Latino Mom Creates Healthy Options For Son’s School

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Guillermina Rice, like many Latina moms, cares about her 13-year-old son, Aero’s health.

After helping watch over kids during recess, Rice realized that some kids were being discriminated by other kids because of their weight, she decided to do something.

Rice, coming from a family with a history of Diabetes, knows the importance of healthy eating and drinking water. She volunteered with the Central Elementary Schools staff to draft a food and beverage policy for birthday celebrations at school, encouraging parents to bring healthy options, like fruit and ditch the soda, candy, and cakes that are usually served at school celebrations.

But she didn’t stop there. After working with California Project LEAN, Rice learned about the large amounts of sugar that are in leading soda brands. She encouraged the school kids to drink more water, got the school to maintain water fountains and worked with Project LEAN, to help get other parents involved in lobbying schools to offer healthier meals, water, and unsweetened milk.

She encouraged the school kids to drink more water, got the school to maintain water fountains and worked with Project LEAN, to help get other parents involved in lobbying schools to offer healthier meals, water, and unsweetened milk.

Studies show Latino kids see more sugary drink and junk food ads than their white peers, and research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of public health, states that regular consumers of sugary beverages have a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Mom’s like Rice, not only help encourage their children to make the healthy choice the easy choice at home but also set an example for their whole school and community about what it means to be healthy.

To learn more about health heroes like Rice, click here.

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