high school.  
  • Do you have a book group? How about getting together to discuss an article from the De Las Mías blog? Combine it with a healthy potluck from our delicious collection of De Las Mías recipes.
  • Find a cause! Once you form a comadre support group, find a cause you can all support. If you can’t give money, give time. Make a difference in your community.
  • Craft day! Pick a date once a month or every three months and get together with your comadres to do something with your hands. We come from a long tradition of women getting together to sew, knit, and embroider. Start your own tradition with  your supportive friends and comadres. I have a group in Hood River, Oregon that gets together to make Valentine cards, or hand-made regalitos.
  • Have a clothing exchange party! Each comadre brings 2-3 items of clothing that they want to share. Bring 3 and take 3, or give away what doesn’t get exchanged to a good cause like Salvation Army, St. Vincent’s de Paul, Goodwill or the local Women’s Shelter.

There are many ways to get together with your comadres to improve your chances of living a healthier, more joyful and more supported life! It really helps if the comadres in your group also want to live a healthier life. You may all be in different stages of the journey (and that’s okay!), but doing it together builds confianza and success. Share your goals, your frustrations and your triumphs. We are better together, Comadres!

¡Unidas for a Healthy Life!

¡Hola, Guapa!, English, Healthy Comadres

Respeto and Confianza: How to Be a Supportive Comadre

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Research shows that when we are trying to learn new and healthy behaviors it is better not to “go it alone.” At De Las Mías, we encourage all women who want to learn new and healthier ways of living to team up with a comadre or good friend.  

Here are some tips on how to support a friend or comadre who is trying to make healthy changes:

  1. Listen first. Then offer help. Once you have listened to your comadre without interruption, you can say something like, “Thanks for sharing that with me,” or “It really helps to understand where you’re coming from.” Then you can go to “What can I do to help?” Take your cues from her and respect her wishes. This builds confianza and respeto!
  2. Ask for what she would like you to do. Try to get specific without being too metichi (i.e., forceful.) A simple, “What can I do to help you?” might be just fine. Some comadres have a written agreement. That’s easy to do nowadays with texting and email! Example: “Sofia will call Carmen once a week to see how she’s doing.”
  3. Be a good listener. Sometimes all we need is someone to hear us out without too much cross talk. Let her finish speaking without interruption. This builds respeto, the all-important element of respect.
  4. Avoid “you” and “should” statements. Instead of, “You should stop eating so many flour tortillas,” try, “You know what helped me? I switched to corn tortillas.”
  5. Share your own experience. Sharing your story, even when things didn’t go so well, builds confianza. Building trust by opening up your heart is better than giving advice. Just remember to let her talk first, then share your story.  
  6. Offer support without judgment. When she is struggling or feeling discouraged, try something like, “I’m here for you, comadre.” Or “Keep trying!” Or even better, “Let’s do it together!”
¡Hola, Guapa!, Edición No. 2: Support, English, Healthy Comadres

With a Little Help from Our Comadres: Part Three

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As Latinas, warmth comes naturally to us—and being a supportive friend is important. With help from our comadres we can achieve a healthy, content and successful life.

How to Be More Helpful to Your Comadres

Dr. James Prochaska, a well-respected researcher on making healthy lifestyle changes, offers the following advice to those looking to be a more supportive friend.

Show Empathy

When your friend is considering a change, one loving and kind thing you can do is be empathetic. Show her you understand.

Dr. Prochaska states that when people are thinking about making a change, they can feel like they want to take action but have self-doubt at the same time.

As a helpful comadre, you can let your friend know that you understand how hard making a change can be, and that you are there to support her as she tries to move into action.

Ask, “How Can I Help?”

It’s a good idea for the person asking for support to say what kind of support she needs. This isn’t always easy, so the helper may need to prompt her friend to ask for what she needs.

Miriam asked how she could help and I told her. You may also want to give your friend permission to tell you what is not helpful.

As the helping comadre, don’t fall into giving advice right away. Wait for your friend to ask for what she needs, or ask her, “What can I do to help?”

Show Warmth

As Latinas, warmth comes very naturally to us. We are lucky that way. We know how to show cariño.

It is a good reminder to show authentic cariño and acceptance for your friend. Give authentic feedback. You can say something like, “I know how hard it can be to make changes and I know you’ll do the best you can.”

De Las Mías is about helping one another succeed. When we have a strong support system, we can be more successful. Trust the journey, trust in each other.

Want to know more about living a healthy life in an atmosphere of kindness and support? Read part one and part two.

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, English, Healthy Family, Healthy Mexican Food

So, You Don’t Like to Cook: Easy to Cook Healthy Recipes

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Your secret is out.

You’re not your nana or madrina or tía. You’re not your mom. You don’t know the difference between a sofrito and a frittata. You are not a cook. You don’t like to cook. I can relate! I found easy to cook healthy recipes and you can too.

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Here’s my story:

My mom was excited when I told her my new boyfriend would be visiting from San Francisco over the weekend. I had told her so much about him. How wonderful he was, how kind and smart and Latino he was! She, being the mama bear that she is, was dying to meet him.

“When does Alex come into town?” she asked.

“Tomorrow,” I said.

“I can’t wait to meet this guy. He’s your first Latino boyfriend, mija. This is a momentous occasion,” she said.

I gave her a look and told her to dial it back a notch.

Then she offered to help me get my house in order. Who am I to turn down this kind of offer? So I said, “Sure, Mama, come over about 10 tomorrow.”

She was right. We went on a speed-cleaning spree and we got ‘er done in no time at all. In the middle of it, she asked, “Do you have anything to eat? I’m getting hungry.”

Uh-oh. I didn’t have anything to eat. Well, that is kind of an understatement. When she opened the refrigerator, all she found was a half-eaten piece of chocolate cake and a flat bottle of cava. Okay, maybe some moldy cheese and a rotten avocado.

“¡Ay, Virgen Santísima!” she said.

“I was planning to go to the store before he came,” I said. “I’ve been gone all week, Mom.”

“Not even orange juice and a loaf of bread, Sari? Really?”

“I don’t keep a well-stocked, fridge, Mom. You know I don’t like to cook,” I told her.

“Okay, okay!” She threw her arms up in the air. “It’s none of my business.”

You know you’re in trouble when they say, “It’s none of my business.”

Mom went out and stocked the fridge for me and tried to make it look like I’ve been eating healthy. She even bought some tomatoes, onions and green chiles.

“Let’s fool him into thinking you know how to make sofrito,” she said, only half-joking.

That was a couple of years ago, before Alex and I got engaged and then promptly eloped. I am happy to report that Alex is a wonderful cook. He makes some mean bistec de pollo, and cooks most of our meals at home. Okay, I help. I’m his sous chef. Sometimes.

Once we were married and set up our cozy home, I wanted to get into the kitchen a little more. Not too much, just a little. Like, throw something together for us once or twice a week. Do easy to cook, healthy recipes even exist for a girl who doesn’t like to cook?

My Tía Lori—the De Las Mías chef and la mera mera madrina en la cocina— would say yes!

These recipes can be found in the All Recipes section of the DLM app.

5 Easy to Cook Healthy Recipes

I still don’t love to cook, okay? But on those days when Alex doesn’t want to be in charge of the kitchen, I can honestly say, ¡me defiendo!

My way of thinking is that not all of us like to cook, but we can still whip up something healthy and delicious with just a little bit of help from our madrinas and comadres. Periodically, I will post some of my other Lazy Sari dishes, which are easy to cook, healthy recipes for those of you who are like me. After all, men shouldn’t do all the cooking. They need a break once in awhile!

Here are a few of our favorite easy recipes!

Black Bean Salsa
Chicken Taco Salad
Chilaquiles Con Chorizo & Huevos
Lazy Sari Posole
Tuna Taquitos

¡Buen Provecho!

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, English, Healthy Body, Healthy Mexican Food

De Las Mías 9-Step Healthy Eating Plan

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At De Las Mías we believe that moderation is key to better nutrition—that’s why we abide by the “Un poquito de todo” philosophy to enjoy a little of everything. Our resident nutritionist, Madrina Malena, created a healthy eating plan so you have the tools you need to make smarter choices.

Healthy Fruit Salad

A Healthy Eating Plan to Help You Achieve a Balanced Life

1. Un poquito de todo. Eat a little of everything. Watch those portion sizes. Not sure what the right portion is? Check out our infographic, “En Tus Manos Portion Control.”

2. ¡Tantas frutas y verduras! Eat more fruits and vegetables. Make it your goal to eat up to five vegetables and fruits per day. Go ahead, start with three! Then, keep adding. Try Madrina Lori’s delicious Turkey Taco Salad. Eat this, and you’re halfway to your goal of five fruits and veggies a day.

3. Switch to integrales. Eat more whole-grain breads and pastas. Eat more corn tortillas than flour tortillas. Eat more whole-wheat tortillas than white flour tortillas. Try other whole grains like quinoa. Try Madrina Lori’s Quinoa Salad. ¡Qué rico!

4. Los chicharrones son muy traicioneros. Reduce your intake of trans and saturated fats. (¡No matter how charming, the chicharrón is not your friend!) Switch to olive and canola oils instead of lard. Eat more lean meats, like chicken and turkey. Trim fat off chicken and pork. Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for tacos. Try Madrina Lori’s delicious Turkey Chorizo!

5. ¡Queso control! We love cheese but take it easy. Switch from whole milk and high-fat cheeses to reduced-fat milk and lower-fat cheeses like mozzarella and queso fresco.

6. ¡Aguas con la sal! Watch the salt and sodium in your diet. Avoid adding more salt to your food on the table. Read the labels of packaged foods for sodium content.

7. ¡Gánale a la chatarra! Junk food is not healthy for our children or us. Avoid it.

8. Watch the dulces. Lower your intake of candy and sugar and reduce the amount of food with added sugars.

9. ¡Agua! Drink water instead of soda and other sugary drinks. Make your own delicious aguas with fruits and vegetables.

Now it’s your turn, comadres! Discover better daily nutrition by making smarter choices. Use this healthy eating plan to become your healthiest self.

¡Hola, Guapa!, Edición No. 2: Support, English, Healthy Comadres

With a Little Help from Our Comadres: Part Two

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Last week we learned that researchers have validated that the strong bonds we have as Latinas in our traditional familias and friendships protect us—and can help us make healthy changes.

This week, I want to share a personal story and una práctica (a practice).

A Balanced Life with Help From Our Comadres

Miriam and I have helped each other through many life changes—including the death of her husband, my divorce, raising our daughters, becoming more prosperous, building our careers, decorating our homes, preventing and managing diabetes and, above all, living a healthy and happy life.

 

Each year, around the first day of Autumn, we get together and go through a plática process we started over 20 years ago. We make a list of the 7 most important areas of our lives and review our progress and make vows for changes for the following year.

  • Personal Relationships
  • Aspects of Health and Wellness
  • Aspects of Prosperity
  • Living Environment
  • Career and Work
  • Creative Expression
  • Care of the Soul

We go through each of the seven areas of our life and take turns speaking with no interruption or cross talk. We just listen to what each has to say and make no comment until the end.

We answer four basic questions for each of the seven areas:

  1. What went well?
  2. What didn’t go so well?
  3. What would we like to change?
  4. What kind of help do we need from each other?

Using this process has helped the two of us accomplish many things throughout the years. We have improved our careers, become wiser mothers, better partners, more creative writers and artists.

We have made more money and avoided making expensive interior decorating mistakes. We have both become healthier and happier and, oh yeah, we have both lost about 25 pounds each.

Continued Success with a Supportive Friend

Our annual conversation is one of the most valuable and consistent things I have done with my life and my comadre and supportive friend, Miriam, for 20 years. Our friendship has grown and deepened. We are in our 60s now, and it is fair to say that we are more fulfilled and happy as a result of this bond that is based on listening to each other, tracking each other and caring for each other’s happiness.

In the area of health and wellness, Miriam and I have made great progress. We have used this method for achieving a healthier, more balanced life.

This year, I shared with Miriam that one aspect of health and wellness that went very well for me last year was biking. (I bike six miles a day!) She smiled without comment. Just seeing her face made me proud of myself.

When I shared aspects that didn’t go so well, I shared that my arms felt like mush. Again, no judgment from her. Just a nod that she was hearing me.

When I got to Question Three—what I would like to change—I told her that I needed to keep up my arm strength, that I wanted to be a strong old lady, one who can pick up her own suitcase and put it in the overhead compartment. She still looked at me wisely and smiled.

And when we got to Question Four, Mir asked, “How can I help?”

After thinking a bit, I said, “I guess I need some suggestions, since I really detest going to the gym to lift weights.”

That is when Miriam finally spoke to give me advice. She said, “First of all, you don’t have to go to the gym if you don’t like it.” She then suggested that I get some exercise bands and told me about a YouTube video she used when she started doing arm-strengthening exercises. Knowing me and my love of television, Miriam even suggested I keep some bands by the couch!
I vowed to try it twice this week just to see how it would go.

She gave me a high five and asked, “Do you want to check in with me next week, and let me know?”

I accepted her offer and told her that I could also just shoot her an email or a text.

I then did the same for her. Her goal was to increase her walking by five minutes a day, three times a week. We went through the same process and vowed to check in and help each other out.

Miriam and I trust each other—we have confianza. Sometimes we admit to each other that we don’t want to do what it takes, that we aren’t ready for change.

Just admitting that we are struggling helps break down the barriers. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we aren’t, but we are always faithful about helping each other without judgment. We know that each of us only wants the best for the other. We both feel supported and cared for.

Having a comadre, a supportive friend, in your life can help you achieve a healthier, happier life. This plática process is a concrete way to get help from our comadres.

Learn more about how to be a supportive friend in part three.

¡Hola, Guapa!, Edición No. 2: Support, English, Healthy Comadres

With a Little Help from Our Comadres: Part One

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Health researchers tell us what we already know, that the Latin American family has some built-in protective factors related to the closeness and support we get from our extended families. Although most of us Latinas already know that, it sure is nice to have it affirmed by scholars and health researchers.

We know from experience, the value of our familias, and we know that our fierce love protects us. Now researchers are recognizing these strong bonds as something positive and they call it “protective factors.”

Women in kitchen 2

A Healthier Life with Help From Our Comadres

We don’t need fancy nouvelle cookbooks to tell us how delicious, varied and nutritious our food is. We know our comida rocks, but now there are hundreds of new books on the marvels of the Latin American kitchen.

Just as we already know how important our families and our food are to us, we also know what the research has confirmed about female friendship and support. A recent study conducted by Brown Medical School and University of Minnesota found that women who joined a weight loss program with a supportive friend were much more successful than when they joined alone.

Latinas have always had strong female bonds that uphold and protect us. And now the research affirms that this bond can help us achieve a healthier life.

Next week I’ll share a personal experience about how my comadre, Miriam, and I have been peer-coaching each other for more than 20 years, with stellar results. Check out part two and learn how Miriam and I helped each other through many life changes.

¡Hola, Sabrosa!, Edición No. 1: Getting Started, English, Healthy Mexican Food

Healthy Eating Plan: Poquito de Todo

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De Las Mías is not a diet club. It is a community of Latinas who support each other to have a healthier life. ¡Unidas for a Healthy Life! means you are in this community because you want to be healthy and not just thin. A healthy life starts with a healthy eating plan.

Our research has shown that women who strive to make changes because they want to be healthy are more successful than those who strive to make changes because they want to be thin.

We also know that giving up certain foods, like your Grandma’s tortillas, is only going to make you feel deprived and “hangry”. So have a tortilla—just don’t have three!

At De Las Mías we believe that moderation is key to health—that’s why we abide by the “Un poquito de todo” philosophy.

A Healthy Eating Plan Means A Little of Everything

Throughout De Las Mías you will see that we are all about moderation. “Poquito de todo,” means “a little of everything.”

We want you to be healthy, and make healthy changes over time. We don’t want you to feel deprived or have forbidden foods — “comidas prohibidas.” At De Las Mías we’re all about enjoying food, not giving up your beloved foods and customs.

We believe that we can be healthy and strong without being overly focused on being skinny. Getting compulsive around being “good” and being “bad” is just plain silly. Food is good. Life is good. The way to get healthier is to make small changes over time, while enjoying all the foods that bring you pleasure.

It is so much better to have half of a sopapilla, then have no sopapilla. It is so much better to eat half of that giant bowl of green chile stew your grandma just placed in front of you than to deprive yourself of its deliciousness. This is soul food we’re talking about, comadres, and we don’t want you to give it up. We just want you to make “un poquito” de changes, not give up the whole enchilada.

Embrace our “un poquito de todo” way of life and you will be healthier and happier. Let “everything in moderation,” be your way of life.

Ready to put the “Un poquito de todo” philosophy into action? Try our 9-step healthy eating plan, by our resident nutritionist, Madrina Malena.

¡Hola, Guapa!, English, Healthy Body

How to Become a Body-Positive Supermujer

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¿Sabes Que?

Women of all ages can be negatively affected by mainstream ideals of thinness and white beauty standards in the media. Research shows that proudly embracing your cultura Latina and surrounding yourself with positive role models can improve your body image.

Your body moves you. It carries you throughout the day, sometimes holding el peso del mundo on your shoulders. The stresses of work, school or family can add up, but how you respect and treat your body can protect you.

Treating your body with kindness and respect nurtures it with energy and positivity. Love your body by moving it and keeping it fit. Respect your body by eating delicious and nutritious food. Start looking at your body with appreciation instead of criticism. All these choices help you develop a positive body image.

Having a positive body image and healthy self-esteem is key to living a happy life.

What Is Body Image?

Body image is how you think of your body. When you look in the mirror or picture yourself, what do you feel? Acceptance or criticism? This is part of your body image. Body image encompasses what you believe and feel about your appearance, your weight, shape and height. Your body image is also about how you sense your body as it moves.

We want you to be a Body-Positive Supermujer because negative body image can hurt you. It can affect your relationships and how you communicate with others. Negative body image can contribute to low self-esteem and eating disorders, and chip away at your overall health and well-being.

Take a look at these signs and check in with yourself.

Signs You Might Have Body Image Challenges

  • Do you think of a part of your body with distaste or disgust?
  • Are you convinced that only other people are attractive and that your body size or shape is a sign of personal failure?
  • Do you feel ashamed, self-conscious and anxious about your body?
  • Do you feel incómoda and awkward in your body?
  • Do you catch yourself criticizing your body or the way you look?
  • Do you criticize other women’s bodies?

Signs You Have Positive Body Image

  • Do you feel acceptance and love for your body?
  • Do you celebrate and appreciate your figura natural?
  • Do you love your curves?
  • Do you understand that how a person looks says nothing about their character and value as a person?
  • Do you feel orgullosa and accepting of your unique body?
  • Do you love your body as it is now?
  • Do you refuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight and calories?
  • Do you feel comfortable and confident in your body?
  • Do you appreciate the way your body serves you?

What Affects Body Image?

How you perceive your body is complex. Many factors affect body image, including where you were born, how you were raised, who your role models are or were, and the social groups you not only interact with, but compare yourself to. Today’s media-focused mainstream culture has more power than ever to influence Latina body image.

¿Sabes qué? Latinas who watch four or more hours of TV a day or spend that amount of time on social media have a less favorable body image than Latinas who don’t.

Some researchers say it’s because mainstream media and advertisers push their distorted definition of beauty. Many times this definition doesn’t match ours. They portray certain values, people and themes in a way that make you feel like your uniqueness is wrong. This portrayal creates a warped illusion of reality that idealizes thinness and extreme Western beauty standards. This warped illusion can lead women to create unhealthy comparisons to the women they see in the media. This is bad for all women, but it is beginning to affect Latinas and you need to alert yourselves to it and reject it.

Did you know that…or ¿Sabes Qué? Latinas who watch four or more hours of TV a day or spend that amount of time on social media have a less favorable body image than Latinas who don’t.

How your Latina identity can improve body image…Now for the good news…

Latinas are strong, passionate and proud, and all of these characteristics should be embraced to improve your overall self-image. In a recent research study, women who identified as Latina—those who embraced their strong ethnic identity—described their bodies more positively and were better able to fight off the negative effects of media consumption than those who didn’t identify as Latinas. So as it turns out, when you embrace your cultural identity—tu cultura Latina—you are more likely to accept and celebrate body types of all shapes, colors, ages and sizes.

Embracing your cultural identity helps combat the over-sexualized or stereotypical body images of Latinas that the media tend to portray. In the language of social research, this is called a Protective Factor. Translation: Your cultural identity can protect you from the distorted body images that are portrayed in the media. ¡Eso!

Here are some ways you can draw from your cultura and boost your body image and self image:

  1. Surround yourself with positivity in your social and family environments. Research shows that when Latinas receive strong cultural support, their ideals for extreme thinness and Western beauty standards decrease. This results in a happier, healthier you.
  2. Even if you want to shed a few pounds, love your body as it is now. Adorn it, love it, accept it.
  3. If you think you might be having body image issues, stop reading beauty magazines that prescribe what a woman is supposed to look like. Look for images of Latinas who are beautiful because they are real, earthy, strong and powerful.
  4. Look for your own definition of a Supermujer and remember Latinas come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
  5. Next time you look in the mirror, stop to remember who you are and where you came from. Your heritage y cultura is built on a foundation of tradition, resiliency, love and support.
  6. Spend a few minutes a day meditating on your body. Practice being grateful for how your body serves you. Reflect on how you will take care of it starting today.
  7. Reject the mainstream definition of beauty and embrace your unique inner belleza and self-love.
  8. Enjoy comida y cultura. Express your love for your favorite foods. Learn to cook traditional and nontraditional foods. Cook for others and cook for yourself. Savor food. Enjoy it. Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full.
  9. Treat your body with love and respect.
  • Comb your hair like a loving aunt or madrina might have when you were a child
  • Treat yourself to a nice bubble bath
  • Ask your partner for a massage, or give someone a deep hug
  • Buy a nice soap or lotion for your skin. Rub your skin gently with lotion or special oils
  • Adorn your body with jewelry or other accessories that express pride for your culture
  • Wear lipstick like your favorite aunt or madrina
  • Take your body for a walk and enjoy nature
  • Dance your body. Move it to your favorite music
  • Make a list of the reasons you appreciate your body