Editorial: Teach Children Healthy Eating Habits

This month in our cover story, Senior Western Editor David Eddy covered the topic of why it is so important for growers to get involved in marketing vegetables. He found out — and this is probably going to be no surprise to anyone — that the youths in our country are not eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables.

In the article he cites what organizations like the Produce For Better Health Foundation are doing with the Adopt-A-School Community Outreach Program to help children understand the importance of healthy eating and put the brakes on the obesity epidemic in this country.

As obesity has been an ongoing problem, it is great to see that more and more organizations are trying to turn things around. For example, I recently received information from Western Growers on funding for school gardens in 100 California preschools and child care centers. For those of you who read David’s story, he mentions it is imperative to get the nutrition message to children because once they hit the teenage years it becomes significantly more difficult to rein them in and get them to understand the relationship between healthy eating and their overall health.

Gardening Projects

Designed to promote nutrition to kids, the garden project is funded by the California Department of Food & Agriculture. Western Growers Foundation is working with the California Department of Education to disperse the funds to facilities across the state with the goal of creating a garden at each location. The idea, as one teacher had said, is that if the kids grow it, they are more apt to eat it.

Others also are jumping on the healthy eating bandwagon. Bonnie Plants, established in 1918 and a leading producer of vegetable and herbs plants for gardens, has been teaching young children about the importance of vegetables since 2002 when the company established its Third Grade Cabbage Program. According to Bonnie Plants, in 2011 more than 1.5 million children from 48 states participated in the program.

Furthering its efforts, Bonnie Plants recently partnered with Growums, an online company that teaches kids how to grow vegetables in an interactive and playful way (www.growums.com). According to the Growums website, the company “gives children a life-changing experience, teaching them that they can grow their own food and help the environment, as well as emphasize the importance of healthy eating.”

Stop The Epidemic

As no one can deny that the obesity issue is out of hand, it is time for the rest of us to get on the bandwagon, as well. You might be surprised at what you can do to make a difference and convert tomorrow’s customers into fruit and vegetable consumers.

For example, for growers participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, consider including a coloring book highlighting fruits and vegetables or some other type of activity sheet honing in on fresh produce with your weekly offerings to help pique the interest of kids.

If you sell produce at a farmer’s market, colorful displays that include posters showcasing fruits and vegetables can also draw in children and encourage them to try different vegetables and fruit.

In the end, however, we have to make the children — your future customers — understand why it is so important to choose a healthy diet.
Their lives depend on it, and in order to live better, we have to eat better. It is that simple.