Class turns Stanislaus parents, kids into 'Healthy Families'

By MERRILL BALASSONE
mbalassone@modbee.com

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

KEYES -- Martha Rios' potluck standby of pasta salad was officially extinct.

The mother of three made a new dish to bring to her nutrition class graduation last week -- a bed of lettuce with piles of strawberries, carrots and nuts mixed with an orange juice vinaigrette.

Rios said her new recipe has given her hamburger- and pizza-loving toddlers a taste for fruit and veggies.

Modesto Bee - Three year old Adrian Quintero of Keyes plays with a broccoli balloon on Tuesday morning (12-18-07) at Keyes School in Keyes. He was with his mother who is part of the Healthy Families/Familias Fuertes program funded by the Stanislaus County Children and Families Commission. The goal of the program is to provide parents with basic nutrition information so that families in turn can make gradual lifestyle changes. Participants learn that eating healthyand increasing physical activity are key steps to preventing diseases such as obesity and type 11 diabetes. Modesto Bee/ Joan Barnett Lee

BY THE NUMBERS
In Stanislaus County:
77 percent of fifth-graders failed a state physical fitness test in 2007.
32 percent of fifth-graders are overweight.
60 percent of adults are overweight.
56: The ranking out of the state's 58 counties for coronary heart disease
Source: California Department of Education; 2007 Stanislaus County Public Health Report

"They said there's no way vegetables and fruit can taste good together, but they liked it," Rios said in Spanish.

Twenty-four parents celebrated the end of their education in all things low-fat, whole wheat and vitamin-enriched with a spread that included green beans, yogurt and fresh salsas. The 10-week "Healthy Families" program included a cooking demonstration each week at Keyes Elementary School for parents with children younger than 6 years old, funded by the Stanislaus County Children and Families Commission.

The county Health Services Agency gave parents health facts to make gradual lifestyle changes, such as reading food labels and switching from whole milk to low-fat.

"I'm asking them for a favor, to share this information with their neighbors and families," said Luis Molina, a school readiness coordinator. "This is where we're going to make some changes."

A Stanislaus County health report warned in April that today's preschoolers could become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

That's because of high rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Program graduate Blanca Padilla already has seen the results of making small changes in her family's diet. She's lost 10 pounds over the 10-week course by replacing her favorite corn tortillas with lettuce cups to hold taco meat. Padilla said she was shocked to learn that a Double Big Gulp-sized soda packs 800 calories, more than the average meal.

"It's not a 100 percent change, but it's the small steps that make the difference," Padilla said. "I'm trying to change my way of eating with my fam-ily."

Blanca Ruiz found fitness and stress-relief benefits from a new running regimen.

With five children -- ranging in age from 3 months to 8 years -- the hour Ruiz spends working out each day is precious time she can have for herself. But as a mom with young children, the exercise doesn't end there.

"I'm always running after them, too," Ruiz said.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.