Having a hearty appetite has long been perceived at Latino tables as the equivalent to “good health”. Seeing how large quantities of food disappear at family reunions has made countless generations of Latina matriarchs happy. This holiday season, when we join family and friends to celebrate, most of us will overeat our delicious Latin food despite any previous good intentions. And why not? Christmas only comes once a year!

The following is a guest post by Jennifer Stinson, freelancer for Everyday Health.com and its recipe and calorie counter tools.

Racial and ethnic diversity has grown in the United States over the last few decades. Looking at diversity among children is the best place to predict what the country will look like in the future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012, 53 percent of the U.S. children were white, non-Hispanic; 24 percent were Hispanic; 14 percent were black, non-Hispanic; 5 percent were Asian, non-Hispanic; and 5 percent were non-Hispanic “All other races.” It is predicted that the population will become even more diverse as the country ages.

How cultural barriers can be more important than income

Recent studies have found that Latinos are the racial and ethnic group least likely to visit the doctor. More than one-fourth of Latino adults in the United States lack a usual healthcare provider and almost half of Latinos never visit a medical professional during the course of the year. Other reports show that Latinos are more likely than members of other groups to delay healthcare for an illness or drop out of treatment when symptoms disappear.

I have been involved in the research field that arose some 25 years ago as a result of Professor David Barker’s discovery that established the connection between a person’s birth weight and their risk of dying of heart disease.

His study found that the lower a baby’s birth weight, the more likely they were to die of heart disease as an adult.

Capacity building refers to those activities that a non-profit engages in to achieve, improve upon and sustain its mission over time. These activities are usually focused on ways to engage and better address the needs of the community, as well as develop the infrastructure to support such activities and document the impact – which if successful means the ability to serve more and more members with greater benefit to the community.