Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy: What Every Latina Mother Needs to Know to Raise Happy, Healthy Kids [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Claudia Gonzalez (Author), Lourdes Alcaniz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2006

The number of children affected by obesity is growing daily, but Latino children are the most numerous and have the highest rate of obesity among boys and second highest among girls.

Dietician Claudia Gonzalez and health reporter Lourdes Alcaniz have written a comprehensive guide for concerned parents who want to help prevent and manage their children's weight problems while still holding on to Latino culinary and cultural tradition. The first book of its kind,Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy addresses:

- Age appropriate menus and portions-from the first months after the baby is born up through the teenage years to young adulthood
- Symptoms and warning signs that a child may be overweight
- Health risks such as Type II diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, and eating disorders
- The effects of acculturation, or abandoning traditional Latino foods, on Latino children
- Genetic factors influencing weight gain and Type II diabetes development in Latino children
- Advantages and disadvantages of the Latino diet
- The Latino Food Pyramid, with photographs of adequate portions for children

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Latino culture, one of the nicest things you can say to a mother about her child is, "Oh, que lindo gordito, what a cute, chubby baby, so strong and healthy!" But a gordito child is likely to suffer diseases that will affect him or her for life: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Nutritionist González and health reporter Alcañiz—mommies both—offer this timely book explaining why it's imperative that Latino children eat properly, and how the Latino diet (and its flavors and ingredients) can be incorporated into a healthy menu. Cultural, genetic and social factors all play a role in children's health; the authors interestingly note that the longer a Latino child has lived in the U.S., the more likely he or she will be overweight, since traditional Latino diets (consumed by recent immigrants) aren't necessarily unhealthy, but "eating American" (which those who've lived here longer do) often is. The "Latino-Hispanic Food Guide Pyramid" includes traditional foods like jicama, papayas, corn tortillas and avocado; while a section on Latina mothers and breastfeeding debunks myths. Menu suggestions for newborns to 19-year-olds and a section on eating disorders complete this essential guide. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Claudia Gonzalez, , R.D., has served for six years as a spokesperson in charge of Latino affairs for the American Dietetic Association. She lectures regularly on a variety of nutrition and health issues to national and international health organizations.

Lourdes Alcaniz, M.A., is a journalist with over 21 years of experience writing, producing, and reporting on health. A former Fulbright Fellow, he won an Emmy for news writing at Univision, and received the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation's Carole Simpson fellowship.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425207706
• ASIN: B000VYN0J8
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Gordito" is an excellent book, August 7, 2006

By 

marcela gonzalez "caro" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy: What Every Latina Mother Needs to Know to Raise Happy, Healthy Kids (Mass Market Paperback)

I recommended this book to all 'Latino' parents that want to have healthy children. Either you have an overweight child or you want to prevent obesity in a child; this book explains it all.