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Latino lifestyle changes can prevent diabetes

For years, Anita Ramirez was the family member who lectured everyone about eating healthier.

So imagine her surprise when doctors diagnosed her with pre-diabetes.

"I thought it was an exaggeration. I needed to lose some weight, but I didn't think I could be diabetic," the 32-year-old Scottsdale stay-at-home mother says.

She is one of the estimated 54 million people in the country with the condition. Her history of high blood pressure and the fact that she has relatives with diabetes, made her physician suggest she get tested, Ramirez says.

Since then, she joined a gym and modified her diet to consist mostly of vegetables, fish and low-calorie and low-fat dishes. If she sticks with the routine, she could avoid becoming diabetic.

"It makes big family dinners hard. I love tortillas, chorizo, all the things my nana made for me as a kid. Now I have to really be strong to give a lot of that up," Ramirez says.

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 21 million people who have diabetes and Mexican Americans are 1.7 times are likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.

But those like Ramirez who are pre-diabetic can avoid getting the disease by changing their lifestyle now, says Suzanne Miller, director for program initiatives. Being more physically active, keeping to a diet high in fiber, minimizing carbohydrates and eating lots of fruits and vegetables are keys in getting that done.

"The big issue is how you cook it. We try to teach people not that you can't have it again, but to prepare it differently and eat in moderation," she says.

Once called adult onset diabetes, Type 2 diabetes has begun to show up in younger people over the years. An estimated one in three children born in 2000 will develop the disease, Miller says. Obesity, genetics and lack of exercise are contributors. There is no cure for the disease, but the complications it could cause - kidney disease or the need for limb amputation - are what makes it particularly dangerous.

The association is piloting a program for fourth- and fifth-graders aimed at educating them about diabetes and how to prevent it. Miller hopes to launch the program nationwide next year.

The association's Latino Initiatives campaign, Por tu Familia, aims to educate and increase the awareness of diabetes, with publications in English and Spanish, information on topics from ways to be more physically active and healthier Latin cooking, and other outreach efforts. Community volunteers are need for this initiative. If you would like to volunteer, call Suzanne Miller at (602) 861-4731, ext. 7091.