Live smart, live well

Ebony, July, 2004

The national medical Association and leading medical specialists have launched a national campaign to address the multiple health risks in Black America. Morehouse College School of Medicine President James R. Gavin III, M.D., Ph.D., has written with author Sherrye Landrum, DR. GAVIN'S HEALTH GUIDE FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS: HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN WELL (Small Steps Press, an imprint of the American Diabetes Association, $14.95).

The comprehensive book offers easy-to-follow advice about food and drink with detailed explanations about good and bad fats, carbohydrates and his 5-a-day rule regarding fruits and vegetables. Most importantly, he explains why paying attention to diet and exercise is essential to avoiding major illness. He devotes chapters to the power of emotion, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and cancer. There are also separate chapters specifically targeting women and men's health, as well as a chapter about aging.