Healthy Bites Metro Health and Pico de Gallo Unveil First Initiative of Healthy Restaurants Coalition Last month, the City's Metro Health Department in conjunction with local restaurant Pico de Gallo unveiled the restaurant’s new healthier kid’s menu. This is an effort to help lower spiraling obesity and diabetes rates within San Antonio. The selection of improved options is the first initiative of the Healthy Restaurants Coalition, spearheaded by Metro Health in partnership with the San Antonio Restaurant Association (SARA) and other stakeholders. Over the past six months, the coalition has worked with Pico de Gallo’s owner and staff to develop this pilot project. The result is 20 healthier menu items, including entrees, sides, desserts and drinks, that each contains less than five grams of fat. “It is a proven fact that eating healthier is one of the keys to preventing obesity, diabetes and other related chronic conditions,” said Dr. Fernando Guerra, director of health. “Our goal is to slow the rate of these growing epidemics through instilling the practice of healthy eating in our families, especially our children.” Metro Health worked with SARA to organize the Healthy Restaurants Coalition. The coalition includes public health professionals, local restaurateurs, registered dietitians, local chefs, educators and marketing professionals interested in promoting healthy food and good nutrition in San Antonio. Pico de Gallo’s staff worked with local dietitians and health educators to analyze the content of the restaurant’s menu items. The team then selected portion sizes appropriate for children; added foods with lower fat and drinks with less than 10 grams of added sugar; and changed the cooking methods for some items. The San Antonio Restaurant Association is encouraging its other members to create healthier menu items for adults and children by utilizing the resources of the Healthy Restaurants Coalition. For more information about the coalition, contact (210) 207-6030.  Return to dot-gov homepage