Alice Henry, Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital's Registered Dietician, joins AARP Dímelo Moderators, Lucie Rodriguez and Noemi Garcia-Taha to talk about healthy eating.
AARP is working hard to reach the vast Hispanic population of the Virgin Islands with useful information and helpful topics. For the last four years, AARP has been hosting the Dímelo Radio Program, a show for the Spanish speaking that airs the first Tuesday of each month, on Latino 98.3 FM. A wide array of issues are brought to the listening audience; this month’s topic was Nutrition. The invited guest was Alice Henry, Registered Dietitian at the Juan F. Luis Hospital.
Ms. Henry provided valuable information about healthy eating habits that people should adopt to maintain their health, prevent illness and control weight gain. Through advice and tips, she advised listeners to eat an acceptable balance of foods from all food groups - grains, vegetables, fruits and proteins.
Information was provided on what makes a healthy lifestyle - eating a balanced diet, exercising and sleeping well. She reminded listeners about eating throughout the day, and that although consuming three meals a days is usually recommended; it is actually preferable to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals per day. These meals should be composed of small portions with snacks in between. Ms. Henry reminded listeners that we should try to eat low fat products to reduce the fat in our diets.
Since Diabetes is prevalent in the VI population, the issue of a Diabetic’s diet was discussed, and whether foods that contain sugar can be consumed by Diabetics. The answer is yes. She explained that many foods raise the level of glucose in the blood. So, it is not whether a diabetic must always refrain from eating a slice of cake but rather that they should avoid eating other high sugar content foods on the same day. If a diabetic eats a slice of cake, then he/she should replace breads or potatoes with vegetables or fruits on that day.
Ms. Henry is busy working with the hospital’s in-patients, so she’s not available to provide individual diet planning help, but she can be reached at the Hospital and will gladly refer callers to other Doctors or Dietitians who can be of assistance.
AARPVI
