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#1: Children's
Health
Our primary
mission is to empower children to take control of their own health at the earliest age possible. Through
a combination of cooking and fitness classes, children learn hands-on about the nutritional content of food and how diet directly
impacts their health. Michelle Obama, the American Heart Association, and the Center for Disease
Control have all issued warnings that if children do not change their dietary habits and become more physically active, the
country will be faced with a health and economic “crisis” within the next 25 years. The CDC
has reported that within the next 40 years, 1 out of every 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes (a largely preventable
medical condition caused predominately by poor diet and lack of exercise). Heart disease continues to be
the number one cause of premature death in this country and there is mounting evidence that heart disease begins in childhood,
striking both overweight, as well as malnourished seemingly "fit" children) [see
Footnote] . Because of these trends, the American Heart Association now predicates that for the first time
in U.S. history, this generation of children will have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
The Kids Heart Felt Health program provides a creative solution, capturing elementary through high-school aged children,
and empowers them to reverse these disturbing trends.
Footnote: See Enos WF, Holmes RH, Beyer J. Coronary disease among United States soldiers
killed in action in Korea: preliminary report. JAMA. 1953; 552: 1090–1093; McNamara JJ, Molot MA, Stremple JF, Cutting RT. Coronary
artery disease in combat casualties in Vietnam. JAMA. 1971; 216: 1185–1887
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#2 School Performance
Our mission is also to teach children about
the critical connection between diet, fitness, and school performance. Children learn how to identify certain
foods that have been scientifically shown to improve memory, learning, mood, and behavior; and conversely, children learn
why sugary-laden, high carbohydrate, high glycemic foods impair school performance. Our program will continue
to explore how dietary changes may help alleviate learning disabilities, such as Attention Deficit Disorder and auditory processing
disorders. We are also committed to raising awareness of how exercise can promote brain cell growth and improve learning,
as identified by Dr. John J. Ratey in his book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
We empower children with the best nutritional and scientific bases for achieving their academic potential through both
proper nutrition and fitness.
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#3 Character Building
In
addition to our health and educational goals, the Kids Heart Felt Health program is designed to inspire children to live in
a more heart-felt way. The word “HEART” represents character values that our program instills in
children: humility, empathy, appreciation, respect, and tenacity. Underlying these core values is the teaching
that small deeds can have extraordinary consequences when they come from the heart. As part of our program, we not only
share inspirational stories of people who represent these core values, but we also provide opportunities for our participants
to give the gift of a healthy meal to others in the community. In this way our program raises public awareness of community
needs and instills a commitment to giving at the same time.
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