The general consensus among Latinos is that their eating habits change drastically  when they immigrate to the United States. 

Doctors and Medical Staff Should Be Aware of the Following:

• In America Latinos are more likely to consume only one or two meals a day.  In their native countries, they usually ate three meals a day (Hudson, 70). 

• In America, Latinos  tend to eat sporadically, while in their native countries they ate at more regular intervals.  This is often a result of the fact that they now work several jobs and are, therefore, forced to "eat on the run" (Hudson,72). 

• In America, Latinos eat fast food more often.  These changes in eating habits often lead to a substantial weight gain.   They generally attribute this weight gain to eating late at night (Hudson,75).  

• "American" foods are believed to cause weight gains because they are perceived to contain added preservatives, chemicals, and vitamins, in addition to a higher fat content than  food from a Latino's country of origin (Westman, 294).

• In their native countries, Latinos often used excessive quantities of oil while cooking and favored fatty meat