What's Your Health IQ?

We continue this week to look at preventable differences in health status and outcomes between different population groups. Addressing health disparities is crucial for achieving equity and improving the overall health of the population. The second approach or strategy we will look at this week to help with this initiative is:

Promoting Health Literacy. This means ensuring that people have the knowledge and skills to understand their health and make informed decisions. Nutrition literacy plays an important role in improving health. Health literacy programs are an effective means to increase knowledge and awareness about healthy eating and the importance of a higher intake of fruits and vegetables. The increased awareness and knowledge can lead to lifestyle modifications and support healthy nutrition goals.

The Good News About Fruits and Vegetables

The National Cancer Institute recommends eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day is an important part of a healthy, active lifestyle. It promotes good health and helps lower the chances of getting high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. African Americans have very high rates of these diseases and get them earlier in life. They also suffer more serious health problems and die at an earlier age from these diseases. Most African Americans eat less than half of the daily amount of fruits and vegetables they need to stay healthy. Everyone has the power to make choices to improve their health. Eating more fruits and vegetables is important because they provide what the body needs. Fruits and vegetables are the best source of many vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are also packed with hundreds of disease-fighting substances called phytochemicals. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories.

More Good News: God wants all of you. He wants every ounce of your being. God cares about your body because He created it. He fashioned it perfectly for health. Not to live for health or make health a god of its own; but to use that to live out the purpose He has for you. ~Alexa Schirm

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