Salud America!, Chef Johnny Hernandez team up to share kid-friendly summer healthy recipes

 

Chef Johnny Hernandez available for interviews today through Thursday

SAN ANTONIO (June 30, 2015) – Did you know kids gain more weight during their summer vacation than they do the entire school year?

That’s why Salud America! and San Antonio celebrity Chef Johnny Hernandez are partnering to launch #SaludSummer, a social media recipe-sharing campaign to promote healthy — and fun — eating for families during the summer.

Starting on July 1, the campaign will use #SaludSummer to share one new kid-friendly recipe a week on social media by Chef Johnny, who puts his passion for Latino flavors, including fresh fruit cups, licuados (smoothies), and tortas into practice at his restaurants in San Antonio.

People also can share photos of their own healthy foods on social media using #SaludSummer and be entered into a random drawing for a grand prize — a Jawbone fitness tracker.

“Chef Johnny and I know the critical role fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods have in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and we want to show that eating healthy doesn’t have to stop when summer arrives,” said Amelie Ramirez, Dr.P.H.., director of Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity research network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Dr. Ramirez said the campaign is a response to emerging evidence that shows children gain more weight during summer months than they do during the school year, and fitness gains children achieve during the school year are erased over the summer.

Chef Johnny, a guest judge on Season 9 of Bravo’s Top Chef and a top-five Hispanic Chef by Siempre Mujer Magazine, aspires to increase healthy food options for children.

He celebrates Mexico’s traditional foods, ingredients and techniques in his San Antonio eateries, including The Fruteria – Botanero, which has a menu crafted to highlight the fresh and vibrant flavors of locally sourced, seasonal frutas and verduras, and features lighter fare.

Get each of Chef Johnny’s new #SaludSummer recipes by following Salud America! (@SaludToday on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and Chef Johnny (@IamChefJohnny on Twitter and Instagram).

“Don’t miss this chance to cook some tasty, healthy meals this summer together with Salud America! and Chef Johnny,” Dr. Ramirez said.

For current news from the IHPR at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, please visit our blog or follow us on Twitter @SaludToday.

Media Contacts: Will Sansom, 210-567-2579; Cliff Despres, 210 -562-6517

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 13 percent of academic institutions receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 31,000 graduates. The $787.7 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.

The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio investigates the causes and solutions to the unequal impact of cancer and chronic disease among certain populations, including Latinos, in San Antonio, South Texas and the nation. The IHPR, founded in 2006, uses evidence-guided research, training and community outreach to improve the health of those at a disadvantage due to race/ethnicity or social determinants, such as education or income. Visit the IHPR online at http://ihpr.uthscsa.edu or follow its blog at http://www.saludtoday.com/blog.

Salud America! is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The program aims to unite and increase the number of Latino researchers, policymakers and community leaders engaged in research and advocacy on childhood obesity among Latinos to seek environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For more information, visit www.salud-america.org.



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