I live in Harlem and am working hard to get my family to change their ways by encouraging everyone to adopt healthy eating habits. This is a challenge, especially when it comes to the children. How can I get them to eat to live, rather than live to eat? A big obstacle is finding healthy food in Harlem. Any suggestions?

Signed, Hopeful in Harlem


Dear Hopeful in Harlem:

It will interest you to know that help is on the way. Your concern about the eating habits of the Harlem community and the availability of healthy food puts you in good company. Congressman Charles Rangel and Lloyd Williams, president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce share your concerns and they have come together to bring the Healthy Eating, Healthy Living campaign to the Harlem community.

First, let me assure you that your concerns are real. Studies have shown that Harlem has fewer stores, supermarkets and restaurants with healthy food offerings than other neighborhoods in New York City. It is no coincidence that the health of our community suffers as a result. Harlem has higher incidences of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and asthma. These diseases are directly related to the obesity epidemic in our community.

The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce’s Healthy Eating/Healthy Living campaign is educating the Harlem community to gain greater control over these diseases by increasing access to, and the availability of, healthier foods, teaching moderation and control over the amount of food we eat, and encouraging residents to add more physical fitness into their daily routines.

Secondly, it is not your imagination that changing the eating behaviors of children is difficult. Just think about it for a minute. The media bombards our children with messages targeted at selling them candy, sweets, and unhealthy fast food. The messages are persistent and persuasive and so the adults in their lives must be equally persistent and persuasive.

How can we encourage healthy eating habits in our families? The best strategy is to adopt healthy eating habit ourselves. Teaching by example is one of our most powerful tools. Another strategy is taking children with us when we shop for food, reading food labels and pointing out healthy versus unhealthy choices. It is important to educate our children about the direct correlation between the food choices we make and our health. Children are not known for caring about health, but they may care about how they look and the physical activities they are able to perform. Find out what your child cares about and help them relate the food choices they make to the goals they want to reach. Helping children adopt healthy eating habits is merely difficult, not impossible.

These strategies work equally well for adults, who are better able to understand the important of healthy lifestyle choices. Just as we develop unhealthy habits, we can develop healthy habits. We have to be willing to repeat healthy choices, over and over, until they become our lifestyle. In most instances, repeated healthy choices will lead to better health. Changing our minds is easy, changing our behaviors requires persistence and practice.

The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce is to be commended for stepping up to the plate and organizing neighborhood restaurants, supermarkets, community based organizations, health care facilities, community leaders, the NYC Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the New York City Department of Aging, and city-wide media to take up the challenge of encouraging healthy eating and healthy living in Harlem.

They have brought these groups together to publicize and promote a healthy diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, bean, eggs, and nuts. They are also emphasizing the importance of reducing saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar in the foods we eat.

They are also using this opportunity to encourage everyone to incorporate moderate intensity exercise including brisk walking at least five days a week and increasing the activity levels in our daily living including walking up the stairs, playing with children, and dancing.

Over the coming weeks and months, I encourage you to be on the look out for activities related to the Healthy Eating / Healthy Living campaign in Harlem. It will be an important tool in your efforts to improve your health and the health of those you love.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional. Even if a statement made about health is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. This article should not be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine. Readers are strongly advised to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional .