" How do you get kids to eat fruits and vegetables? With a shovel and rake."

[Bluebear]

Gardens are not only useful for teaching science. They also teach children how to eat.

"Research suggests that children who participate in gardening projects are more often willing to consume vegetables that they grow," said Patricia Lau, the program administrator of Project HOPE (Healthy Options for Prevention and Education), a three-year obesity study in Clark County schools by the University Medical Center.

Lau would like to show students at Martin Middle School, which has 70 percent Hispanic enrollment at 200 N. 28th St. near Eastern Avenue, how to grow tomatoes, chives and jalapenos so they can make their own salsa...

Ideally, she would like to send some produce home to students' families. The garden is a family project since students tend to the garden during science class and lunch breaks and parents help take care of it over the summer.

Karyn Johnson, a community instructor with the Nevada Cooperative Extension, said there are more than 100 public and private schools with gardens in Clark County. She estimates 25 new school gardens are added every year. A behavioral school has a "therapy garden" to improve the mental health of its students.



http://www.lvrj.com/news/42844137.html

[The Straight Story]

1. My folks couldn't get me to smoke pot until I started to help grow it

:rofl:

Kick for a good article.

[NOW tense]

2. lol n/t

[burning rain]

3. There's another way.

Just bread them and deep-fry them. It's true! People will eat anything if it's deep-fried.

[seabeyond]

4. hide them. especially when kids little, i would take the veggie, chop up fine and put in hamburger

meat for burgers or taco or spagetti... and other sneaky ways. i got tons in kids by hiding them

[ThomWV]

5. We started by feeding ours fruits and vegetable since infancy

Whatever we ate we put in a blender and he ate. Both my wife and I eat just about anything put in front of us and to everyone's amazement our son continues to eat a well rounded diet to this day as do his children. Of course he does this in conjunction with a wonderful young lady, but she too is accustomed to a varied and healthy diet.

[eyesroll]

6. Sigh.

/soon-to-be-owner of a yard with a 900-square-foot garden plot and a stepkid who has helped us with beans, peas, radishes, tomatoes, greens, squashes, herbs, and so forth for the last few years but who thinks if it doesn't come from a can, it's poison.

[SPedigrees]

7. If you prepare vegetables as an integral part of every meal

in such a way that they are taste appealing, kids grow up liking them. Back when I was a kid vegetables were on everyone's dinner table and kids ate them. Especially when fresh vegetables were in season everyone couldn't get enough, a plate piled high with corn on the cob, or a big dish of summer squash cooked with tomatoes and onions with butter melting over it. I never heard of a kid who didn't like vegetables. They didn't need vegetables forced on them or hidden inside some fried food concoction.

Now kids don't even recognize the most basic of vegetables, much less like to eat them. One can't expect to serve burgers and fries most meals and then expect their kids to eat vegies on rare occasions when they are served.

The school lunches are more of the same fast food crap. Back in the day, our school lunches consisted of real food, baked chicken and fish often, and cassaroles, always a choice of vegetables, salads and fruits, with milk to drink.

Kids grow up liking foods they are familiar with. For their future health they should be introduced on a regular basis to a variety of healthy foods while they are young.

[LiberalEsto]

8. You are SO right

I did the same thing with my kids -- feeding them well-cooked vegetables on a daily basis.

One thing that worked very well was giving the kids a plate of cut-up veggies like carrot sticks, cucumber slices, halved cherry tomatoes and sweet pepper strips for that cranky time between 4 pm and supper. Instead of spoiling their appetites with junk food, the vegetables counted as part of supper.

My daughters are now in their 20s, and adore vegetables of all kinds. They used to fight over who got the last of my spinach cooked with garlic and olive oil.

[SPedigrees]

9. Sounds good liberal!

Long ago my mom used to bring me a healthy snack (similar to what you mention of cut up vegie sticks) when I was doing my homework. She also used to call me into the kitchen when she was preparing a meal to come get some bits of peppers or carrots or other vegetable back when I was a small child. We ate lots of other foods too, sweet desserts, meats, carbs, but vegetables were never second place to these things.

I don't have kids but my sister's kids were raised with well balanced meals including appealing vegie dishes, and now in their late teens they love vegetables. She makes a super yummy baked brocoli cassarole that contains a beaten egg and cheese.

Candied carrots made with brown sugar and butter are another kid pleaser. Your spinach dish is making my mouth water!

[blogslut]

10. Great article

With mine, I started her out with fresh veggies and fruits before she went to pre-K. There was a short period of time (after socializing with the other kids} where she hated anything green but with patience, I got her back on the right track. Now, she's an adult and loves crazy stuff like Turnip greens, broccoli, mangoes and spinach.