We should feed the world more than just rice and beans | Andie Pinga | TEDxPhillipsAcademyAndover

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

So, when I was a kid,

I would spend every summer
in the Philippines.

And every morning,

my grandmother would wake me
and my brother up super early

to go eat breakfast at McDonald's.

And at McDonald's, I was hooked onto
their breakfast longganisa they served,

which is sort of like
a Filipino sweet sausage.

Before my merienda, or afternoon snack,

my grandmother would order me two bowls
of my beloved creamy macaroni soup.

Obviously, I had an unhealthy
appetite for McDonald's.

Filipino eating habits seem to reflect

this fast-food style of eating
excessive amounts of salt, sugar, and fat.

So, it's not really a big surprise

when three of the four leading causes
of death in the Philippines -

heart disease, stroke, and diabetes -

are all related to poor nutrition.

The Philippines lost 2.8 billion pesos
in 2006 just because of poor nutrition.

And just after 10 years,
this economic loss doubled.

But in other parts of the country
and in the world,

the problem isn't too much
the poor quality of diet,

but the lack of food.

Hunger is at a critical stage
in the world today.

Before I was interested in this topic,
I thought, like so many others,

that our first priority should just be
to feed a child until they aren't hungry.

I was wrong.

If you look at the bigger picture
of a child's life,

you can see that it's extremely important
to satisfy that child with a quality diet

at the same time when addressing hunger.

What do I mean by quality diets?

I mean safe, diverse,
nutritious foods all year round

to feed and sustain brain power

because nutrition has a direct link
to brain development.

The way you think, act,
your eventual intelligence,

this can all decrease
due to poor nutrition early in childhood.

And a child's long-term health
is also impaired.

When they are an adult,
their health will decline earlier.

So, the lack of diverse,
nutritious foods, undernutrition,

is both a cause
and consequence of poverty.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine a five-year-old girl

who lives on some remote farm
in a developing country.

She also might as well
be living in a big city.

Her family doesn't have enough food,
much less an adequate diet.

She will be cognitively impaired.

She will not reach
her full potential height.

Therefore, she will not reach
her full human potential.

And when she grows up,
her income and her harvest are limited

because of these disadvantages
she had earlier on in life.

She will not be able to afford
basic healthcare,

and she will not be able to provide
education and the proper nutritious diet

for her children.

So, her children will also become
cognitively impaired and stunted,

and they will not reach
their full human potential.

The future of our world depends
on these young girls and their children

and on those future generations.

But malnutrition isn't one
of those third-world problems.

It's here in the United States, too.

In one of the most developed
countries in the world,

our children are overfed
and undernourished.

One in three American children
are overweight or obese.

And overnutrition
is just as bad as undernutrition.

I could have easily been
one of those overweight children

the way I devoured and craved
McDonald's as a child.

Fortunately, I only visited
the Philippines in the summer.

For the rest of the year,
I lived in Hanoi, Vietnam.

And in Hanoi, there were no McDonald's.

I was surrounded by working farms,

and the Vietnamese culture
emphasise a balance in living,

including in their diet.

Leaving Vietnam and moving to Vermont,

I was further surrounded
by this culture of healthy living.

There are so many farms in Vermont,

and in school, I was able
to go to those farms,

see how my food was grown,
and learn how to prepare balanced meals.

My teachers emphasised
fresh, organic, local food in my diet.

And just last October,
I went to a conference in Iowa,

and there I was able to meet
amazing people

who travel to these developing countries

and work with the local communities
in developing countries

to help push this nutrition agenda.

So, I learned how to care about my food
at this conference, right?

But most of the people in the world

don't know or don't care
about what is needed by the body.

And most don't even know
where their next meal is coming from.

What does the future of our world hold

when a third of the world population
does not reach their full human potential?

The Philippines alone
lost about five billion pesos

just because of poor nutrition.

That's a lot of money.

So, I say, our generation's mission
statement is to solve hunger better.

A nutrition-focused approach

builds a generation capable
of rising out of the cycle of poverty.

It builds a smarter, stronger,
and more stable workforce.

So, if there's one thing I want you guys
to take away from my talk, it's this:

A child needs food to survive

or requires a diverse,
nutritious diet to thrive.

Hunger and obesity both have one solution.

Quality meals should be
both available and consumed.

So, you might ask,
What can I do to ensure this?

Well first, be conscious of what you eat.

You may have heard this a million times,

but healthy choices
can only bring you benefits.

Second, look at what others
in your community eat.

Influence your family, friends, the person
behind you in line at the cafeteria

to choose more nutritious items.

And third, do something about the rest
of the world who doesn't have enough food.

You can easily join multiple organisations

and learn to care
about the millions of children

that go to bed hungry every single night.

And finally, when you solve hunger,
you solve it better.

When you donate rice, beans,
or some canned food,

you are giving sustenance.

But when you give them a quality meal,
you are giving them opportunities

and ultimately, investing
in the future of our world.

Our generation can ensure
that we leave our world in capable hands

through better diets.

Our mission is nutrition.

Thank you.

(Applause)