The problem
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness month. Consider the following facts:
30 years ago, 1 in 20 children were obese. Today, it's 1 in 5.
According to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, life expectancy could decline in the US during this century,
absent population-level intervention addressing obesity.
One-third of US children are now either overweight or obese and according to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity accounts for 44 percent of the global diabetes burden, 23 percent of the heart disease burden, and 7 to 41 percent of various
cancer burdens.
According to UN Special Rapporteur
Olivier De Schutter, “Unhealthy diets are now a greater threat to global health than tobacco. Just as the world came together to regulate the risks of tobacco, a bold framework convention on adequate diets must now be agreed.”
Relatively simple dietary adjustments could significantly alleviate the burden of degenerative diseases. A nutritional renaissance, fueled by education, scientific research, and creative public policy, is now within reach.
The campaign
The nutritional crisis is global, affecting every country and every community. The solution, therefore, requires thousands of campaigns encompassing millions of individuals, organizations, corporations, and governments. My idea is to offer something of value,
my award-winning nutrition book, to generate funds for the
Institute for Responsible Nutrition (IRN).
The IRN was recently founded by prominent business leaders, public service leaders, and health professionals, including Dr. Jordan Shlain and Dr. Robert Lustig, both of whom were named as Top 100 Innovators in Health Care by
Healthspottr.com
The mission of the IRN is to reverse childhood obesity and type-2 diabetes. They use donations to produce world-class educational media while bringing together the world’s leading nutrition scientists, pediatricians, moms, corporate executives, and others
to take action.
How will your money be spent?
I am in no way affiliated with the IRN, but I believe in its mission and have been inspired by the passionate work of its founders, particularly Dr. Lustig. 100% of the profits from this campaign will be donated to the IRN. On their website, the IRN explains,
"Specifically, your support will make it possible for the IRN to build the world’s first Massive-Open-Online-Course (MOOC) that thoughtfully and deliberately illuminates and educates parents, children, and food producers on the impact of added sugar
on health. This MOOC will change lives and accelerate the sea change occurring in our understanding of the science of sugar and its impact on metabolic health."
Call to action
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. 1 in 5 children are currently obese. The UN says unhealthy diets are a greater threat to global health than tobacco. Simple dietary adjustments can result in massive improvements. It starts with education.
*** Donation levels for this campaign are $10, $20, $25, $50, $200, $500, and $1,000. There are various benefits affiliated with donations including the Nutritional Grail eBook, print version, a Nutritional Grail t-shirt, and a 30-minute Skype consultation
with me, Christopher Clark. Given such, donations to the campaign are not tax-deductible.
*** Please help me spread the word about this campaign. Use the social media share buttons, blog about it, and reach out to your friends and colleagues through personal emails.
About Christopher Clark:
Christopher Clark is an award-winning author, consultant, and chef with specialized knowledge in nutritional science and healing cuisine. He has a Business Administration degree from
the University of Michigan and formerly worked as a revenue management analyst for a Fortune 100 company. For the past decade-plus, he has been designing menus, recipes, and food concepts for restaurants and spas, coaching private clients, teaching cooking
workshops worldwide, and managing the kitchen for a yoga resort in Greece. Clark writes for
The Huffington Post and Loren Cordain's
The Paleo Diet and is the author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning book, Nutritional Grail.