A Florida organization demonstrates that Hispanics who are at risk of medical difficulties due to a poor diet have a desire for healthy eating. Over 1,000 people used the nonprofit Hispanic Services Council’s education and training programs in Wimauma over the last two years.
In 2019 and 2020, at least 275 of them stayed for a six-week nutrition course. Weekly seminars are held, as well as a twice-monthly delivery of free fruits and vegetables.
Healthy Eating Lessons Assist Families In Combating Obesity During The Epidemic
Among the worst medical issues that the USA faces, obesity is at the top of the list. Almost 55% of people are obese in different states of the USA, which makes them vulnerable to several health issues. The habit of eating junk food and carbonated drinks are considered the prime responsible factor for this situation.
Healthy eating can help them counter body disorders and make them feel healthy. The experts have tested many samples and found healthy eating highly useful in each case.
Lorena Sánchez is one of the persons who has benefited from the Bridges to Health initiative. Sánchez, 23, immigrated to the United States from Guatemala three years ago and now lives at The Groves in Wimauma with her husband and five children, ages 1 to 8, in a low-income apartment complex.
Her newfound knowledge enables her to prepare healthier and more cost-effective meals for her families, such as black bean and veggie quesadillas, carrot and tuna salad, turkey tacos, chicken burgers, and cranberry-walnut coleslaw.
“We all appreciate the assistance since we want to know what is best for our children and ourselves.”
The Hispanic Programs Council, created in 1992 by a group of social service professionals, assists Hispanics in Hillsborough County with educational, health, and civic participation services.
It has a $1.5 million annual budget, the majority of which comes from government subsidies, and is supported by Hillsborough County, the United Way, and Florida health insurance companies.
According to Census data, more than three out of every four inhabitants in Wimauma, a farming town in South Hillsborough, are Hispanic, and one out of every three were born outside the United States.
Social workers, known as Promotoras de Salud, teach healthy eating courses to pupils aware of the difficulties they confront.
Seven ladies from Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela are among them, including Mexico native Velia Huitron, 70, who began volunteering with the Hispanic Services Council in 2011.
The YMCA Veggie Van—a mobile marketplace that also visits Lacoochee, Sulphur Springs, Tampa Heights, Dover, and Plant City—helps Bridges to Health with its food delivery on the first and third Thursdays of each month in Wimauma.
Veggie Van program director Elizabeth Roman noted, “This meal delivery approach helps to reduce barriers to individual access and expand food distribution capacity.”
The social workers meet with groups of five to ten parents, discussing recipes and emphasizing the need to reduce fat in the family diet while encouraging more fruits and vegetables.
“In this line of work, prevention is critical,” said Roco “Rosy” Bailey, project director of Bridges to Health.
Many health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, disproportionately impact Latinos.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, Hispanics suffer considerably more in a country where obesity is rampant. Obesity affects 80 percent of Hispanics aged 20 and up, compared to 70 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Hispanics were 50 percent more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be obese in high school.
Obesity puts patients at risk for a slew of problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
