You can grow your own food. We can help.

Your Health is on Your Plate

Oct 05, 2010

My daughter (pictured above), now two years out of college, is working at a new community garden, built adjacent to the school that all three of my children attended. A few weeks ago, a little boy who attends the after-school Gardening Club told her, “I only eat vegetables that I grow in my own garden.” That kid is a genius.

The best way to get kids to increase the number of fruits and vegetables they eat is to involve them in their preparation. Or creation. Kids are much more likely to eat multi-colored cherry tomatoes (assuming they even make it to their plates!) if they grow and then pick those delicious jewels themselves. There’s a much greater chance that they’ll finish their kohlrabi if they help grow it, peel it, slice it, and squeeze fresh lemon juice all over it. There’s such a big difference between real food and manufactured calories.

If we teach our children to garden, they will understand. And they will never go hungry.

Roxanne B Sukol MD MS
Your Health is on Your Plate
http://yourhealthisonyourplate.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Roxanne Sukol

I'm a primary care doctor in Cleveland Ohio preventing diabetes and obesity by teaching folks how to tell the difference between real food and manufactured calories.

Comments

Jessica Still

Tue, 10/05/2010 - 12:56

I put an antique gate in my fence just so the dear neighbor children could come over to my gardens at will. They often showed up asking to pick, wash & eat fresh from the carrot bed, as if carrots were delectable snacks! Oh, right - they are! :-) You have a great mission, Roxanne. Thank you for bringing it to KGI!

MadelynnH

Sat, 10/09/2010 - 01:51

Involving the kids in preparing the foods can help them to enjoy eating it and that helps to make them used to eating vegetables and fruits. It do increases ones appetite too if the food they are eating are familiar to them and are well-decorated. Kids love to have lots of fun and you can do it with them being allowed in the kitchen and the garden.