Mexican and Indian Food

Food and Cultural Nuances
Worldview
I am writing about Mexican culture. Mexicans are predominantly Christians, which plays a significant role in their worldview. This worldview is the result of colonization efforts by the Spanish. Thus, the worldview of this culture is prone to hard work and sacrifice, as well as conventional Western morality. Many Mexicans believe that if they work hard and sacrifice in this life, they will gain rewards in the afterlife.
The Mexican worldview is at variance with that of my culture, which is Southeast Asian Indian. While Mexican culture is primarily Occidental, mine is rooted in eastern thought and philosophy. The predominant religion of my culture is Hinduism. This religion is much less preoccupied with material items than Christianity is, which is a large point of differentiation in the worldviews of these cultures.
Health beliefs
The health beliefs of Mexican culture are multifaceted. One the one hand, this is a culture which values girth and weight as an outward manifestation of healthiness. In general, this culture does not prize exercise as a means of staying healthy. Instead, the mores of this culture are focused on eating well and working hard. Eating well generally constitutes having enough choice food.
The health beliefs of Indian culture are different from those of conventional Mexican culture. Indians do not consider heaviness or corpulence as much a sign of health as Mexicans do. Instead, Indians view svelte, trim figures much more aligned with health than Mexicans do. Indian culture views exercise as a key means of maintaining health; Mexican culture does not necessarily do so.
Foods habits
The food habits of Mexican culture are fairly distinct. Grain is highly valued in the form of rice and tortillas. Additionally, refried beans are another staple in this culture, particularly the refried beans that contain lard. Breakfast foods include vittles high in cholesterol such as eggs and chorizo. Chorizo is a type of sausage containing pork which is decidedly fattening.
There are certain points of comparison between the food habits of traditional Indian culture and traditional Mexican culture. Both cultures readily embrace rice as one of their staples, and the Mexican preoccupation with grain is evinced in the predominance of wheat found in conventional Indian cuisine. Other important food found throughout the Indian culture includes “pulses with chana” (Culture India, 2017).
Meal composition/cycle
One of the most distinguishing features of the meal composition and cycle of Mexican culture is fried foods. Some of the most popular dishes in this culture are fried or contain elements of fried food. These include chimichangas, tostadas, enchiladas, and certain types of burritos. Thus, meals are composed of food high in cholesterol and fat, which contributes to the overall decline of its nutritional value.
Although the meal composition and cycle of conventional Indian food does contain some fried foods, it is not as high in cholesterol as all of the fried food in Mexican culture. One of the important factors about the composition of the meals in Indian cultures is the spices. This food is extremely spicy. Mexican food is also spicy, but it is more spicy with a hot taste.
Nutritional cycle.
The nutritional cycle for foods in traditional Mexican culture suffers from the previously mentioned two flaws: high concentrations in fat and cholesterol. The latter is attributed to the amount of fried foods in this culture. Thus, although there are foods high in nutritional value such as tomatoes and other vegetables, the heavy concentration of starch and greasy, fast foods erodes their nutritional value.
The nutritional cycle of food in the Indian cultural tradition is more nutritious than that of its Mexican counterpart. There are far more vegetables involved in all aspects of the main dishes in India than there are in Mexican dishes. Additionally, the lower fat and cholesterol concentration of food in India makes it more nutritious too.
PART II
Discuss how you believe cultural beliefs or food consumption patterns in the culture you are studying affect health and nutritional status in this culture.
It appears cultural beliefs and food consumption patterns are considerably affecting the health and nutritional status of this culture. Cultural occasions such as attending church (especially around religious holidays), quinceaneras, and Cinco De Mayo are all attended by lavish culinary ceremonies that do not involve the healthiest foods. Moreover, there are aspects of poverty in which people can only afford fast food partly because they have to work which negatively impact health.
Public health initiatives
One health initiative could involve a celebratory day for exercise. People could pass out cheap odometers and apps for counting steps and lead communal activities in walking, jogging, performing pushups and sit-ups. Another effective intervention could involve going to Mexican communities disseminating literature about the number of calories and amounts of fat in cultural food staples.
Individual counseling practices
One counseling strategy could be to talk to Mexican people about all the values of a healthy nutritional intake. This includes benefits such as quality of life, life expectancy rates, and aesthetically pleasing figures from traditional Western perspectives. A most effective counseling strategy could involve educating community members about the disparities in access to nutritional foods between communities of wealth and poverty to motivate them to make extra efforts to eat healthier.

References
Cultural India. Indian food. www.culturalindia.net Retrieved from http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-food/