Doctor Aliza and Que Rica Vida® Offer Diabetes Prevention Tips To Support Healthier Hispanic Communities

In support of National Diabetes Awareness Month, General Mills is partnering with well-known Latina medical expert Dr. Aliza Lifshitz, to bring relevant information about diabetes and diabetic-friendly recipes to Hispanic communities. The health-related materials – created to help better inform and educate Latinas and their families – are featured on the popular www.QueRicaVida.com web site, in the current issue of Que Rica Vida Spanish lifestyle magazine, and on Dr. Aliza’s www.vidaysalud.com web site. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report indicates that 1 in 10 American adults are diabetic, and the disease disproportionately affects Hispanics who are at a higher risk. The researchers project, over the next 40 years, the prevalence of total diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in the United States will increase from its current level of about 1 in 10 adults to between 1 in 5 and 1 in 3 adults in 2050.¹

Dr. Aliza and www.QueRicaVida.com offer diabetes prevention tips to support healthier Hispanic communities. (Photo: General Mills)

"Diabetes is a serious health risk within our communities,” explained Rodolfo Rodriguez, director of multicultural marketing for General Mills. "Through Que Rica Vida, we are taking a proactive approach with our Latina consumers and offering them useful tips from a credible source in Dr. Aliza as well as family-friendly recipes that may help them reduce the risks of diabetes for themselves and their family members.”

Dr. Aliza is a content provider for www.QueRicaVida.com and provides consumers with helpful health related tips and information. Dr. Aliza’s newly published articles include, What you should know about diabetes, Part I and Part II, which are featured in Que Rica Vida’s online and magazine issues. And, How to help a loved one with diabetes, will be added to QueRicaVida.com later this month.

"Together with General Mills and the company’s Que Rica Vida marketing platform, we are working diligently to lessen the risks of diabetes and further the fight for healthier – and happier – families from coast to coast,” explained Dr. Aliza. "To start, it’s imperative that we combine a wholesome diet with physical exercise to help prevent diabetes from spreading more deeply in to the Latino community.” She confirmed some of the serious health consequences related to having diabetes include blindness, stroke and heart attack.

Additionally, a nutritious meal plan featuring more than 30 delicious recipes was created in collaboration with Aliza and the Que Rica Vida test kitchens. The recipes – ranging from salads to smoothies to soups – are readily available for download at www.vidaysalud.com, the web site that features Dr. Aliza as editor. And, last month at the Mitchell Community Center in New York’s Bronx neighborhood, Dr. Aliza and the Que Rica Vida team hosted a Vivir Sano Diabetes Health Event. The grassroots event drew more than 100 attendees.

About Que Rica Vida

Now in its fifth year, the Que Rica Vida initiative is an important resource designed to provide Latina moms with culturally relevant lifestyle information and expert advice on Education, Holiday Occasions, Health & Wellness and Family -- issues of great importance to Hispanic families in America. The program was developed by General Mills to help the Hispanic mother succeed in creating a healthier, easier, richer life for her and her family. The cornerstone of the Que Rica Vida initiative is its free quarterly lifestyle magazine and website of the same name, http://www.QueRicaVida.com.

About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Yoplait , Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Häagen-Dazs, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2010 global net sales of US$16 billion, including the company’s $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published in the journal Population Health Metrics

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