NEWS-OBESITY AND HISPANICS

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Health help for Hispanics

USDA releases food pyramid in Spanish

JESSICA GRESKO The Associated Press

York Dispatch

MIAMI -- Alarmed by the high rate of obesity among Hispanics, the

U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a Spanish translation of

the food pyramid, the government's handy guide to good nutrition.

" MiPiramide: Pasos Hacia Una Mejor Salud " is the counterpart to the

USDA's " MyPyramid: Steps to a Healthier You. " Among other

things, " grains " have become " granos, " and " meat and beans "

are " carnes y frijoles " on the diagram of the major food groups.

The nation's Hispanic population is booming, and almost three out of

every four Hispanic adults in the U.S. are overweight, according to

a 2002 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Two out of three U.S. adults overall are overweight.

" Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States,

especially in children and adolescents. Those statistics are even

more alarming among Latin populations, " o Salazar,

administrator for the USDA's food and nutrition service, said in

Spanish at a news conference.

The government unveiled " MyPyramid " in April, overhauling the food

pyramid first introduced in 1992.

The 1992 pyramid had food groups arranged in horizontal layers, with

the foods that should be eaten more frequently along the bottom. The

newer pyramid has categories of foods represented vertically in a

rainbow of colors, and a running figure scaling the pyramid to

represent the importance of exercise.

Now, all the new graphics and the USDA's site www.mypyramid.gov are

available in Spanish, and handouts and other materials have also

been translated.

In September, officials launched a version of the pyramid targeted

at children, and the materials have also been translated into

Braille. The government has no plans to translate the information

into any other languages, Salazar said.

The announcement was made in Miami because of its large Hispanic

population and its many Hispanic media organizations.

According to USDA, there are 41.4 million Hispanics in the U.S., and

they account for one out every seven people. By 2050, the Hispanic

population is expected to reach 102.5 million people, or about one

in four.