January 2014: Question 3
Vegetable consumption can be particularly difficult to modify in
children, and those in rural America tend to have limited access to fruits and
vegetables. What are your ideas on ways to improve this issue?
posted by Unknown @ 3:11 PM
31 comments
31 Comments:
Children who participate in the production and preparation of foods they eat are typically more inclined to eat those foods. Therefore, one idea to improve the issue of poor vegetable consumption and limited access to produce is to provide students with the opportunity to grow them. School gardens not only address this issue, but are also associated with positive impacts on student achievement, behavior, attitude, consumption of produce, and respect for the environment. More information related to school gardening including grants and fundraising can be found at www.kidsgardening.org.
Particularly in rural areas that usually tend to be lower income, I would refer them to government organizations that could help expose them to more fruits and vegetables. I would also encourage them to participate in the National School Lunch Program. Many low-income families qualify for free and reduced lunch and breakfast which would help expose them to plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Government aid is the best way to gain more access to fruits and vegetables for rural areas. There are several programs to help bring in these food groups like the National School Lunch Program but also the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and the Farm to School programs. Research would need to be done in order to see which programs could be done for the specific school district.
I agree with Lynetta that school gardens would be a great way to bring in some more fruits and vegetables as well as expose children to new fruits and vegetables that they haven't tried yet.
Sarah S said...
I would send home a handout with ideas for the parents for making vegetables fun and tasty for the kids. I would also encourage the parents to have the kids help prepare dinner so they are more involved. Finally, I would also include lists of which produce is in season at which times of the year to help the parents stay within their budget. I would also explain that frozen and canned vegetables and fruits are also great options when fresh is not available or is too expensive.
Sarah S said...
I also like Lynetta's idea of participating in a school garden. That's a great way for kids to learn about fruits and vegetables and to get them involved more in their meal preparation.
One thing that I think may help increase fruit and vegetable intake is to have a salad bar available to the kids at school daily that provides a ton of fresh fruits and vegetable options.
I really like Lynetta's idea of the school garden. The garden could even supply the salad bar with in-season vegetables.
Rural communities can be great for community gardens. I would try to implements a few in areas where families could come help plants, tend to the garden, and then take hoe the food to enjoy. This is a great way for children to learn about where their food comes form and get them excited about eating it.
Sarah makes a good point that frozen or canned vegetables can be great substitutes when funds are low or growing season has passed. Providing recipes for using these items also may be helpful.
I worked with the Boys and Girls Club in Bloomington, IN quite a bit and they were in Bloomington's government housing district, where the families only made $6,000 a year. I thought it was nice that the children who went there received snacks while they're at the club and even some to take home. They usually included a sandwich, juice/milk, and a fruit. They also started a Cooking Club at that Boys and Girls Club where they introduced the children to cooking and preparing foods. Along with this, they had a fruit/vegetable of the month every month, which introduced them to produce they may not normally encounter. I think having more programs like these really help expose children to more produce.
I agree with Emily that government aid would be beneficial for these children, especially because they are children. They have no control over their surroundings. I like the school garden idea Lynette brought up because that could be funded and facilitated by the schools. I would reconsider community gardens, because unless you have volunteers or people who are willing to put in the time/effort, a community garden may be too much of a financial/time burden on the community, especially in a rural area.
I do love the idea of communities gardens, but Tina does bring up a valid point about possible failure due to lack of volunteers. School gardens would be the better way to go. I think it would be fun as a child to be part of a project like that!
Being from Alaska and had lived in a small village I have experienced limited access to many foods. Just recently in Alaska they started a greenhouse where people can grow fresh produce since they don't have access to it during the long winter months. Getting kids involved in gardening and trying new produce would give them valuable skills and nutrients! Food deserts are prevalent all over the U.S. The Let's Move program has taken the initiative to improve these conditions such as using a combination of incentives and restrictions to get green produce carts in areas of the cities with the least access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Finding vacant land for gardening and getting the community involved would also be a way to gain access. Kids camps and planning community events to increase fruit and veggie consumption would make a powerful impact.
Tina-
The Boys and Girls club snack program sounds great. Teaching kids to cook and supplying them with the food they need is a wonderful use of funding. I like that they introduce new fruits and vegetables that they aren't particularly exposed to.
I think that the best way to get children from low-income, rural areas to eat more fruits and vegetables would be to get the entire community involved. If the children are suffering from poor diets, then there is a large chance that their parents and other community members are also suffering from lack of proper nutrition. Since children often mimic the diets of their parents, it is important to encourage the parents of the children to get plenty of fruits and vegetables in their diet, and offer these options to their children on a regular basis. Ideas for promoting this are encouraging a weekly farmers market to open in the town, starting a community garden, like Courtney mentioned, or holding informational sessions about the options that are available to the community residents. Overall, if the community does not work together to solve this problem, there is not a very good chance that these children will increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables.
A school garden or a produce program for students to take home fruits and vegetables would be a great way to both provide students with healthy choices and incorporate the students in the "shopping" or growing of those foods. This could be used as a teaching point to inform students about different fruits and vegetables and educate them on how to grow as well as the nutrition benefits, how to wash, and preparation.
I like Kaitlin's thought process to refer to government aid organizations.
Also, Beth's idea of a salad bar everyday offering fruits and vegetables during lunch would be a great way to increase the consumption and knowledge of these foods. Proving a handout or including info on a special produce item each month or week would also increase the awareness.
Like most of those who have already posted, I think that getting the whole community involved is the way to go. I know the question specifically addressed children, but the truth is more fruits and vegetables is a diet modification I would guess most of America could strive for. I would do out reach with community gardens, school gardens, and opportunities like Fresh Favs. I think this is the best way to educate, involve, and implement higher consumption of fruits and veggies in American homes.
Beth W- the Salad bar is a really great idea. I think it would be a sticky start up but after lunch programs and dietitians perfected it, parents and students would really benefit.
I think that getting the whole community involved is a great idea-especially with community gardens and programs like Fresh Fruits and Vegetables program are a great way to improve access. There are also a variety of government programs that they can be referred to depending on their location. The important part of getting the community involved is letting people know that these programs are available to them.
Anna J said:
Lynetta I really like your idea of school gardens. That would be great to give kids a chance to be involved each step in growing the food to eating it.
Anna J. said:
Education for families would help to teach about local resources that might be available such as community programs, food assistance, groceries stores available and also benefits of fruits and vegetables and recommended intakes. Really practical suggestions and simple recipes such as encouraging more vegetarian recipes since meat is often more expensive might help. It would be great to also make education available for kids at school and fruits and vegetables available in school meals to supplement changes made at home.
Anna J. said:
Kaitlin I think you are correct that many government programs can greatly help boost the fruits and vegetables a child would have access to.
Incorporating garden education into curriculum might be a helpful way to improve the availability of produce for rural families. If the schools are able to get a grant or raise money to start a garden, it would be cool to see the kids getting involved in planting, caring & harvesting. From what I know, it is usually difficult to approve the use of garden vegetables in the school kitchen due to safety concerns, but it might be possible to have family garden education days with a cooking class or demonstration with the fruits & vegetables that were in season. With the family garden education days, educators could give tips on how families can start their own gardens if they have space (even in a window sill), or how to go about getting involved in or starting a community garden. I think self-sustainability is important in these areas where food banks &/or produce trucks may not be as readily available or nearby as they are in urban areas.
Beth, I love the idea of salad bars - my elementary school had one & I remember eating a salad 2-3 lunches per week.
Alyssa, I like the idea of students being able to take home produce from the school garden. Perhaps they could have a drawing for who would get the produce. I remember my school awarding "wow bucks" (incentive play money) for good behavior etc. & we could redeem them for popsicles or toys...instead of popsicles, kids could redeem them for items from the garden.
Haley, I like the idea of a kids camp to learn about gardening, perhaps as a day camp during the summer when it is peak growing season!
One way to get children to eat more vegetables is to add them to foods they already know they like. Angela Vale (who graduated from ISU DI last year) did her thesis on adding vegetable pureé to spaghetti sauce in a school lunch setting. Children consumed significantly more vegetables from the entreés with added vegetables than the standard entreé. You could also add vegetables that are not pureéd to foods. Children are less likely to notice if these changes are made gradually. Hopefully they will get used to the flavors of the vegetables and begin to eat them in other foods or by themselves.
I would suggest different programs that could help supplement their needs such as food stamps, WIC, or the school lunch program. I would also try to teach how easy it can be to grow some of your own vegetables. Even if they are short on space and/or time most people can grow a tomato plant. I think just helping people get involved and take charge of their own consumption would help a lot.
In terms of modifying vegetable consumption in children, I feel very strongly that a lot of it comes down to simply finding a way to make vegetables taste better through better cooking and better recipes. Vegetables are not particularly delicious to a young palate in their natural state, so it takes a little work. As a kid, I never knew how good broccoli was when it gets roasted. Or how amazing sweet potatoes are when they AREN’T from a can and covered in marshmallows at Thanksgiving. I think a lot of kids have a similar story where they just have a poor introduction to vegetables at home and at school, and their tastes develop accordingly. My personal opinion is that we can get kids much more interested in vegetables if we can work on the recipes we use to introduce them to vegetables. That, of course, means teaching more people how to cook, which is its own issue entirely!
As for access to fruits and vegetables in rural America, I have never heard that was an issue until I read this article. Does that sound odd to anyone else? I’ve always heard that inner cities were problematic for produce access, food deserts and all that. Now we’re saying it’s rural America, too? Well, then where are the fruits and vegetables actually at?
Like many others have already mentioned, I believe a school garden would be a great way to increase vegetable consumption. The garden could be made part of the students’ science class curriculum by teaching the children about the different parts of vegetable plants and then actually growing their own plants. Relating the content discussed in class to the real world application of the garden would hopefully help students retain the information better, and getting them involved with the growing process would be a fun, hands-on project, that would make them more likely to try new vegetables.
I would also send a handout home with students to give to their parents that would offer suggestions for buying and preparing vegetables. The handout would include information about how frozen and canned vegetables are often less expensive than fresh. It would also include techniques about how to freeze fresh vegetables when they are in season so they could be used later during the winter months when it may be more difficult to access vegetables. I would also include recipes for vegetables on the handout, such as a vegetarian recipe that uses beans, since beans are an inexpensive vegetable and protein source that are shelf-stable for long periods of time in dried or canned forms.
Beth-
I like your idea of having a salad bar in the school cafeteria. It would just be very important that it be executed well to include appealing options. I remember the salad bar at my high school was very unappetizing because it only had wilted iceberg lettuce and dried-out carrots along with meats, cheese, and fatty dressings. Making a salad bar colorful and vibrant with many different vegetable options would encourage the students to actually want to eat the salad bar. The salad bar could also offer a new and unconventional vegetable each week such as kale or butternut squash cubes to encourage children to eat vegetables that they may never have tried before.
I like how government aid such as WIC, food stamps and free or reduced cost lunches were brought up. I sometimes think that there is a complete lack of knowledge about what is available as aid in this country, leaving many unable to utilize the programs in place that would really help to increase nutrition and more specifically--consumption of fruits and vegetables. This lack of knowledge is especially problematic for children, because they aren't able to make contact calls and ask questions about potential aid programs; their parents have to do it. If the parents don't know or just don't care, the child is left to suffer. Advising community and/or school leaders on what is available to community members would be a great idea so that these leaders could then spread the information throughout the community.
I also really think a program like Fresh Fav's would be a great way to increase fruit and vegetable intake. Purchasing fruits and vegetables in bulk from a commodity food supplier and having community members sign up for a weekly or semi-weekly bag would help rural communities to have access to the foods that would not be realistically affordable if they weren't purchased in bulk. In order for such a program to work, community involvement and participation would be key. The same can be said about any other effort to increase F/V intake in a rural community such as a community garden. Like the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child." Support from others is imperative.
I also really like what Brady said about lack of cooking knowledge and/or ability. In order to make healthier foods like vegetables taste good to some (or probably most) children, a little magic has to be involved. Finding a good recipe or a way to blend vegetables into a family favorite meal can be a fantastic way to incorporate vegetables--oftentimes without the child(ren) even realizing it. As made evident by the fact that the frozen food section in Wal-mart is always PACKED, there are a whole lot of people who do not like to cook.
The salad bar idea is also a great one. My high school implemented a salad bar on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at my school during my senior year. I have no idea if they still do it that way, or if they offer it every day. But it was a really nice alternative to whatever was on the menu. If this were an option at schools, kids could find different types of vegetables that they like and then parents would be more motivated to find a way to bring those foods into their home, rather that be though a garden or through using government aid. It's a win-win.
I love Arthur's idea of bringing a program like Fresh FAVs to a community. Maybe something like this could even be run from a Farmer's Market. All the leftover vegetables could be purchased from the farmers for a discounted price and distributed to low-income families.
I love the idea of a school garden, getting kids involved in the harvest of their foods will expose them to gardening and possibly make them more interested in tasting new things.
I also like the idea of implementing a salad bar, that would give kids a lot of options to increase their intake.
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