"In neighborhoods without a usable park or playground, the incidence of childhood obesity increases by 29%."
-- Darell Hammond
November is National Diabetes Month.
In the US, more than 29 million Americans –
or 9.3% of the US population - have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. One in four Americans with diabetes don’t know
they have it.
It is estimated that about 86 million Americans – more than
1 in 3 Americans - had prediabetes in 2012, of which only about 11% with
prediabetes were aware of their diagnosis.
Chances are you or someone you know has diabetes or
prediabetes. With obesity as a leading
risk factor for developing diabetes, raising health literacy about the
importance of getting to and staying at a healthy weight is key to the work and
mission of Growing Healthy Kids.
Here are six of my favorite tips to lower your family’s
chances of developing diabetes or prediabetes:
- Eat fabulous fiber. Make most of all the grains you eat WHOLE grains.
- Eat vegetables every day.
- Drink water, not soda or fruit juice.
- Walk briskly and frequently.
- Take time to smell the roses.
- Laugh often.
In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
PS - Here's how you can help Growing Healthy Kids to improve the health literacy of Americans. Make the commitment right now to get on the path of healthy eating and cooking. Get 2 copies of Nourish and Flourish: Kid-Tested Tips and Recipes to Prevent Diabetes - one for your family and one to give to your public library. See the link in the top right corner of http://growinghealthykids.blogspot.com/.
