Lorena Drago discusses how food/nutrition play an essential role in health equity. We discuss the importance of language in health education, along with how assumptions about culture are a detriment to health. She shares important questions for clinicians to ask regarding food insecurity. Lastly, we discuss barriers in diabetes education, and the need to address them.
Lorena Drago, MS, RDN, CDN, CDE
Lorena Drago is a registered dietitian, consultant and certified diabetes care and educator specialist. Lorena specializes in the multicultural aspects of diabetes self-management education and is an expert in developing culturally and ethnically oriented nutrition and diabetes education materials. She founded, Hispanic Foodways which received the New York City Small Business Award in 2006. She developed the Nutriportion™ Measuring Cups that has the calorie and carbohydrate amounts of common foods embossed on each cup and the Nutriportion™ Hispanic Food Cards that have pictures and nutrition composition of common Hispanic foods.
Lorena served on the American Association of Diabetes Educators board of directors from 2006-2010, Chair for Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition. She was Past President of the Metropolitan New York Association of Diabetes Educators in 2004. Lorena won the Diabetic Living People’s Choice Award in 2012 and Latinos & Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition Trinko Award in 2016.
She is the author of the book Beyond Rice and Beans: The Caribbean Guide to Eating Well with Diabetes published by the American Diabetes Association. She is a contributing author and co-editor of the book Cultural Food Practices published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and was print communications chair for the Diabetes Care and Education Specialty Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from 2012-2015. Lorena’s new publication, 15-Minute Consultation: Tips, Tools, and Activities to Make your Nutrition Counseling More Effective was published in 2016 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She serves on the editorial board of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialist in Practice and Diabetes Self-Management magazine. Lorena has appeared on several national TV shows speaking about diabetes management.
Lorena graduated cum laude from Hunter College of the City University of New York with a Master of Science degree in Food and Nutrition and received her bachelor’s degree from Queens College.
Key Terms: health equity, communication, cultural competency, health disparities, food insecurity, hispanics, health education
