I am a chef and a food policy guy, but I come from a whole family of teachers. My sister is a special ed teacher in Chicago. My father just retired after 25 years teaching fifth grade. My aunt and uncle were professors. My cousins all teach. Everybody in my family, basically, teaches except for me. They taught me that the only way to get the right answers is to ask the right questions. So what are the right questions when it comes to improving the educational outcomes for our children? There's obviously many important questions, but I think the following is a good place to start: What do we think the connection is between a child's growing mind and their growing body? What can we expect our kids to learn if their diets are full of sugar and empty of nutrients? What can they possibly learn if their bodies are literally going hungry? And with all the resources that we are pouring into schools, we should stop and ask ourselves: Are we really setting our kids up for success?
Kuvar sam i bavim se pitanjima ishrane, ali dolazim iz porodice nastavnika. Moja sestra je nastavnica za decu sa posebnim potrebama u Čikagu. Moj otac se nedavno penzionisao nakon 25 godina rada kao nastavnik petog razreda. Moj ujak i ujna su bili profesori. Svi moji bliski rođaci su nastavnici. Svi u mojoj porodici su, u stvari, nastavnici osim mene. Naučili su me da je jedini način da se dođe do pravih odgovora postavljanje pravih pitanja. Koja su prava pitanja kada se govori o poboljšanju rezultata obrazovanja naše dece? Očigledno je da postoje mnoga važna pitanja, ali ja mislim da je ovo dobro pitanje za početak - po našem mišljenju, koja je veza između dečijeg mozga u razvoju i njegovog tela u razvoju? Šta možemo očekivati da će naša deca naučiti ako je njihova ishrana puna šećera i beskorisnih materija? Šta uopšte mogu da nauče ako njihova tela bukvalno gladuju? Uzimajući u obzir sva sredstva koja se ulažu u školstvo, trebalo bi da zastanemo i da se zapitamo - da li zaista pripremamo našu decu za uspeh?
Now, a few years ago, I was a judge on a cooking competition called "Chopped." Four chefs compete with mystery ingredients to see who can cook the best dishes. Except for this episode -- it was a very special one. Instead of four overzealous chefs trying to break into the limelight -- something that I would know nothing about -- (Laughter) these chefs were school chefs; you know, the women that you used to call "lunch ladies," but the ones I insist we call "school chefs." Now, these women -- God bless these women -- spend their day cooking for thousands of kids, breakfast and lunch, with only $2.68 per lunch, with only about a dollar of that actually going to the food. In this episode, the main-course mystery ingredient was quinoa. Now, I know it's been a long time since most of you have had a school lunch, and we've made a lot of progress on nutrition, but quinoa still is not a staple in most school cafeterias.
Vidite, pre nekoliko godina bio sam sudija na kuvarskom takmičenju pod nazivom „Iseckan“. Četiri kuvara se takmiče koristeći zagonetne sastojke da se vidi ko može da skuva najbolja jela. Osim u ovoj epizodi; bila je posebna. Umesto četiri preambiciozna kuvara koji pokušavaju da se proslave - nešto o čemu ja ništa ne bih znao - (Smeh) ovi kuvari su bili školski kuvari; znate, one žene koje smo nazivali „tete iz kuhinje“, ali one koje ja insistiram da zovemo školske kuvarice. Vidite, ove žene - Bog ih blagoslovio - provode svoj dan kuvajući doručak i ručak za hiljade dece za samo 2,68 dolara po ručku, od čega se samo oko jedan dolar zaista troši na hranu. U ovoj epizodi zagonetni sastojak za glavno jelo je bila kinoa. Znam da je prošlo puno vremena od kada je većina vas jela ručak u školi, a i napravili smo veliki napredak u ishrani, ali kinoa još uvek nije osnovna namirnica u većini školskih kuhinja.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So this was a challenge. But the dish that I will never forget was cooked by a woman named Cheryl Barbara. Cheryl was the nutrition director at High School in the Community in Connecticut. She cooked this delicious pasta. It was amazing. It was a pappardelle with Italian sausage, kale, Parmesan cheese. It was delicious, like, restaurant-quality good, except -- she basically just threw the quinoa, pretty much uncooked, into the dish. It was a strange choice, and it was super crunchy. (Laughter) So I took on the TV accusatory judge thing that you're supposed to do, and I asked her why she did that.
Stoga je ovo bio izazov. Međutim, jelo koje nikada neću zaboraviti je pripremila žena po imenu Šeril Barbara. Šeril je bila direktor ishrane u školi „Srednja škola u našoj zajednici“ u Konektikatu. Skuvala je izvrsno jelo sa testom. Bilo je zapanjujuće. Jelo sa širokim rezancima, italijanskom kobasicom, keljom i parmezanom. Bilo je slasno i u rangu jela iz restorana, osim što je jednostavno samo ubacila skoro skroz presna zrna kinoe u jelo. Bila je to neobična odluka i jelo je bilo veoma hrskavo. (Smeh) Stoga sam se stavio u ulogu TV sudije koji optužuje, a što se od mene očekivalo, i pitao sam je zašto je to uradila.
Cheryl responded, "Well, first, I don't know what quinoa is." (Laughter) "But I do know that it's a Monday, and that in my school, at High School in the Community, I always cook pasta."
Šeril je odgovorila: „Kao prvo, ne znam šta je kinoa.“ (Smeh) „Međutim, znam da je ponedeljak i da u svojoj školi, 'Srednjoj školi u našoj zajednici', uvek kuvam jelo sa testom.“
See, Cheryl explained that for many of her kids, there were no meals on the weekends. No meals on Saturday. No meals on Sunday, either. So she cooked pasta because she wanted to make sure she cooked something she knew her children would eat. Something that would stick to their ribs, she said. Something that would fill them up. Cheryl talked about how, by the time Monday came, her kids' hunger pangs were so intense that they couldn't even begin to think about learning. Food was the only thing on their mind. The only thing. And unfortunately, the stats -- they tell the same story.
Vidite, Šeril je objasnila da većina njene dece nema hrane vikendom. Nema hrane subotom. Nema hrane ni nedeljom. Šeril je kuvala jela sa testom jer je želela da bude sigurna da će skuvati nešto što je znala da će njena deca jesti. Kako je rekla: „Nešto što će im se zalepiti za kosti.“ Nešto što će ih zasititi. Šeril je objasnila kako su do ponedeljka bolovi od gladi kod njene dece bili toliko jaki da nisu mogli ni da pomisle na učenje. Hrana je bila jedina stvar o kojoj su razmišljali. Jedina stvar. Nažalost, statistički podaci govore isto.
So, let's put this into the context of a child.
Posmatrajmo ovo iz dečije perspektive.
And we're going to focus on the most important meal of the day, breakfast. Meet Allison. She's 12 years old, she's smart as a whip and she wants to be a physicist when she grows up. If Allison goes to a school that serves a nutritious breakfast to all of their kids, here's what's going to follow. Her chances of getting a nutritious meal, one with fruit and milk, one lower in sugar and salt, dramatically increase. Allison will have a lower rate of obesity than the average kid. She'll have to visit the nurse less. She'll have lower levels of anxiety and depression. She'll have better behavior. She'll have better attendance, and she'll show up on time more often. Why? Well, because there's a good meal waiting for her at school. Overall, Allison is in much better health than the average school kid.
Obratićemo pažnju na najvažniji obrok u toku dana - doručak. Ovo je Alison. Ima dvanaest godina, veoma je bistra i želi da bude fizičar kada poraste. Ako Alison pohađa školu u kojoj se svoj deci poslužuje hranljiv doručak, evo šta će uslediti. Šanse da će dobiti hranljiv obrok sa voćem, mlekom i sa malo šećera i soli se značajno uvećavaju. Alison će imati manje izgleda da bude gojazna nego prosečno dete. Ređe će odlaziti kod lekara. Imaće niže nivoe anksioznosti i depresije. Bolje će se ponašati. Redovnije će pohađati školu i češće će dolaziti na vreme. Zašto? Zato što je u školi čeka dobar obrok. Sve u svemu, Alison je zdravija nego prosečni školarac.
So what about that kid who doesn't have a nutritious breakfast waiting for him? Well, meet Tommy. He's also 12. He's a wonderful kid. He wants to be a doctor. By the time Tommy is in kindergarten, he's already underperforming in math. By the time he's in third grade, he's got lower math and reading scores. By the time he's 11, it's more likely that Tommy will have to have repeated a grade. Research shows that kids who do not have consistent nourishment, particularly at breakfast, have poor cognitive function overall.
Šta je sa onim detetom kojeg ne čeka hranljiv doručak? Ovo je Tomi. Takođe ima dvanaest godina. Divno je dete. Želi da bude doktor. Pre nego što krene u zabavište već ima nezadovoljavajući uspeh u matematici. Pre trećeg razreda ima lošije ocene iz matematike i čitanja. Pre jedanaeste godine, verovatnije je da je Tomi već morao da ponavlja jedan razred. Istraživanja pokazuju da deca koja nemaju redovne obroke, naročito ujutru, načelno imaju loše kognitivne sposobnosti.
So how widespread is this problem? Well, unfortunately, it's pervasive. Let me give you two stats that seem like they're on opposite ends of the issue, but are actually two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, one in six Americans are food insecure, including 16 million children -- almost 20 percent -- are food insecure. In this city alone, in New York City, 474,000 kids under the age of 18 face hunger every year. It's crazy. On the other hand, diet and nutrition is the number one cause of preventable death and disease in this country, by far. And fully a third of the kids that we've been talking about tonight are on track to have diabetes in their lifetime. Now, what's hard to put together but is true is that, many times, these are the same children. So they fill up on the unhealthy and cheap calories that surround them in their communities and that their families can afford. But then by the end of the month, food stamps run out or hours get cut at work, and they don't have the money to cover the basic cost of food.
Koliko je rasprostranjen ovaj problem? Nažalost, sveprisutan je. Daću vam dva podatka koja deluju kao da su na suprotnim stranama ovog problema, ali su, u stvari, dve strane istog novčića. Sa jedne strane, jedan u šest Amerikanaca nema dovoljno hrane, uključujući 16 miliona dece - skoro 20 posto - koja nemaju dovoljno hrane. Samo u ovom gradu, Njujorku, 474 000 maloletne dece se suočava sa glađu svake godine. To je sumanuto. Sa druge strane, ishrana je ubedljivo najveći uzročnik smrtnosti i bolesti koje se mogu sprečiti u ovoj zemlji. Tačno trećina dece o kojoj pričamo večeras na putu je da dobije dijabetes nekada u životu. Vidite, ono što je teško shvatiti, ali je istinito, je da su često ovo ista deca. Oni se najedu jeftine i nezdrave hrane koja ih okružuje u njihovim zajednicama, a koje njihove porodice mogu da priušte. Međutim, pri kraju meseca bonovi za hranu se potroše ili se radno vreme skrati, a oni nemaju dovoljno novca za osnovne namirnice.
But we should be able to solve this problem, right? We know what the answers are. As part of my work at the White House, we instituted a program that for all schools that had 40 percent more low-income kids, we could serve breakfast and lunch to every kid in that school. For free.
Mi bismo morali biti u mogućnosti da rešimo ovaj problem, zar ne? Znamo odgovore. Deo mog posla u Beloj kući je bio osnivanje programa da bismo za sve škole koje imaju 40 ili više posto siromašne dece mogli da poslužimo doručak i ručak svakom detetu u toj školi. Besplatno.
This program has been incredibly successful, because it helped us overcome a very difficult barrier when it came to getting kids a nutritious breakfast. And that was the barrier of stigma. See, schools serve breakfast before school, and it was only available for the poor kids. So everybody knew who was poor and who needed government help. Now, all kids, no matter how much or how little their parents make, have a lot of pride. So what happened? Well, the schools that have implemented this program saw an increase in math and reading scores by 17.5 percent. 17.5 percent. And research shows that when kids have a consistent, nutritious breakfast, their chances of graduating increase by 20 percent. 20 percent. When we give our kids the nourishment they need, we give them the chance to thrive, both in the classroom and beyond.
Ovaj program je neverovatno uspešan jer nam je pomogao da prevaziđemo jednu veoma tešku prepreku u obezbeđivanju hranljivog doručka za decu, a ta prepreka je bila stigma. Škole pre nastave poslužuju doručak, ali on je bio dostupan samo siromašnoj deci. Svako je znao ko je bio siromašan i kome je bila potrebna pomoć države. Sva deca su, bez obzira na to koliko puno ili malo njihovi roditelji zarađuju, veoma ponosna. Šta se dogodilo? Škole koje su usvojile ovaj program imale su poboljšanje ocena iz matematike i čitanja od 17,5 posto. Sedamnaest i po posto. Istraživanja pokazuju da, kada deca redovno imaju hranljiv doručak, šanse da završe školu se povećavaju za 20 posto. Dvadeset posto. Kada našoj deci damo zdravu hranu koja im je potrebna, dajemo im mogućnost da napreduju u učionici i izvan nje.
Now, you don't have to trust me on this, but you should talk to Donna Martin. I love Donna Martin. Donna Martin is the school nutrition director at Burke County in Waynesboro, Georgia. Burke County is one of the poorest districts in the fifth-poorest state in the country, and about 100 percent of Donna's students live at or below the poverty line. A few years ago, Donna decided to get out ahead of the new standards that were coming, and overhaul her nutrition standards. She improved and added fruit and vegetables and whole grains. She served breakfast in the classroom to all of her kids. And she implemented a dinner program. Why? Well, many of her kids didn't have dinner when they went home.
Možda meni ne verujete, ali trebalo bi da popričate sa Donom Martin. Volim Donu Martin. Dona Martin je školski direktor ishrane u okrugu Berk u Vejnsborou u Džordžiji. Okrug Berk je jedan od najsiromašnijih okruga u petoj najsiromašnijoj državi u Americi, a skoro svi Donini đaci žive na granici siromaštva ili ispod nje. Pre nekoliko godina Dona je odlučila da preduhitri nove standarde koji su se očekivali i da potpuno promeni svoje standarde o ishrani. Popravila ih je i dodala voće, povrće i proizvode od celog zrna. Posluživala je doručak u učionici za svu decu. Takođe je uvela večeru. Zašto? Mnoga njena deca nisu imala večeru kod kuće.
So how did they respond? Well, the kids loved the food. They loved the better nutrition, and they loved not being hungry. But Donna's biggest supporter came from an unexpected place. His name from Eric Parker, and he was the head football coach for the Burke County Bears. Now, Coach Parker had coached mediocre teams for years. The Bears often ended in the middle of the pack -- a big disappointment in one of the most passionate football states in the Union. But the year Donna changed the menus, the Bears not only won their division, they went on to win the state championship, beating the Peach County Trojans 28-14.
Kako su deca reagovala? Deca su obožavala hranu. Obožavali su bolju ishranu i obožavali su to što nisu bili gladni. Međutim, Donina najveća pristalica se pojavila sa neočekivanog mesta. Bio je to Erik Parker, glavni trener ragbi tima „Medvedi“ iz okruga Berk. Vidite, trener Parker je godinama trenirao osrednje timove. „Medvedi“ su često završavali na sredini tabele, što je bilo veliko razočarenje u jednoj od država najzagriženijih za ragbi u Americi. Međutim, te godine kada je Dona promenila jelovnik „Medvedi“ ne samo da su osvojili svoju ligu, već su osvojili i državno prvenstvo pobedivši „Trojance“ iz okruga Pič rezultatom 28 prema 14.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And Coach Parker, he credited that championship to Donna Martin.
Trener Parker je pripisao osvajanje tog prvenstva Doni Martin.
When we give our kids the basic nourishment, they're going to thrive. And it's not just up to the Cheryl Barbaras and the Donna Martins of the world. It's on all of us. And feeding our kids the basic nutrition is just the starting point. What I've laid out is really a model for so many of the most pressing issues that we face. If we focus on the simple goal of properly nourishing ourselves, we could see a world that is more stable and secure; we could dramatically improve our economic productivity; we could transform our health care and we could go a long way in ensuring that the Earth can provide for generations to come. Food is that place where our collective efforts can have the greatest impact.
Kada deci pružimo osnovnu zdravu ishranu, napredovaće. Ipak, ne zavisi to samo od ljudi kao što su Šeril Barbara i Dona Martin. Zavisi od svih nas. Pružati deci osnovnu zdravu hranu je tek početak. Ono što sam predstavio je zaista primer za toliko mnogo neodložnih problema sa kojima se srećemo. Ako se skoncentrišemo na jednostavan cilj da se pravilno hranimo, mogli bismo videti svet koji je stabilniji i bezbedniji, mogli bismo značajno poboljšati našu ekonomsku produktivnost, mogli bismo transformisati našu zdravstvenu zaštitu i mogli bismo mnogo postići kako bi Zemlja mogla da pruži život za generacije koje dolaze. Ishrana je mesto na kom naši zajednički napori mogu imati najveći uticaj.
So we have to ask ourselves: What is the right question? What would happen if we fed ourselves more nutritious, more sustainably grown food? What would be the impact? Cheryl Barbara, Donna Martin, Coach Parker and the Burke County Bears -- I think they know the answer.
Stoga se moramo upitati - šta je pravo pitanje? Šta bi se dogodilo da jedemo hranu koja je hranljivija i proizvedena na samoodrživiji način? Šta bismo time postigli? Mislim da Šeril Barbara, Dona Martin, trener Parker i „Medvedi“ iz okruga Berk znaju odgovor.
Thank you guys so very much.
Hvala vam puno svima.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)