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where to find the businesses and merchants that
catered to the needs of African-Americans.
Thanks BlackFrederick.com!"
- B Patterson
The 21st Century Information Source for African Americans in Frederick County & Beyond
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BEING THE BEST ME I CAN BE!
By BlackFrederick.com Health Corner Editor Shanise DeMar
Published September 01, 2008
Many of us are aware of the alarming health issues affecting the African-American community.
Statistics from 2001-2004 show that more than 60% of African-American men and women over age
20 were overweight or obese. Being overweight or obsess can lead to chronic illnesses such as
diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases and we are more likely than whites to die
from complications of these diseases.
With the abundance of information regarding health statistics and ways to improve our health status,
why are so many of us still struggling with these issues?
Well, we’ve got to real with one another. Lifestyle change isn’t easy, but it is not impossible. Yes,
many of face social and economical disadvantages that have a huge impact on our health, but there
are ways for us to work together as a community by sharing our knowledge and resources to help
one another beat the health crisis that is affecting our community. In this three part series we are
going to explore the small steps that we can take in our lives to decrease our risk of developing
chronic diseases and how we can live to be the best ME I can be!
There are three key ways that we can improve our health and those are nutrition, physical activity and
mental well-being. What we eat, how active we are and how we deal with stress each have an effect
on our physical and mental health. When we take action to eat right, exercise and develop positive
ways of coping with life’s stressors, we can significantly reduce our risk of various diseases. Let’s
start by talking about the one that’s probably in the back of most of our minds……nutrition.
Ok, we all see and hear the commercials that talk about eating vegetables, drinking milk and
choosing overall healthy foods. Then we hear one day that something is good for you and the next
day it’s bad!
What in the world do you do with all this information and how do we make sense of it?
Well, let’s start with the basics. Our bodies are like cars. Just like your car needs gas to get you from
one place to another, our bodies need energy in the form of calories, which is the energy found in the
foods (and beverages) we consume. This energy helps our bodies to do all the things it needs to go
to keep us moving about from day to day. Energy helps us breathe, it helps us walk, talk and think.
Our bodies even use energy to sleep. But here’s the catch 22. Too much, or too little food can affect
our health in not so good ways.
Be Well!
Shanise@blackfrederick.com
National Center for Health Statistics. (2007). Health, United States, 2007 With Chart book on Trends in the Health
of Americans. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.
African-American profile. The Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Retrieved from http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=51 on Monday August 4, 2008.
By BlackFrederick.com Health Corner Editor Shanise DeMar
Published September 01, 2008
Many of us are aware of the alarming health issues affecting the African-American community.
Statistics from 2001-2004 show that more than 60% of African-American men and women over age
20 were overweight or obese. Being overweight or obsess can lead to chronic illnesses such as
diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases and we are more likely than whites to die
from complications of these diseases.
With the abundance of information regarding health statistics and ways to improve our health status,
why are so many of us still struggling with these issues?
Well, we’ve got to real with one another. Lifestyle change isn’t easy, but it is not impossible. Yes,
many of face social and economical disadvantages that have a huge impact on our health, but there
are ways for us to work together as a community by sharing our knowledge and resources to help
one another beat the health crisis that is affecting our community. In this three part series we are
going to explore the small steps that we can take in our lives to decrease our risk of developing
chronic diseases and how we can live to be the best ME I can be!
There are three key ways that we can improve our health and those are nutrition, physical activity and
mental well-being. What we eat, how active we are and how we deal with stress each have an effect
on our physical and mental health. When we take action to eat right, exercise and develop positive
ways of coping with life’s stressors, we can significantly reduce our risk of various diseases. Let’s
start by talking about the one that’s probably in the back of most of our minds……nutrition.
Ok, we all see and hear the commercials that talk about eating vegetables, drinking milk and
choosing overall healthy foods. Then we hear one day that something is good for you and the next
day it’s bad!
What in the world do you do with all this information and how do we make sense of it?
Well, let’s start with the basics. Our bodies are like cars. Just like your car needs gas to get you from
one place to another, our bodies need energy in the form of calories, which is the energy found in the
foods (and beverages) we consume. This energy helps our bodies to do all the things it needs to go
to keep us moving about from day to day. Energy helps us breathe, it helps us walk, talk and think.
Our bodies even use energy to sleep. But here’s the catch 22. Too much, or too little food can affect
our health in not so good ways.
Be Well!
Shanise@blackfrederick.com
National Center for Health Statistics. (2007). Health, United States, 2007 With Chart book on Trends in the Health
of Americans. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.
African-American profile. The Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Retrieved from http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=51 on Monday August 4, 2008.
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