Childhood Depression and Nutrition

Substantial and incontrovertible evidence is now available linking poor nutrition to depressionand many other health disorders that cost the state millions and the country trillions of dollars. Mental health cannot be improved and healthcare costs cannot be reduced in Nevada until the issue of healthy nutrition is addressed.

Part 1 is a program educating mothers and providing them with sample nutrition products produced in Nevada (likely from rural areas). This ensures good nutrition in the crucial years from birth through 8 years of age.

Part 2 is improving K-12 nutrition in Clark County’s schools. The Clark County School District is the largest school district in the United States. Success in this district will have a national audience paying attention. The county government controls what food is provided to the majority of K-12 children in the state and provides their education about nutrition. The county can decide to provide food that is nutritious or food that is harmful. I have opened a dialog with MIkeBarton at the school district who has agreed to let me speak with the School District’s nutritionists.

Our state has some of the best nutritionist in the country serving the needs of some of our nation’s greatest athletes. The nutrition knowledge base in our state is excellent. I would like to host meetings between the school district’s nutritionists, our state’s private sector nutritionists, and nutrition scientists from Harvard, UCSF and UC Davis.

Our state has large quantities of fresh food shipped in daily to serve the needs of our tremendous restaurant industry. Our state has some of the best chefs in the world. I would like to involve Nevada’s farmer to see how much of school nutrition demand can be sourced from within Nevada.

Our state is developing a biotech research ecosystem. We have been bringing together researchers and organizing our scientific efforts. The science in nutrition is now excellent and there are many changes that can be made that will help Nevada’s citizens:

Immediate actions:

• Adopt Real Food (a San Francisco nonprofit) recommendations for nutrition in Clark County Schools

• Convene a meeting of local nutritionist to hear their suggestions

• Establish links with UC Davis and UCSF nutrition scientists

• Convene a meeting of local chefs to hear their suggestions

Long-term changes:

• Ban sodas and sucrose/fructose at all hospitals

• Punitively tax the sale of ingredients high in sucrose/fructose

• Promote/subsidize the use of glucose/maltose/galactose

Expected outcomes:

• Increased test scores for Nevada students compared to the rest of the country

• Increased physical fitness for Nevada students compared to the rest of the country

• Reduced suicide rates for Nevada students compared to the rest of the country

• Reduced Medicaid costs for diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and other diseases

• Development of expertise in the field of nutrition science with the potential to export products and services to the rest of the nation/world.

• Prevention of the exploitation of Nevadans by America’s agricultural/food industry by blocking its attempts to promote sugar addiction.