By: Barrientos S.C.R. No. 81 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Nutrition is the fundamental building block of 1-2 individual health; and 1-3 WHEREAS, Sound nutritional practices are a primary component 1-4 of efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and to prevent illness, 1-5 disease, and injury, especially among the young, the elderly, and 1-6 certain ethnic and cultural groups; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Medical nutrition therapy can slow the onset of and 1-8 promote recovery from a wide variety of illnesses, diseases, and 1-9 injuries; and 1-10 WHEREAS, Eight of the 10 leading causes of death in America 1-11 are related to diet, including heart disease, stroke, some types of 1-12 cancer, kidney disease, and diabetes, and nutrition assessment and 1-13 nutrition counseling are important components of risk reduction and 1-14 disease management of these medical conditions; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Medical nutrition therapy is well established as a 1-16 cost-effective medium of health care, contributing to the reduction 1-17 in the incidence of low-birth weight babies and saving two dollars 1-18 in health care costs for mother and baby for every one dollar spent 1-19 on prenatal care for high-risk indigent expectant mothers; and 1-20 WHEREAS, More than 3,500 licensed dietitians, licensed and 1-21 regulated by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Dietitians, 1-22 provide nutrition services in a wide variety of settings all across 1-23 the state, including schools and educational centers, hospitals, 2-1 health clinics, nursing homes, kidney dialysis centers, research 2-2 centers, and in the food and food service industries; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Licensed and registered dietitians, all of whom hold 2-4 at least a baccalaureate level degree in dietetics, nutrition, or 2-5 similar fields and many of whom hold master's or doctoral level 2-6 degrees, serve a vital role as members of the health care team, 2-7 working with physicians and other health care professionals to 2-8 provide high-quality health promotion and health care to the 2-9 citizens of Texas; and 2-10 WHEREAS, The dedication of a special day to focus attention 2-11 on the benefits of nutrition education and sound nutrition 2-12 practices will contribute to the well-being and health of the Texas 2-13 public; now, therefore, be it 2-14 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-15 hereby designate March 9, 1995, as "Texas Dietetic Association 2-16 Legislative Day" at the Capitol as an opportunity to encourage all 2-17 Texans to further educate themselves about the critical role of 2-18 sound nutrition practices in personal well-being and health; and, 2-19 be it further 2-20 RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby commend the Texas 2-21 Dietetic Association and its members for their contributions to the 2-22 health of the citizens of our state; and, be it further 2-23 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-24 prepared for the Texas Dietetic Association as an expression of the 2-25 high regard for the profession of dietetics by the Legislature of 3-1 the State of Texas.