Culturally Tailored Dietary Recommendations for South Asians With Diabetes or Heart Disease and Their Caregivers: Findings From Two Workshops

Objectives: Institutional and community-based health services lack dietary cultural inclusivity. In institutional settings, this can have consequences for physical (e.g., cardiometabolic outcomes) and mental (e.g., belonging, depression) health outcomes. In community settings, lack of dietary cultural inclusivity can lead to patients' challenges with following dietary recommendations. Moving the needle towards culturally relevant medical nutrition therapy requires an understanding of how culturally diverse meals align with U.S. dietary guidelines. Older South Asians living in the U.S. experience an exacerbated risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; accordingly, our objectives were to (1) develop over 50 dishes authentic to South Asian culinary traditions, (2) analyze and evaluate the nutritional composition/characteristics of those meals. Methods: We conducted two workshops with South Asian registered dietitian nutritionists (n=6) who collectively developed over seventy recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner aligning with South Asian culinary traditions and recommendations for diabetes diets. Recipes reflected ease of preparation and accessibility of ingredients. We evaluated nutritional composition and characteristics of those dishes and meals using the 2022 Nutrition Coordinating Center's Nutrition Data Systems for Research software. Results: 39 out of 55 recipes met American Diabetes Association guidelines for carbohydrate content (< 30g/serving). We also included ingredient alternatives that can be used to lower the carbohydrate content of certain recipes. Including these recipes, 41 out of 55 met American Diabetes Association guidelines. Conclusions: Our study suggests feasibility of implementing South Asian meals in institutional settings and in community-based medical nutrition therapy for diabetes. These recipes can also be incorporated into care plans and menu recommendations for patients in the community. Although these meals align with current dietary recommendations, they are excluded from menus in institutional settings and future work is needed to test the adoption of these recipes and possible health outcomes in South Asian populations. Funding Sources: Center on Health, Aging, and Disability at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.