ALERT! Day 2013--Learning more to stop Diabetes

Today is the American Diabetes Association's ALERT! Day. 

Today through April 9, 2013, there's a free online test you can take to help you figure out your risk factors, and for every test that's taken there will be $5 donated to help fight diabetes by a large food company. My risk factor comes up as 4--who can beat me?

Diabetes effects a staggering 14% of San Antonians, which is double the national average (!), causing numerous health problems and putting its victims at risk of amputation, blindness and even death. And the most tragic thing about type II diabetes is that it's almost completely preventable. We all know that we need to eat right, exercise, etc....consult with your doctor to help address any of your risk factors and see how you can help prevent Pre-Diabetes and Type II Diabetes.

To quote from our local ADA office: "The American Diabetes Association's San Antonio office is so committed to finding a cure, educating the public about how to Stop Diabetes and providing support for those living with the disease are central to our mission. We are here to help.

To receive local information or learn more about events occurring in and around San Antonio sign up for our free newsletter! Contact Jose Macias, Online Communication Manager, at jmacias@diabetes.org to sign up!"

There are also a lot of local opportunities to volunteer and help fight Diabetes!

There's even a free Expo coming to San Antonio in May. They're advertising nutrition info, cooking demonstrations and health screenings. What would you like to see at the expo?

Breakfast: The Yummiest part of School!

The yummiest part of school!

March 4-8 is National School Breakfast week. Here are a few words of wisdom from our own Dr. Gutierrez about the importance of breakfast for children:

We have all heard it said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”.  With that in mind, the week of March 4 recognizes National School Breakfast Week.

National School Breakfast Week raises awareness about the availability of the School Breakfast Program (SBP), as well as highlights the benefits, especially academic, of eating a healthy breakfast.

My grandfather grew up very poor in South Texas, near Refugio.  He tells stories of how he did not have food in the house for days.  He and his brothers would survive on the oranges they picked off the trees in the neighborhood.  He admits he was not a good student and recalls how he had lots of difficulty concentrating.  He remembers feeling extremely fatigued as well as having terrible diarrhea due to eating nothing but fruit for days in a row.  He could have really benefited from a nutritious, well balanced meal provided at school.

The School Breakfast Program started under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.  This program offers breakfast to children free or at a reduced price.  Currently, about 7 million children eat breakfast at school daily with approximately 85% of participants receiving their breakfast free or at a reduced cost.

According to “Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis” children who ate breakfast scored 17.5% higher on standardized math tests and attended 1.5 more days of school.  Now that’s powerful food for thought.

Visit the National School Breakfast website to learn more. There's all kinds of cool merchandise for sale to help support the program, and even a writing contest for kids!