The Changing Face of Malnutrition
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Amway.
We’re fortunate. Our children eat three healthy meals a day. They never wonder where their next meal will come from. They never once have opened our refrigerator door to see an empty shelf. We have a snack bucket for crying out loud. There is never a lack of food in our home. God willing!
When you think of children who are malnourished and hungry what do you envision?
The faces of children from a third world country, right?
Let me tell you, the face of malnutrition and hunger is changing.
When our two older boys were in public school I ran our PTA for a couple of years. I served on the executive board for many years. Our school was one of the Title 1 schools in our district. This means that 70-something percent of the kids, or more, were on free or reduced lunches.
Hunger is real and it is right here in our neighborhoods. I watched child after child who ate two meals a day Monday through Friday only because they were at school. On the weekends they were hungry. Maybe they were from a single parent home, maybe their parent worked two or three jobs and still could not keep the lights on. Food… that was a luxury. It is absolutely heartbreaking, and it is REAL. And it is right here in the United States….
Now, let’s look at the flip side of this. The fast growing obesity rate in the US. This is a condition striking families no matter your economic statics. Obesity attacks families that are low, mid and high income. It is a true epidemic. Since 1980 this trend has grown steadily.
Sixty nine percent of the adults in the US are overweight or obese. 1.2 MILLION children in the US are obese or overweight. Here is a map that will help you put all of this into perspective including a global look at malnutrition. It is so sad to me how impacted the US is by malnutrition on both ends of the spectrum.
More About the Map
- The Malnutrition Mapping Project, sponsored by Amway™, is a digital visualization of the global burden of malnutrition in all its forms in low-, middle- and high-income countries.
- The map was developed by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) with financial support from Amway™. It provides a broad perspective on the importance of proper nutrition in the health of people and economies, using data compiled from more than 30 countries.
- It details the transforming state of malnutrition and its manifestation in the double burden of under nutrition and overweight and obesity.
- Creation of the map is part of Amway’s commitment to the SUN Business Network, a United Nations effort to engage multiple sectors to work together to support SUN country national nutrition strategies.
- Amway™ and its Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign are committed to fighting childhood malnutrition. Amway has the nutrition expertise needed to address this issue. It cannot be addressed by one person or one company alone, but requires key partnerships.
How Can We Make a Difference?
The Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign is Amway’s global effort to fight childhood malnutrition through the distribution of Nutrilite™ Little Bits™, a micronutrient supplement designed to provide children essential vitamins and minerals in their first 5 years of life. Working with nongovernmental organizations, Amway already distributes Nutrilite™ Little Bits™ in six countries. The goal is to expand that to 15 countries by 2017. This is a huge goal!
You and I can get involved! Find out how you can help change the face of malnutrition with me!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Amway.