By LINDA THOMPSON
In a neighborhood where one out of four adults are obese, Harlem food temple Sylvia’s Restaurant has partnered up with a local diabetes center to encourage patrons to eat smaller, healthier portions.
From now on, customers will be asked if they want to save half their meal for later before they dive into their fried chicken, fried shrimp, pork chops and collard greens. Those who say yes will go home with the other half of their dinner in a free reusable, dishwasher-safe container – an upgrade on the doggy bag.
Sylvia’s is the first restaurant in Central Harlem to participate in the Save Half for Later campaign, which is sponsored by Mount Sinai’s Communities IMPACT Diabetes Center and the East Harlem Diabetes Center of Excellence. According to a 2006 community health profile of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 27 percent of adults in Central Harlem are obese – almost double the rate for the borough, at 15 percent.
