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Sunday, December 18, 2005

Learning how to lighten up
A nutrition class teaches Latino families how to prepare traditional meals without the extra fat and calories.

By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register

Staring at the corn tortilla filled with tuna, Soccoro Rojas couldn't believe the meal had come mostly out of a can. It was tasty and took just minutes to make. But how did something that good come from that?

Without hesitation, the other parents sitting in the Peso Saludable nutrition class rushed to explain the health benefits of canned tuna. They all urged her to stock up, and shouted suggestions of how to spice it up. "Add onions!" some said. "Or tomatoes."

It's cheap and it's much better for you than the traditional fried fish, they added.

Rojas looked skeptical, not knowing if it would go over well with her family. She needn't have worried. Down the hall, six of the kids she feeds every day were happily wolfing down the fish tacos. None complained about the lack of grease, or about the bowls of cantaloupe and honeydew topped with a dab of whipped cream for dessert. They were there to eat.

It was a simple meal, doled out on paper plates and gobbled up in minutes.

But the class - a seven-week seminar aimed at educating Latino parents and children about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise - is part of a growing movement to help Hispanic families mesh cultural traditions and a healthy lifestyle. Less likely to have health care and in some areas less likely to have access to nutritious foods than their non-Hispanic counterparts, Latinos - who account for one-third of Orange County's population - are particularly at risk of becoming overweight.

Nearly three out of every four adult Hispanics in California are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two out of three adults in the United States are overweight. Twenty-three percent of Hispanic children in the United States are overweight, compared with 15 percent of non-Hispanic kids ages 6-19, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Trying to ward off the serious health risks that accompany obesity - including higher risks for developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and blindness - a growing number of recent-immigrant Latino families are trying to change what they are putting on their dinner table. The issue is being forced, often, by children. They learn about nutrition at school and then go home and urge their mothers to swap out traditional dishes, often fat-laden and fried, for lighter fare.

Recently arrived Hispanics often face difficult hurdles when it comes to healthy eating. Low-paying jobs and lack of access to transportation and grocery stores along with education and language barriers can make it harder to pick the most nutritious foods.

Unless families find ways around those obstacles, the health outlook for Latinos is grim. One in two overweight Latino children is at risk of developing Type II diabetes by the time they reach adulthood, said Dr. Troy Jacobs of the Orange County Health Care Agency. He added that 70 percent of overweight children will become overweight adults.

Troubled by the rapid rate of obesity among the nation's Hispanics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its first Spanish translation of the government's food pyramid two weeks ago, eight months after the agency unveiled its revamped guide to good nutrition.

Santa Ana was one of six California cities chosen by the California Endowment in March to receive a four-year, $26 million grant to help Hispanic children and their parents navigate their way to healthier lives.

Working with the Orange County Health Care Agency and the Santa Ana Unified School District, Latino Health Access is spearheading the effort.

Cradling her infant daughter in one hand, Rojas thumbed through a thick stack of red folders - one for each of her eight children. The weight and body-mass index for each child is tracked.

One of her slim sons, Bryan, 14, told her he doesn't want to become overweight. He pointed to his 10-year-old brother, Miguel, who struggles with his weight.

"She wants to make sure I don't get like him," Bryan said. "And she wants to make sure he gets like me."

Many parents like Rojas are simply unaware of the numerous health risks their children could avoid by taking simple measures now, said Gina Torres, an instructor for Peso Saludable. Once they find out how to change the way they feed their families, they are willing to make the switches.

The idea is not to throw out fried tacos and enchiladas filled with high-fat cheese and sour cream, but to slightly tweak the way foods are prepared to cut back on the calories, fat, cholesterol and salt.

"There are many things that these families bring from other cultures that are quite healthy," said Jacobs. "We need to expand on the healthy foods that they eat and teach them healthier ways to prepare the other foods."

Down the hall from the parent class, Bryan proudly sipped his orange juice - not sugary orange soda - throughout the two-hour class. Thrusting his hand in the air after every question, he desperately wanted to be called on.

"I want to eat healthier," he said. "I'm learning how to do that here."

As he rattled off the calories, fat and carbohydrates in a McDonald's fish sandwich, Torres scooped out heaping tablespoons of shortening and counted out sugar cubes onto a plate.

"This is what you're eating when you eat this," she said, waving the overflowing plate.

"Eww," said Araceli Santana, 13, wrinkling her nose.

Araceli, of Santa Ana, said her father has heart problems and her 10-year-old brother, Jaime, is overweight. Recently, Araceli's mother made a salad for dinner - a welcome change from fried taquitos and meat-heavy dishes.

"I'm so glad she's cooking healthier," Araceli said. "It's better for your body."

Araceli Aguilar, 32, worries about her son, Jorge. While her daughter Jessica, 9, plays soccer outside, Jorge, 11, watches television and eats Cheetos. But that is starting to change.

Aguilar bought a food steamer and the family is trying to eat more vegetables.

Jessica and Jorge have cut back on soda and junk food. They're keeping watch over each other - and their father, who loves enchiladas covered in cheese and sour cream.

"They tell him just what it is he is eating. They remind each other," Aguilar said. "We're trying to be healthier."