Editorial: Nutrition Talks

As the parent of a 15-year-old girl, I sometimes find it difficult to engage her in conversation. As she generally buys lunch in the school cafeteria, I thought of a stellar topic to discuss, and asked the question: “So, what did you have for lunch today?” The short answer: a chicken wrap.

As I wanted to continue the conversation, I pressed on: “Oh, yeah, what was in it?”

“Chicken, cheese, and lettuce,” she rattled off.

“Lettuce, huh?” I dared to ask: “Any tomatoes or green peppers?”

“Nope.”

I continued, expanding the subject matter. “So do you ever buy a salad?”

“No, I never get a salad,” she said. “Usually the only people who buy salads are the teachers.” (“That figures,” I thought.)

I kept going. “What about French fries? Can you buy them at school?”

“Nope,” she said. “Not anymore. We can buy the small, red potatoes that have a spicy seasoning. They are pretty good; I’ve had them a few times.”

Proponent Of Potatoes
Back in May, in this same spot, I presented my case regarding potatoes in school lunches. As many will recall, at the beginning of the year, USDA published a proposed rule to update the nutrition standards for meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Cutting to the chase, potatoes were scheduled to get the shaft, in spite of their nutritional value.

I was glad to see that my daughter still had a choice to eat potatoes at school. Of course, I reminded her that potatoes provide her with potassium and fiber. Whenever there is an opportunity to discuss nutrition with my daughter, I have to present my case. With good cause, I might add. Obesity rates are staggering in this country and disease-related problems seem to be increasing, as a result.

So when I received a press release from Slow Food USA, called “Slow Food vs. Fast Food,” I was rather curious about its nutrition message. For those not familiar with the term “slow food,” according to the organization’s press release, it is the opposite of fast food. “It is food that is good for those who eat it, good for farmers and workers, and good for the planet,” the release states.

The $5 Challenge
In fact, last month the group came up with what it calls the $5 Challenge, in part, to get people to prepare more meals at home. To get involved in the $5 Challenge, participants nationwide had to pledge to cook a “slow food” meal for $5 or less, or attend a local slow food event. A local event, which would cost each person $5, could be anything from a potluck to family meals.

What a great way to stir up a healthy meal in an economical fashion — and a conversation about that healthy meal. In the current economy, most people are on a tight budget, always looking for a deal.

Those of you involved in Community Supported Agriculture or local farmers markets can take this idea and expand on it. For example, using several of the vegetables you sell as the main ingredients, provide customers with recipes for dishes that cost $5 or less per serving, or perhaps for the entire dish. They will eat them up, literally. Sometimes you just have to plant the seed, and your customers will take over from there.

As far as my daughter is concerned, I will continue to plant the “seed” with my nutrition talks. One of these days I’ll ask her what she had for lunch and maybe she will have joined ranks with the teachers and eaten a salad.