Dining smart

Latina promotes healthy dining through ADHS Smart Choice

Dining out but want to keep your belt cinched in? The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has a new program for restaurants that can steer customers to healthier dining. A Latina led the charge against unhealthy eating. The initiative was guided by state Sen. Amanda Aguirre, who heads a health non-profit in the Yuma area.

Arizona Smart Choice is designed to help people find healthy menu options at restaurants statewide. The ADH launched the program on March 24. The program is an initiative developed by ADHS to combat obesity in Arizona, which has more than doubled since 1990. Those restaurants that have already signed on to the program include McDonald’s, Outback Steakhouse, Macayo’s and Subway. “In 2007, Sen. Aguirre convened a group of community, health and restaurant leaders to establish a statewide restaurant initiative designed to raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition when eating outside of the home. We solicited restaurants of all shapes, sizes and menu selections and encouraged them to offer and promote healthy menu options,” said Susan Gerard, director of ADHS. ADHS is partnering with participating restaurants and is helping them to identify healthy items within their menus, as well as encouraging them to slightly alter some menu items to reach Arizona Smart Choice requirements. Restaurants should contact ADHS to start the process. Once a menu item is approved, the restaurant is given Arizona Smart Choice program materials to display at their For more information, or to enroll your restaurant, go to www.azsmartchoice.com.