Dancing while you clean the house can be lots of fun – and it doesn’t really feel like “exercise.”

And adding a few colorful foods to your plate can make a huge difference to creating a healthy diet.  These are just a couple small changes Latino parents in the US are learning to help their kids create life-long healthy habits. 

And they’re learning them through our Salsa, Sabor y Salud (Food, Fun & Fitness) program, the first national program of its kind to address the growing obesity rates and levels of inactivity in Latino children.

Developed for Latinos, by Latinos, Salsa, Sabor y Salud teaches families the importance of achieving balance through healthier food choices and increased levels of physical activity. Created in collaboration with the National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI), we’ve helped bring Salsa, Sabor y Salud to 32,000 Latinos over the past eight years.

Now, Kraft Foods Foundation is stepping up its efforts to make a delicious difference in communities through the collaboration with NLCI and the YMCA of the USA.  Through the expanded, $1.5 million program, the three partners hope to reach up 130 communities across the country over the next three years.

And making the Y a partner makes good sense.  The organization is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

“Salsa, Sabor y Salud is just one of the ways Kraft Foods and its Foundation are delivering on its commitment to health and wellness.  Promoting healthy lifestyles is critical to that commitment,” says Rhonda Jordan, President of Global Health & Wellness for Kraft Foods.  “Latino children are at greater risk for childhood obesity.  Through our partnership with NLCI and the Y, we’ll be able to get even more Latino families involved in this award-winning program.”