GILROY
– World-famous garlic may not be enough to keep Gilroyans
healthy and fit. The Gilroy Nutrition Task Force is chipping in to
help residents fight the battle of the bulge.
”
We are really trying to improve the health of the children of
Gilroy and, in fact, the whole community,
”
said Lillian Castillo, the task force’s coordinator.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – World-famous garlic may not be enough to keep Gilroyans healthy and fit. The Gilroy Nutrition Task Force is chipping in to help residents fight the battle of the bulge.
“We are really trying to improve the health of the children of Gilroy and, in fact, the whole community,” said Lillian Castillo, the task force’s coordinator.
The broad-based assemblage of city, school and nonprofit groups employs a three-pronged approach to promoting healthy habits: awareness, education and prevention.
“We want kids to eat better and engage in physical activity,” Castillo said. “And being physically fit doesn’t have to mean running 20 miles, it could be something as fun as a whole family going out to play in the park.”
Castillo, a public health nutritionist with the Nutrition and Wellness Unit of the Santa Clara County Health Department, noted that obesity among American children is at record high levels and continues to increase. Gilroy’s large Latino population is particularly at risk for obesity-related complications, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Soon, Gilroy physicians and parents should have a one-stop resource for all their nutrition and fitness-related needs. Castillo, with help from the task force member groups, is developing a directory, printed in both English and Spanish, that will list everything from local dietitians to physical fitness consultants for businesses.
“There’s nothing really available for someone to say, ‘Here, call these people,’ and this is … specific to Gilroy,” Castillo said.
The task force members have met monthly since last spring and are still in the process of developing their activities for the year, although Castillo is working with Gilroy Unified School District to develop a school nutrition plan and provide Gilroy High School students with daily health tips. The tips, which will be teenager-specific, will be included in the school’s daily announcements while parent tips will be included in regular e-mails.
The idea, Castillo said, is repetition to help residents sustain healthful habits.
“(The task force) really looks at what are the barriers to following through with good eating habits, with physical activity habits,” she said. “How do we make it easier for them to follow through?”
Castillo, a Gilroy resident for nearly 20 years, says her dedication to the community’s health goes beyond the job.
“It’s wonderful to work in the community that you live in, you have a vested interest,” she said. “I want to live in a healthy community.”
Gilroy Nutrition Task Force is a sponsor of an upcoming conference titled “Helping Children to Eat Well in Childcare and at Home,” to be held at Gavilan College, in Spanish, on Feb. 28.
