Health

Healthier Choices for a Healthier Family

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More than one-third of San Diego County 5th-,7th- and 9th-graders are overweight or obese, according to a study released last year by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.To help parents and children learn what sort of healthy meals and snacks they could be eating, the San Diego County Library has been promoting several ongoing programs.

At the San Marcos Library, a dozen parents recently took part in a “Healthy Snacks for Kids” workshop that taught them how to create low-cost healthy options to cure their child’s hunger cravings.

It’s part of an on-going “Living Well on a Budget” series offered there.

The workshop was led by Militza Jimenez, a Child and Family Specialist in the psychiatric unit at Rady Children’s Hospital.

“This is part of a series to educate families about physical activities, healthy eating and wellness,” said Jimenez. “The idea of the program is to prevent heart disease, stroke and diabetes and to improve families’ health.”

Increasing access to nutritious food and educating parents about healthy eating are fundamental ways to help prevent those diseases and lower the obesity rate. If you don’t fix the problem early, it can create lifelong problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a recent study found that 80 percent of children who were overweight between 10 and 15 years old were obese by age 25 and at an increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes.

One of the goals of San Diego County’s Live Well, San Diego! 10-year vision for a healthy, safe and thriving community is to help families build healthier lives through healthier choices.

Parents who attended the class were given tips for reducing salt and sugar content and artificial colors (if it’s blue, it’s probably not natural) in their food and increasing whole grains.

“One of the things you can do to reduce salt and sugar intake is use herbs,” said Jimenez. “Don’t be afraid to mix fruits and vegetables with herbs.

“Be creative and have fun with it.”

Jimenez showed just what she meant when she whipped up several creations for the parents and their children to sample.

They delighted in the whole wheat pita stuffed with cream cheese, red peppers, cucumbers and fresh dill. Another favorite was chopped apples, pears and bananas in the pita with peanut butter, honey and fresh chopped mint.

Jimenez also showed another creative option by mixing strawberries and avocado with lettuce and sesame seeds in a whole wheat tortilla wrap.

“Don’t be afraid to mix stuff around,” she said.

“If you can reduce your salt, sugar and artificial colors, eat more whole grains and add more fruits and vegetables to your diet – if you can accomplish those things – your health will improve significantly,” said Jimenez.

The San Marcos Library is also offering a class in healthy Thai cooking on April 28 and will have several more workshops in May during their Health and Fitness Month.

For a complete list of programs offered by the San Diego County Library, visit www.sdcl.org

Tom Christensen is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact