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?
我是一位廚師, 也是一位糧食政策制定者。 但是,我來自一個老師世家。 我的姐妹在芝加哥擔任特教老師。 我的父親剛從任教了 25 年的小學五年級退休。 我的姑姑和叔叔都是教授。 我的堂兄弟姊妹也都從事教職。 基本上我的家族成員, 除了我以外,都從事教職。 他們教我, 想要獲得正解的方法只有一種, 那就是問對問題。 當談到改善孩童教育成果時, 什麼才是對的問題呢? 顯然有很多舉足輕重的問題, 但我想以下面的提問來切入主題: 我們認為孩童的身體成長 與心智成長有何關連? 我們期望我們的孩童能學到些什麼, 如果他們吃的盡是些 高糖、無營養的垃圾食物? 他們怎麼能夠專心學習, 如果他們的身體因缺乏 適當的營養而處於飢餓狀態? 當我們傾注所有資源到學校的同時, 我們應該停下腳步,捫心自問: 我們這樣的做法, 真的能讓我們的孩子成功嗎?
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.
幾年前, 我擔任電視節目 "Chopped" 《廚藝大賽》的評審, 4 位廚師使用神秘食材來比賽, 看誰能烹煮出最棒的佳餚。 但是,這一集的節目不同── 它非常特別。 有別於 4 位過度熱情、 想獲得大眾關注的廚師們── 這些是我不懂的東西── (笑聲) 他們是學校的廚師 ── 你知道的,就是你們說的 「營養午餐阿姨」; 但我堅持要稱她們為校廚。 現在,這些女士們 ── 上帝保佑她們 ── 為數千名的孩童做早餐與午餐, 每餐只有 2.68 塊美金的預算, 而實際花在餐費的成本, 只有美金 1 元。 在這一集裡, 主要的神秘食材是藜麥。 我知道,對在座大多數的人而言, 學校的營養午餐 是很久遠以前的事了; 而我們在改善營養方面, 已有長足的進步。 但是,藜麥在多數學校的 自助餐廳裡,尚未成為主食。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
所以,這是一項挑戰。 讓我難以忘懷的一道菜, 是由雪若‧芭芭拉所烹煮的。 雪若是一名任職於 康乃狄克州社區中學的營養主管。 她煮的這道義大利麵非常好吃。 它好吃到爆。 它是義大利寬麵加上義大利香腸、 羽衣甘藍和帕瑪森起司。 它很美味,具餐廳級的水準, 除了──基本上她只是把 幾乎是生的藜麥 灑在麵上。 她選的食材很奇怪, 但是它吃起來超酥脆的。 (笑聲) 所以我做了身為電視節目 毒舌評審應該做的事, 我問她為什麼要灑這個上去。
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."
雪若答說:「嗯,首先, 我不知道藜麥是什麼。」 (笑聲) 「但是,我知道每個禮拜一 在我服務的社區中學, 我都會煮義大利麵。」
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.
你們看,雪若說明了 大多數學童的狀況, 周末沒有正餐吃。 禮拜六沒有, 禮拜天也沒有。 雪若煮義大利麵, 因為她想要確保她煮的 是孩童會想吃的一餐。 會讓他們茁壯、 長肉的食物,她說道。 能夠餵飽他們的食物。 雪若說一到禮拜一, 她的學童們早已飢腸轆轆, 餓到他們無法想到學習這件事。 他們唯一惦記的就是食物。 吃飽這件事而已。 遺憾的是,每一州的情況都一樣。
So, let's put this into the context of a child.
讓我們將孩童套用在此情境中。
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.
我們將聚焦在 一天當中最重要的一餐:早餐。 這位是愛莉森。 今年 12 歲。 非常聰明靈巧。 長大後想成為物理學家。 假如愛莉森上的學校, 提供學童們富含營養的早餐, 我們可以預見接下來的事情。 她獲得營養膳食的機會, 指的是包含水果、 牛奶、低糖與低鹽的飲食, 大幅地增加了。 比起一般學童來說, 愛莉森變肥胖的機率較低。 她看校護的次數也會減少。 她的焦慮感、沮喪感會較低。 她的行為表現較佳。 她上課會有較佳的出席率 且更常準時上學。 為什麼? 因為學校有好吃的餐點在等著她。 總而言之,比起其他的學童, 愛莉森的健康狀況更好。
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.
那些沒有營養早餐 等著他們的學童呢? 讓我來看看湯米。 他也是 12 歲,是個很棒的小孩。 長大後想成為一名醫生。 湯米上幼稚園時, 他的數學已經趕不上 同年的小孩了。 到他三年級的時候, 他的數學與閱讀成績都不理想。 11 歲時, 湯米很可能要留級重讀。 研究顯示學童如果沒有 持續攝取足夠的營養, 尤其是早餐, 總體的認知功能會較差。
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.
所以,這個問題 有多廣泛、多嚴重呢? 不幸的是, 全國都面臨著這個問題。 讓我給各位舉兩個例子, 他們看起來截然不同, 但其實他們是一體的兩面。 從一方面來看, 1/6 的美國人處在糧食危機中, 包含一千六百萬孩童 ── 將近 20% 的比例, 處於糧食危機中。 單就這個城市紐約而言, 474,000 名 18 歲以下的孩童 每年都面臨飢餓的危機。 這令人難以置信。 另一方面, 飲食和營養是目前導致 本國可預防死亡與疾病的首要因素。 而我們今晚談論的孩童中, 有 1/3 的人可能在 一生中得到糖尿病。 很難兜在一起,但卻是事實, 遭受飢餓之苦與糖尿病之苦的小孩, 常是同一群小孩。 他們攝取生活中垂手可得、 家庭負擔得起的 不健康、廉價的卡路里食品。 到了月底時, 當食物券花完或 家長時薪工作的時數被刪減, 他們就沒有足夠的錢來支付 基本的伙食所需。
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.
但是,我們應該可以 解決這個問題,對吧? 我們知道問題的答案是什麼。 我在白宮的工作項目中有一個計畫, 在全校超過 40% 低收入家庭的學校, 提供免費的早餐和午餐 給全校的孩童。
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.
這個計畫獲得卓越的成效, 因它幫助我們克服了 一個在提供營養早餐給孩童時, 極為棘手的障礙。 那個障礙就是污名。 學校在每天上課前提供早餐, 而且只提供給貧窮的學童。 這時大家就都知道誰家很窮, 誰需要政府的補助了。 現在,所有的孩童不論貧富, 都能保有自尊。 結果如何呢? 有執行這個計畫的學校, 他們學生的數學與閱讀成績, 提升了17.5%。 17.5%。 而研究顯示,當孩童持續地 攝取營養早餐, 他們順利畢業的機率提高 20%。 20%。 當我們提供孩童所需的營養, 我們就提供了他們茁壯成長的機會, 不論在校內或校外。
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.
你們可以不買我的帳, 但是你們得和唐娜‧瑪汀談談。 我愛唐娜‧瑪汀。 唐娜‧瑪汀在喬治亞州 韋恩斯伯勒的伯克郡 擔任學校的營養主管。 伯克郡是全美赤貧區的 前五名之一。 唐娜所有的學生都是 生活在貧窮指標以下。 幾年前, 唐娜決定帶頭迎接新標準的來臨, 重新仔細檢視它的營養標準。 她增加了蔬菜、水果與全麥食品。 她提供所有孩童營養早餐。 她也置入了晚餐計畫。 為什麼? 許多她的學生回家後, 沒有晚餐可吃。
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.
這些孩童覺得如何呢? 他們愛這些食物。 他們喜愛較營養的餐點, 當然也欣喜不用再餓肚子了。 但是,唐娜的最大贊助者 來自一個出乎意料的人。 他的名字是艾力克‧帕爾克。 他是伯克郡熊隊的足球首席教練。 現在,帕爾克教練 在一般球隊任教多年。 熊隊通常沒能晉級比賽── 以一個對足球充滿狂熱的州來說, 是一件憾事。 但當唐娜改變菜單的那年, 熊隊不僅贏得了區賽, 更贏得了州際盃的冠軍賽, 以 28 比 14 大勝橘郡的 特洛伊人隊。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And Coach Parker, he credited that championship to Donna Martin.
而帕爾克教練, 他把獲勝的功勞歸於唐娜‧瑪汀。
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.
當我們供給孩子們基本的營養所需, 他們就會茁壯與成長。 這並非只靠雪若‧芭芭拉 和唐娜‧瑪汀。 而是有賴大家一起來完成。 讓我們的孩童攝取基本的營養品, 只是個開端。 我所提出來的是一個 大家所面臨眾多急迫性 議題中的例子。 假如我們能純粹聚焦在 適當地滋養我們自身, 我們就能看到一個 更穩定與更安全的世界; 我們能大幅地提升經濟生產力; 我們能改善醫療保健, 並確保地球能夠永續地供應 我們世代子孫所需。 食物就是我們集眾人之力, 就能產生巨大成效的項目 。
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.
所以,我們捫心自問: 什麼是對的問題? 如果我們攝取更多的營養、 增加更多的永續綠色飲食, 會如何呢 ? 會帶來什麼樣的影響呢 ? 雪若‧芭芭拉、 唐娜‧瑪汀、 帕爾克教練與伯克郡的熊隊── 我想他們知道答案。
Thank you guys so very much.
非常謝謝大家。
(Applause)
(掌聲)