Food for Health is a major project by the Rotary E-Club of D9510online, Australia and OPAL (an initiative of SA Health).
The key focus of this project is to promote a better choice of Food for a Healthier Lifestyle and by Service Clubs and Community Organisations adopting guidelines and recipes from the website our commitment to serving humanity in keeping you and your family healthy.
As well as, these beneficial lifestyle choices can make our whole community a more rewarding place to live – where people have fewer long-term health problems.
Our children today face the risk of a shorter lifespan than their parents. They are the next generation in human history to face this. Why? Shifts in diet and lifestyle patterns and the unhealthy environment in which we live. Did you know that there are more health risks due to over-nutrition than under-nutrition in the world today, with one billion people suffering from obesity?
So, what can Rotary do to help?
Rotary at a local level can ‘act’ as a role model. Fundraising events by selling food play a significant role in enabling local and international Rotary projects, and we recognise the immense good that is achieved with these funds. This also provides us with an opportunity.
We have a choice. We can ensure that our fundraising efforts, through food, contribute to a healthier community or continue to contribute to the problem of obesity and the lifestyle diseases that flow from this. If Rotary Clubs in Australia promote and adopt healthier food choices, imagine the impact we could make in our communities.
Responding to an increase in consumer demand for healthier options, we are working with OPAL part of SA Health, to compile a set of simple guidelines to transition towards healthier choices. In addition, we will work with key partners to assemble resources and an electronic cookbook of healthy recipes for use in fundraising events and in the home environment. Existing resources from reputable agencies will be used as a basis for these recipes including the Heart Foundation, Cancer Council and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). All resources will be available for free from our dedicated website ‘Food For Health’.
Our E-Club recognizes the practical and cultural challenges inherent in this project. We know change is difficult, and we know that fundraisers such as these are vital to funding our work and we know that the adoption of new practices can be perceived as hard. But there are existing resources, programs and guidelines to help us. Rotary is composed of respected community leaders that can advocate for our community’s health and change is already starting to happen. This is an opportunity for Rotary to position itself as the leading service organisation in this field, one that will inspire others to join us, multiplying the effect across communities.
Together let’s work through the challenges and offer healthier foods in our fundraising events, because “leading by example” is one of the best ways to lead and Make a Difference.