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PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, Hispanic News) August 2, 2006 The number one killer of Hispanics is not the war in Iraq, serial killers, drive by shootings, road rage, deaths on the border or car accidents. The number one killer of Hispanics obesity. Obesity is the root cause of diabetes and according to the National Centers for Disease Control, the USA has an diabetes epidemic. Nearly 21 million Americans are believed to be diabetic and 41 million more are pre-diabetic their blood sugar is high, and could reach the diabetic level if they do not alter their living habits. One in three children born in the United States five years ago are expected to become diabetic in their lifetimes, according to a projection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The forecast is even bleaker for Hispanics: one in every two. Diabetes bears an inverse relationship to income, for poverty usually means less access to fresh food, exercise and health care. Hispanics, particularly Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans, incur diabetes at close to twice the rate of whites. This is not news to us. We all have a family member who is a diabetic. My grandmother was diabetic. My mom was diabetic. I am diabetic. I have been diabetic for 15 years. I am a Viet Nam era US Army veteran and I receive excellent health care at the Phoenix VA Hospital from a team of doctors including an endocrinologist who happens to be an American Hispanic woman from San Antonio. My primary physician is also the VA Hospital's associate chief of staff who is from Hatch, New Mexico. I owe my life to the VA. literally! I no longer take insulin and control my blood glucose primarily by a vegetarian diet and a daily hour on my Nordic Track. Others are not as fortunate: It begins with a fat chubby child who grows up to be a fat obese adult with health problems. Obesity causes diabetes. Diabetes causes strokes, heart attacks, loss of limbs, kidney disease, blindness, and consequently a short life. If you are a parent, you have a responsibility to feed your child fat free foods and not fast food such as a McDonald's Happy Meal. Do your grocery shopping only in stores that offer fat free foods. Stay away from Mexican food stores who stock their shelves with foods with high fat content. Food City does not stock fat free foods. One or two fat free items in the entire store is not an indicator of a health conscious grocery store nor friend of the Hispanic community. Two years ago, I propose a resolution at a annual LULAC meeting recommending Food City begin to stock fat free foods. The resolution failed because some LULAC members thought we should not bite the hand that feeds us. Bashas which owns Food City franchise stores gives the Hispanic community $50,000 a year in donations. A one sided relationship! Bashas makes millions selling to Hispanics each year through its Food City stores. The persons who sold out Hispanics for 30 pieces of silver are no longer an organization. What ever happened to LULAC? The same destiny that awaited old toothless dinosaurs they became extinct. When you shop, buy vegetables and fruit. Do not buy meat, fish or dairy products. I know this is really hard but if you want your child to grow up healthy, then you have no choice. Read the article below Vegetarian Diet May Reverse Diabetes Symptoms and educate yourself on how to achieve a healthy diet. If you are an adult, the time is now to change your eating habits. It is never too late. Exercise, eat right and live a long life. Today, the most important action you can take is to read the articles below. The information in the articles will save your life. The life of your child. After you read, you have yourself to blame if you incur diabetes. If you are a mother of a chubby cute little kid who loves Frosted Flakes, your child is a walking time bomb that will go off when the child becomes an adult. Fat cute kids grow up to become obese diabetics. Always remember, once you are a diabetic, you are a diabetic for life. There is no cure. Cancer is curable diabetes is not. Once you become a diabetic, diabetes will be your companion the rest of your life. As a diabetic, your quality of life will deteriorate progressively as you die more and more each day. Lastly, diabetes is not curable but diabetes is manageable. Change your diet. Buy your groceries in stores that sell fat free foods. Stop shopping at Food City. Exercise daily for at least one hour. Find a diabetes clinic for expert health care.
We are beginning to brainstorm on sponsoring a Hispanic News Diabetes Prevention program. If you have an idea, contact us.
Jon Garrido 602.244.1000
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