The Surgeon General´s Warning

As a Latino child growing up in New York City, I was profoundly influenced by my abuelita. She weighed less than 95 pounds soaking wet, but to this day she's probably the strongest woman I've ever met - because of her values and because of how she taught our family to respect each other, our neighbors and ourselves. She loved our culture, especially gathering the family together for meals.

Abuelita ruled the kitchen, and every dish she made started with a big scoop of lard from the can at the back of the refrigerator. Her meals were muy sabrosas, but full of fat.

Now, as America's doctor, I remember abuelita every day, and when I meet Latinas I know that today they are making the vast majority of their families' health decisions, including choices about staying away from harmful habits like smoking, drugs and excess drinking, as well as choices about food and physical activity. 

The reality is that as the Latina goes, so goes the Hispanic community.

This power the Latina holds is incredibly important because the fastest-growing causes of illness and death in America are overweight and obesity. Nearly two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, and as Latinos we are faring even worse than the overall population. We are eating too much and moving too little.

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many health problems, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease, and it increases the risk of problems during pregnancy.

Every year chronic diseases claim the lives of more than 1.7 million Americans - that's seven out of every 10 deaths. The good news is that most of these diseases are preventable. 

How? First, if you smoke, quit. Second, eat healthy foods in healthy portions. Third, be physically active every day. This good health recipe is not dramatic or revolutionary. But it has proven effective for preventing illness and improving health and well-being.

Part of eating a healthy diet includes getting five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. 

Taking care of your health also helps to reduce the risk of birth defects. Serious birth defects can be prevented when a woman doesn't drink alcohol, doesn't smoke, and gets appropriate prenatal care. All women of reproductive age should consume folic acid because nearly half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, and birth defects can start early in pregnancy, before many women even realize that they are pregnant. Two thirds of women in the United States do not consume the recommended daily 400 micrograms of folic acid.

I think of how abuelita would use the information we now have about health, food, and physical activity. She would be the first one to toss out the lard and replace it with frutas y vegetales, and she would be proud to see girls and young women becoming stronger by participating in sports.

Abuelita knew the importance of food, fun and family togetherness. Now our generation can make her proud by renewing our commitment to family and leading our loved ones to make healthier choices. 

For good ideas on steps you can take to become healthier, visit www.smallstep.gov, also available in Spanish.

Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS
Surgeon General
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

[This article has been edited for www.latinastyle.com. For the full version, check out the May/June issue of LATINA Style.]

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