Launch an educational campaign that promotes nutrition and fitness.

In today’s society, nutritional information is more a marketing tool used to drive food sales than it is a means to create a healthy, balanced diet. The word ‘diet’ itself is severely overused. Just pick up a magazine and I am sure you can find 10 different ways to lose 5 pounds in 5 minutes. Labeling food with nutritional content has caused a serious problem in today’s American diet. Rather than ask ourselves “How many calories, fat, or carbohydrates did I eat today?” we should instead ask ourselves “Will the calories, fat, and carbohydrates I ate today provide the necessary fuel to power this complex system known as the human body?”

In today’s world nutrition and fitness are New Year’s resolutions, fads, and often unattainable goals for many people. What we have to realize is that nutrition and fitness are not just a pairing of the right diet with the right workout; rather, they must be a lasting change in one’s lifestyle. Just as everyone brushes their teeth or takes a shower on a daily basis, so to must they eat the right food and perform the right physical activities. The only way to successfully incorporate nutrition and fitness is to make it a part of your daily life. Capitalism has been slow to embrace this idea simply because of the huge amounts of money that are made from creating, selling, and promoting the next “wonder diet.”

This initiative will:

• Develop an up-to-date, easily adaptable curriculum that can be taught in elementary and high schools throughout the country.

• Host single day events for individual schools that will focus on nutrition and fitness through experiential learning.

• Develop a web-based informational database that will act as a one-stop-shop for individuals seeking a healthy lifestyle.