FoodBuzz

Friday, February 24, 2006

On the Op/Ed page of the Feb. 24th New York Times, Alice Waters speaks to the need for instilling good eating habits in children, because, as she says, "children's eating habits stay with them for the rest of their lives." Waters, who is owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant and Cafe and the founder of the Chez Panisse Foundation, created the Edible Schoolyard program in the Berkeley area 10 years ago. Children become involved in this school-lunch initiative which weaves a garden of fruits, vegetables and herbs into their daily classroom activities. As she states in her NYTimes piece "We're not forcing them to eat their vegetables; we're teaching them about the botany and history of those vegetables. We're not scaring them with the health consequences of their eating habits; we're engaging them in interactive education that brings them into a new relationship with food. Nothing less will change their behavior."
Her Edible Schoolyard has become a model for a school lunch initiative that spans the Berkeley district. My goal is to build upon the belief that engaging children in interactive education will bring them into a new relationship with food - to nurture that love of food here at home.
Children learn to eat healthy through hands-on experiences that are sensory filled - as opposed to listening to how nutritious a food is for them. This weekend, it will be a family experience where we all participate in the making homemade pasta. Regardless of the results - tasty or not; perfectly shaped or not - we will enjoy the experience of making it, eating it and talking about it.
I'll let you know how it turns out . .

A great resource for learning more about whole grains is the Whole Grains Council. Last year the Council introduced the Whole Grains Stamp, created by the Council and Oldways Preservation Trust, as a quick and easy way to identify healthy and delicious whole grains at the store. To view the stamp, visit www.wholegrainscouncil.org, or www.oldwayspt.org. While at the Oldways site, check out the EatWise program for teachers and parents. An 8-lesson curriculum, called High Five, was created "that wakens children's excitement and interest in their food. It teaches children about healthy eating, simple cooking and cultural models for meals." You can order the curriculum for $20.

Until next time, enjoy Food and the Family!
Laura

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