About myNutratek™

The Story

Is there anything more devastating to a parent than seeing their child in pain and not being able to make it go away? Tim Codd faced this nightmare when he discovered his eight year old daughter crying after school one day. Like any concerned parent, he quickly investigated the cause and found out that she had been ridiculed by classmates because of her weight. This incident inspired Tim to make some changes.

In the United States today, millions of children and teens are battling with being overweight and its associated health issues more than ever before. The problem is on the scale of becoming a national epidemic and it has impacts in every school, and in every town. Tim learned these facts and was shaken by the massive scope of a problem that was right before his eyes, yet had gone unnoticed.

In an effort to help his daughter, Tim made a pact that they would eat lunch together once a week, every week, for the rest of his life. Their "lunch dates" started in his daughter's own school cafeteria. This simple act proved to be an epiphany for Tim. The school meal program was also overlooking this childhood health problem and was missing a golden opportunity to educate kids about healthy eating and how to take personal responsibility for overall wellness. It wasn’t the fault of the school food service director, teachers or the administration. They simply lacked the funding and technology to confront the myriad of issues and provide the teachable moments necessary to impact behavior change.

From that point forward, Tim and the entire Codd Family began a quest to create a healthier home and school environment. Their innovative and unwavering pursuit of this goal has given birth to myNutratek™. This ground breaking system can improve the image of school meal programs and change the entire school environment to an epicenter of wellness and health education in America.

“Never doubt that a small group of committed individuals can change the world. In fact, they are the only kind that ever have.”
-Margaret Meade

 

The Problem

Children, teens and adults in our country continue to put on pounds at an alarming rate. This is not just a health crisis; it is now an economic crisis of national concern. Over the years, many policies, programs and information campaigns have attempted to combat these health issues, but the statistics, and consumers, continue to grow in the wrong direction.

The reasons for our continued unhealthy choices make up a long list. The traditional attack against weight issues centers on health education. Adults primarily get their education from health care providers, magazines, books, television and the internet. While their children and teens primarily get this education in school through health and physical education classes. Education will always be an essential part of the solution. The bigger question is how do we connect the learning with behavior change?

The Solution

myNutratek™ proposes a dynamic, integrated technology that addresses the disconnect between learning and behavior change. This resource combines education with a comprehensive framework to record health behaviors, report outcomes and reward with incentives…all in real time. Incentives are one of the key elements to sustained behavior change. Yet, most available programs have limited time frames for their incentives or are expensive and behaviors usually revert back when they are removed. myNutratek's™ incentives are sustainable and are being supported by sponsors who have the same mission; to help reverse the health trends and create a more stable economic and health environment in our country.

The Highlights

myNutratek™

• Uses technology to teach and encourages kids (and adults) to "play with their food" and take personal responsibility for their health.
• Has the ability to capture health data that can be shared with a physician or insurance company as a way to offer lower co-pay and deductibles for evidence of improved wellness.
• Provides a shared space where communities can organize, post and implement health challenges.
• Supports grade level content expectations for health.
• Can help schools meet criteria needed to apply for the HealthierUS School Challenge Award.
• Can be integrated as a goal for the Healthy Eating & Nutrition or Physical Education & Physical Activity topic areas within the Healthy School Action Tool (HSAT) school health assessment for Michigan.
• Gives athletes an easy format to track their physical activity during their season and in the off-season.
• Improves self-esteem while protecting personal information.
• Offers the opportunity to open dialog on the sensitive issues of being overweight at home or in a classroom in a non-invasive, positive environment.
• Takes the pressure off of parents and gives it to myNutratek™ by providing educational tools in a friendly, fun environment where families can work together to achieve their wellness goals.
• Supports and justifies school health grants by tracking behavior changes related to nutrition, physical activity, sleep and dental care.
• Captures outcome data that can be used to apply for health related grants.
• Supplies aggregate results which can be utilized for a variety of needs in completely customized formats.
• Provides age-appropriate incentives for children, teens and adults that encourage positive, long term health behaviors.