We should feed the world more than just rice and beans | Andie Pinga | TEDxPhillipsAcademyAndover
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0:14 - 0:16So, when I was a kid,
-
0:16 - 0:19I would spend every summer
in the Philippines. -
0:19 - 0:20And every morning,
-
0:20 - 0:24my grandmother would wake me
and my brother up super early -
0:24 - 0:26to go eat breakfast at McDonald's.
-
0:27 - 0:31And at McDonald's, I was hooked onto
their breakfast longganisa they served, -
0:31 - 0:34which is sort of like
a Filipino sweet sausage. -
0:34 - 0:36Before my merienda, or afternoon snack,
-
0:36 - 0:41my grandmother would order me two bowls
of my beloved creamy macaroni soup. -
0:41 - 0:45Obviously, I had an unhealthy
appetite for McDonald's. -
0:46 - 0:48Filipino eating habits seem to reflect
-
0:48 - 0:53this fast-food style of eating
excessive amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. -
0:53 - 0:55So, it's not really a big surprise
-
0:55 - 0:59when three of the four leading causes
of death in the Philippines - -
0:59 - 1:01heart disease, stroke, and diabetes -
-
1:01 - 1:03are all related to poor nutrition.
-
1:04 - 1:11The Philippines lost 2.8 billion pesos
in 2006 just because of poor nutrition. -
1:11 - 1:16And just after 10 years,
this economic loss doubled. -
1:17 - 1:19But in other parts of the country
and in the world, -
1:19 - 1:22the problem isn't too much
the poor quality of diet, -
1:22 - 1:24but the lack of food.
-
1:24 - 1:28Hunger is at a critical stage
in the world today. -
1:28 - 1:33Before I was interested in this topic,
I thought, like so many others, -
1:33 - 1:37that our first priority should just be
to feed a child until they aren't hungry. -
1:37 - 1:38I was wrong.
-
1:39 - 1:42If you look at the bigger picture
of a child's life, -
1:42 - 1:47you can see that it's extremely important
to satisfy that child with a quality diet -
1:47 - 1:50at the same time when addressing hunger.
-
1:50 - 1:53What do I mean by quality diets?
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1:53 - 1:58I mean safe, diverse,
nutritious foods all year round -
1:58 - 2:01to feed and sustain brain power
-
2:01 - 2:04because nutrition has a direct link
to brain development. -
2:04 - 2:08The way you think, act,
your eventual intelligence, -
2:08 - 2:12this can all decrease
due to poor nutrition early in childhood. -
2:12 - 2:15And a child's long-term health
is also impaired. -
2:15 - 2:19When they are an adult,
their health will decline earlier. -
2:19 - 2:23So, the lack of diverse,
nutritious foods, undernutrition, -
2:23 - 2:26is both a cause
and consequence of poverty. -
2:27 - 2:29Let me give you an example.
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2:29 - 2:30Imagine a five-year-old girl
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2:30 - 2:33who lives on some remote farm
in a developing country. -
2:33 - 2:36She also might as well
be living in a big city. -
2:36 - 2:40Her family doesn't have enough food,
much less an adequate diet. -
2:40 - 2:43She will be cognitively impaired.
-
2:43 - 2:46She will not reach
her full potential height. -
2:46 - 2:49Therefore, she will not reach
her full human potential. -
2:50 - 2:53And when she grows up,
her income and her harvest are limited -
2:53 - 2:56because of these disadvantages
she had earlier on in life. -
2:57 - 2:59She will not be able to afford
basic healthcare, -
2:59 - 3:04and she will not be able to provide
education and the proper nutritious diet -
3:04 - 3:05for her children.
-
3:05 - 3:10So, her children will also become
cognitively impaired and stunted, -
3:10 - 3:12and they will not reach
their full human potential. -
3:13 - 3:16The future of our world depends
on these young girls and their children -
3:16 - 3:19and on those future generations.
-
3:19 - 3:23But malnutrition isn't one
of those third-world problems. -
3:23 - 3:25It's here in the United States, too.
-
3:25 - 3:28In one of the most developed
countries in the world, -
3:28 - 3:31our children are overfed
and undernourished. -
3:31 - 3:35One in three American children
are overweight or obese. -
3:35 - 3:38And overnutrition
is just as bad as undernutrition. -
3:39 - 3:42I could have easily been
one of those overweight children -
3:42 - 3:45the way I devoured and craved
McDonald's as a child. -
3:46 - 3:49Fortunately, I only visited
the Philippines in the summer. -
3:49 - 3:52For the rest of the year,
I lived in Hanoi, Vietnam. -
3:52 - 3:55And in Hanoi, there were no McDonald's.
-
3:55 - 3:57I was surrounded by working farms,
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3:57 - 4:00and the Vietnamese culture
emphasise a balance in living, -
4:00 - 4:01including in their diet.
-
4:02 - 4:04Leaving Vietnam and moving to Vermont,
-
4:04 - 4:08I was further surrounded
by this culture of healthy living. -
4:08 - 4:10There are so many farms in Vermont,
-
4:10 - 4:14and in school, I was able
to go to those farms, -
4:14 - 4:18see how my food was grown,
and learn how to prepare balanced meals. -
4:19 - 4:24My teachers emphasised
fresh, organic, local food in my diet. -
4:24 - 4:28And just last October,
I went to a conference in Iowa, -
4:28 - 4:30and there I was able to meet
amazing people -
4:30 - 4:32who travel to these developing countries
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4:32 - 4:37and work with the local communities
in developing countries -
4:37 - 4:39to help push this nutrition agenda.
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4:39 - 4:43So, I learned how to care about my food
at this conference, right? -
4:43 - 4:45But most of the people in the world
-
4:45 - 4:48don't know or don't care
about what is needed by the body. -
4:48 - 4:52And most don't even know
where their next meal is coming from. -
4:52 - 4:54What does the future of our world hold
-
4:54 - 4:59when a third of the world population
does not reach their full human potential? -
5:00 - 5:03The Philippines alone
lost about five billion pesos -
5:03 - 5:05just because of poor nutrition.
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5:05 - 5:07That's a lot of money.
-
5:07 - 5:13So, I say, our generation's mission
statement is to solve hunger better. -
5:13 - 5:15A nutrition-focused approach
-
5:15 - 5:18builds a generation capable
of rising out of the cycle of poverty. -
5:19 - 5:23It builds a smarter, stronger,
and more stable workforce. -
5:23 - 5:27So, if there's one thing I want you guys
to take away from my talk, it's this: -
5:27 - 5:29A child needs food to survive
-
5:29 - 5:33or requires a diverse,
nutritious diet to thrive. -
5:33 - 5:36Hunger and obesity both have one solution.
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5:36 - 5:40Quality meals should be
both available and consumed. -
5:40 - 5:44So, you might ask,
What can I do to ensure this? -
5:44 - 5:47Well first, be conscious of what you eat.
-
5:48 - 5:50You may have heard this a million times,
-
5:50 - 5:53but healthy choices
can only bring you benefits. -
5:53 - 5:56Second, look at what others
in your community eat. -
5:57 - 6:01Influence your family, friends, the person
behind you in line at the cafeteria -
6:01 - 6:03to choose more nutritious items.
-
6:03 - 6:08And third, do something about the rest
of the world who doesn't have enough food. -
6:08 - 6:10You can easily join multiple organisations
-
6:10 - 6:13and learn to care
about the millions of children -
6:13 - 6:15that go to bed hungry every single night.
-
6:15 - 6:19And finally, when you solve hunger,
you solve it better. -
6:20 - 6:23When you donate rice, beans,
or some canned food, -
6:23 - 6:25you are giving sustenance.
-
6:25 - 6:30But when you give them a quality meal,
you are giving them opportunities -
6:30 - 6:33and ultimately, investing
in the future of our world. -
6:34 - 6:38Our generation can ensure
that we leave our world in capable hands -
6:38 - 6:40through better diets.
-
6:40 - 6:42Our mission is nutrition.
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6:42 - 6:44Thank you.
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6:44 - 6:46(Applause)
- Title:
- We should feed the world more than just rice and beans | Andie Pinga | TEDxPhillipsAcademyAndover
- Description:
-
Andie Pinga has seen different forms of malnutrition manifest itself in Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States. As hunger reaches a critical stage in the world today, it is important to recognise the importance of feeding the mind as well as feeding the belly. To 'solve hunger better', our generation must invest in the future by feeding our children quality diets with more nutritious foods.
Andie Pinga is a sophomore at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 06:53