Despierta America Stars ‘Got Milk’.

Raul Gonzalez, Ana Maria Canseco and Fernando Arau, the charismatic morning anchors of the Spanish language television morning show, Despierta America, which airs on Univision Network have joined forces with the Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP) with the catchy slogan “¡Al que Madruga, la leche lo ayuda!” (The early morning drinkers make it happen!) to promote the effective strategy of eating breakfast and drinking milk as an important means of helping Hispanics across the country lose and maintain weight. This message is key since according to the Centers for Disease control (CDC), more than 1/3 of Hispanics are currently obese.

Claudia Gonzalez, a renowned Hispanic registered nutritionist, who was the previous Hispanic spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), emphasized: “Given the high index readings for obese Hispanics and the fact that they are predisposed to certain diseases, educating them about good nutrition becomes even more essential. When people set out to lose weight it is a common thought that breakfast should be eliminated; this is a grave error.”” A 2004 study by Patricia Lockyear indicated that as Hispanics spent more time in the United States, the quality of their diet was reduced. 64% of the participants in the study indicated that they had eliminated breakfast from their diet after moving to the United States.