Cutler-Orosi is the largest unincorporated community in one of the lowest-income counties in California. Located in the San Joaquin Valley, more than half of the men and women who live here are farm workers. Poverty limits food and beverage choices to what’s cheap, easy, and not always healthy. One school district food services director, Brenda Handy, went above and beyond to ensure that, while kids were at school, they were not only eating well, but drinking well, too.
Tackling the 'Soda Issue'
Ever since Brenda Handy started as food services director for the 95% Latino Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District in California’s San Joaquin Valley more than four years ago, she saw students struggle to maintain healthy weights. She noticed what she called a “soda ...
Sugary drinks are a large component of added calories in the American diet. Many kids have increased their consumption of sugary drinks—such as soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and flavored milk—between 1991 and 2008, research shows. In Contra Costa, Calif., where 24% of the population is Latino, one of every three kids from low-income families are overweight or obese. A county organization worked with an advertising agency to develop a bilingual social marketing campaign, called Sugar Bites, to urge parents to choose water for their kids instead of sugary drinks.
The Issue of Sugary Drinks and Obesity
Awareness: First 5 California is a state organization funded by Proposition 10, a statewide ballot initiative passed in 1998, to conduct health and ...
The nutritional quality of lunches is improving in schools in Fairfax, Va. But the news wasn’t all good. Parents saw that, despite healthier lunch improvements, sugary drinks remained stocked in vending machines. Sugary drinks consumption contributes to increased rates of obesity and diabetes, studies show. So several parents banded together and, with the support of a member of the local school board and students alike, made a change to remove sugary drinks and replace them with healthier options in vending machines at seven schools.
The Issue of Unhealthy Drinks in Schools
Awareness: The Fairfax School District serves around 184,000 students. In the district’s 25 high schools, Latinos make up 19% of the student body. JoAnne Hammermaster has two kids in the district and ...
Summer has officially kicked into high gear. With many cities across the U.S. experiencing unprecedented heat, it’s important to know how your age impacts your body’s response to extreme heat conditions. Aging adults are some of the most vulnerable populations to the harmful effects of heat. Seniors, especially those with chronic health conditions, have a harder time cooling their bodies, sweat less, and have dulled sense of thirst. Medications can interfere with their body temperature regulation system. Exposure to extreme heat can also cause long-term adverse health effects like increased risk for cognitive decline for aging adults. Whether attending outdoor family gatherings or splashing in the pool with the grandkids, here is ...
From acute bronchitis to car accidents to overdoses, you never know what is going to come through the doors of an emergency room. However, the ER isn’t only for severe situations – some use it for primary care. This is because the ER has an obligation to treat patients despite someone’s insurance or lack of insurance. That’s why it tends to expose cracks in the health care system. The flaws of health care are mirrored in the HBO TV series The Pitt. The fictional series, set inside a Pittsburg teaching hospital, primarily caters to low-income individuals, celebrates differences, brings awareness to relevant issues, and provides commentary on the US healthcare crisis. Here are some of the ways The Pitt shows how to address the Latino health care crisis. ...
Starting April 1, 2026, Texas recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have new food purchase restrictions, including no candy and sugary drinks. These changes were made to comply with Senate Bull 379, which passed in June 2025 and is one of three bills under Texas’ “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, prohibiting the use of SNAP benefits to purchase less healthy foods and encouraging the purchase of more nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. “In August 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service approved a healthy foods waiver that was submitted by Texas and allows the state to implement the SNAP limitations,” according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. With this in mind, let’s dive ...
The USDA’s newest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 focus on eating more real foods and less highly processed ones. The guidelines, released on Jan. 7, 2026, also contain a refreshed food pyramid. Let’s look at 10 recommendations in the new guidelines and how it can impact everything from and how it can impact everything from how to shop at the grocery store to how you cook at home.
1. Eat Real Food
The new dietary guidelines have a simple foundation: eat real food. That means more diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods like protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. Pair that with a “dramatic reduction” in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical ...
Volunteering for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s helps other people. It gives the volunteer a nice emotional boost, too. So why not volunteer your “digital voice” or “actions”? We at Salud America! invite you to take or start these 17 actions to promote health for Latino and all families this holiday season!
1. Get Your Town's Health Report Card!
How is the state of health in your community? Find out by downloading a Salud America! Health Report Card for your town! Enter your county name and get auto-generated local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges on several health indicators. This can help you visualize and explore local issues in education, housing, transportation, food, health, and more. See how your county stacks up compared to the ...
Heart disease is a persistent threat for many Americans, including Latinos. As of 2022, heart disease is the leading cause of death of people living in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many behaviors contribute to an increased risk for heart-related diseases, from lifestyle choices such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical activity, poor diet, as well as many health conditions, such as stress, obesity, and diabetes. And researchers are still learning more about these and other risks. In fact, let’s explore six recent studies on the relationship between physical behaviors and the risk of heart disease that you should be aware of.
1. Viral Infections Can Increase Risk for Heart Disease
Viral infections, such as ...
