Community Food
 
Sugar Is Not Always So Sweet

A doctor recently informed my father that he needed to stop eating food containing sugar and begin exercising. Apparently, all those years of drinking soda throughout the day, eating chocolate bars at night and lounging on the couch watching the “noticiero” after dinner had taken its toll; he was on the verge of being diagnosed with diabetes. The doctor’s news shocked my dad, and threw him into panic. My mother was equally surprised and began to ask me questions about what this meant. “Does soda contain sugar?” she asked. “How about fruit punch?” Unbeknownst to them, poor nutrition or low-to-no physical activity are major risk factors for developing diabetes. The Center for Disease and Control Prevention estimates that about 17 million Americans have diabetes. Further, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, about 2 million Hispanic Americans were known to have diabetes in 2000. That is about 10.2 per cent of all Hispanic Americans! But there is hope, and in fact, some diabetes may be prevented with weight control and regular physical activity.

So what can be done? Being a first generation Latina, I understand that change is difficult, particularly when dietary patterns are culturally ingrained into your lifestyle and have developed as a mechanism for time or money management. “Fast food” is what it is, and when you are trying to support a family, maintain your household, pay your bills, and watch your kids, it may seem like the best solution. However, when it becomes a health issue, eating more nutritiously is no longer a choice, but a life or death situation.

For my family, there was never any reason to believe that what we consumed was anything but nutritious. This is typical of many Latino households. Being Peruvian-American, it was difficult for my family to make the connection between diet, lifestyle and health. For some of us, eating a McDonald’s meal is as nutritious as a home cooked meal. In my family, a McDonald’s meal is actually considered a “snack” because it does not contain rice, and is usually followed by a “real meal” a little while later.

Most nutrition-related health problems, such as obesity, are a result of overeating, or not eating enough nutritious foods, and not getting enough physical activity. Why is this so problematic? Poor dietary and activity habits in childhood often continue into adulthood when more serious complications may develop. In fact, reports show that poor nutrition, and/or consuming too little or too much of certain foods or nutrients, can lead to a number of chronic diseases and health problems in pregnant women, children, young adults and the elderly. This is certainly true in New York where over half of a million people are diabetic.

My suggestion to my mother was to make sure my father stopped eating drinks and snacks containing processed sugars, like the type found in all soda and candy. He should try substituting those products with fruits and 100% fruit juices, as well as vegetables and legumes. Also, he should try to use "lite" or low-fat dairy products (e.g., milk, cheese, yogurt, or sour cream), and try to eat whole-wheat or multigrain bread instead of white enriched bread. Most importantly, he should take a walk around the block after dinner and try not to snack before bed. Change comes slow, but the power to control our health is in our hands!

By Veronica Hendrickson