Imagine living in a simpler time when your family worked hard to grow and care for their gardens to provide food with pride. Children played an active role in the garden while learning basic life skills. Prepping, eating, and storing vegetables was just a way of life.
Fast forward to today: why start a garden and do the work when you can just go to the grocery store? It doesn’t matter if an item is in season or not, we get it on demand. Walk down any aisle and skip the vegetables; choose something that looks more appealing; no matter the nutrient content.
The evidence suggests only 10% of children age 4 to 13 actually meet the MyPlate recommendations for vegetable intake. Childhood obesity is on the rise over the past 3 decades. This issue isn’t fixing itself. We can’t keep ignoring what is happening to our youth.
Gardening is one way we can get kids outside in nature and help show them how to enjoy fresh vegetables. The simple act of playing with food helps them learn about what they eat and how it is grown.
Nutrition education and getting children gardening are simple ways we can increase vegetable intake. It will help the children get nutrients they need while getting out in nature. These skills can be passed to parents to teach them about trying new foods fresh from the garden!
Happy eating!
I’m Kelly Furr and that’s my perspective.