(1) Introduction: Dietary and lifestyle changes along with the cultural and linguistic barriers convert the immigrant women of Pakistani origin into a risk population for developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The objective of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally and linguistically appropriate food education program based on the Transtheoretical model that will allow the participants to become ambassadors of healthy eating habits for their community. (2) Methods: In this community-based RCT, any Pakistani adult woman with residence in Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet will be able to participate. We will use a mixed model approach. From the quantitative perspective, the participants will answer a survey accompanied by a multilingual nutritionist that will help us to determine the sociodemographic, clinical, anthropometric, dietary data, and quality of life. From the qualitative perspective, we will conduct 6 focus groups (3 in each municipality) to determine the cultural and religious beliefs with the aim of tailoring the intervention to the target population. Hereafter, the participants from one municipality will randomly become the control group and from the other, the intervention group. The intervention group will participate in 10 weekly food education sessions based on the Transtheoretical model while the control group will receive 3 general educational sessions on food and health. During the evaluation procedure, we will assess the impact of the intervention considering the outcomes of the study. (3) Discussion: This study will establish intercultural bridges between health professionals and the Pakistani community living in Catalonia. The project will open the door for future interventions, and it will be sustainable in time as the participating women will become health promotion agents for the rest of their community.

Since Lévi-Strauss’ declaration “good to think, good to eat,” the social sciences have supported the idea that foods first have to be edible for our minds and only subsequently physically digested by our organism. If so, then it is culture that creates the categories that we use to classify foods. But, with the process of nutrionalization, food is understood as a collection of biochemical nutrients that are necessary in order to achieve the balance needed to live a long and healthy life. The categories scientists use to classify our foods have changed considerably. This fact implies an important qualitative change in our perception of food and our diet in its totality. With food technology, nutrition and genetics food identification (identity?) escapes the reach of today’s citizens as members of each respective culture. In any case, even if our primary preoccupation seems to be exclusively nutrit ional, and today it is very easy to “modify” the foods we eat and create new combinations to “improve” our diet, we must not forget that those food habits that are damaging our health are also determined by sociocultural factors because when we “modify” the original composition of a food, it seems that we are acknowledging the importance of such sociocultural factors.

For centuries, the great food challenge was to cope with the insecurity caused by scarcity and, for this, food production and productivity had to be increased. The so-called Green Revolution was the culmination of that process. But, with its "success", the problems shifted to excess insecurities: obesity, "junk food", waste, globalized food crises ... The responses to these new problems have been numerous and varied: labeling, traceability, standardization, health controls, food recommendations ... However, in 2020, the great challenges continue to be to reduce hunger, obesity and, also, waste and the unsustainability of the food system. In this regard, recommendations to overcome them abound. Complying with the recommendations constitutes a huge challenge and foreseeing the barriers to their compliance, another. Not all citizens of the world enjoy the same type and degree of freedom in their food choices. Can impoverished people and those who live in big cities and need long periods of time to commute, meet the recommendations to follow a healthy diet for themselves and the planet? On the other hand, are there consensus and possibilities of collaboration among all the actors involved (citizens, governments, economic agents, political parties, scientists, social movements, pressure groups ...) or controversy and concurrence? It seems that we are facing a squaring of the circle. According to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Soil, to achieve more sustainable land management and eradicate poverty, it is necessary to design appropriate policies (improve access to markets, ensure land tenure, factor environmental costs in food, improve collective action ...). Designing those policies is not difficult, but what about implementing them? At the moment, poverty, hunger, obesity, desertification ... as well as the wealth of the rich continue to increase. Are there causal relationships? In addition to recommending reducing the consumption of meat, shouldn't we also recommend a certain redistribution of wealth? Durante siglos, el gran reto alimentario fue hacer frente a la inseguridad provocada por la escasez y, para ello, debía aumentarse la producción y la productividad alimentaria. La llamada Revolución Verde fue la culminación de ese proceso. Pero, con su “éxito”, los problemas se desplazaron a las inseguridades por exceso: obesidad, “comida basura”, desperdicios y despilfarro, crisis alimentarias globalizadas… Las respuestas a estos nuevos problemas han sido numerosas y variadas: etiquetaje, trazabilidad, normalización, controles sanitarios, recomendaciones alimentarias… Sin embargo, en 2020, los grandes retos siguen siendo disminuir el hambre, la obesidad y, además, el despilfarro y la insostenibilidad del sistema alimentario. Al respecto, abundan las recomendaciones para superarlos. Cumplir con las recomendaciones constituye un enorme reto y prever las barreras para su cumplimiento, otro. No todos los ciudadanos del mundo gozan del mismo tipo y grado de libertad en sus elecciones alimentarias ¿Pueden las personas empobrecidas y las que viven en grandes ciudades y necesitan de tiempos largos para sus desplazamientos laborales cumplir las recomendaciones para seguir una dieta saludable para ellas y el planeta? Por otro lado ¿Existe consenso y posibilidades de colaboración entre todos los actores implicados (ciudadanos, gobiernos, agentes económicos, partidos políticos, científicos, movimientos sociales, grupos de presión…) o controversia y concurrencia? Parece que estemos frente a una cuadratura del círculo. De acuerdo con el Informe Especial sobre el Cambio Climático y el Suelo del IPCC, para lograr una gestión de la tierra más sostenible y erradicar la pobreza, es necesario diseñar políticas apropiadas (mejorar el acceso a los mercados, asegurar la tenencia de la tierra, factorizar los costos ambientales en los alimentos, mejorar la acción colectiva…). Diseñar esas políticas no es difícil, pero ¿implementarlas? De momento, sigue aumentando la pobreza, el hambre, la obesidad, la desertización... así como la riqueza de los ricos ¿Existen relaciones de causalidad? Además de recomendar disminuir el consumo de carne ¿no habría que recomendar, también, una cierta redistribución de la riqueza?