Teaching our kids to think before they eat
This is Part Three of a series of articles dedicated to teaching our children how to become global citizens.
I first met Michael Pontbriand and Anne Blanchard when I signed myself (and the staff at my office) up for a 100 Mile Diet Challenge reality show. As the producers of this progran, Michael and Anne were wonderful, supportive and such fun to work with. They dealt with our coffee withdrawls, our frustrations, and in the end, helped us to see the importance of eating with awareness.
I am so pleased that they’ve agreed to share what they’ve learned from this project, and how they’re teaching their kids to eat fresh, local and healthy.
Chic Galleria: After working on the Eat Local Challenge have your personal eating habits changed? How so?
Anne: Most definitely! I previously cruised through any old grocery store tossing in anything from anywhere, no matter the season however, after working on our food doc, those carefree days are long gone. I challenge anyone to learn more about the food they eat and where it comes from and still be able to eat the same way again.
Food had never really meant much to me before. To me it was simply fuel. I knew what was typically considered to be healthy food and I tried to eat mostly that but now my food has so many more parameters! Healthy, sustainable, organic, local, non-genetically modified, and so on. If I sound ambivalent about my new eating habits that’s because I am. Now that I know better, I feel I have to do better or deal with the guilt. It would certainly be easier to continue to eat the way I always had but I really do believe that we must at the very least become conscious consumers.
And that’s where we are starting. We eat local and in season when we can. We search for organic and sustainably grown or produced food. At first, it was time consuming and more costly but we’re starting to settle into a grove now. We plant a huge vegetable garden and eat from it June through December, yes December. The garden slashes the costs of organic food and meets all the rest of the parameters. For other food, we’ve found local distributors of sustainable food. Even our local independent grocery store is now carrying ecologically raised local pork and locally grown spelt flour. So, it’s getting easier with every meal. And a pleasant surprise is that my fuel now tastes really good!
We haven’t become locavores, but we have become conscious and with each meal we become a little more aware of why eating this way makes sense for us, our community, and the environment.
CG: As parents, how have you integrated these changes in your children’s diet?
Anne: Integrating these changes in our children’s diet is challenging to say the least. Most of the time, our eleven year old is not impressed with what ends up on her plate. Luckily, our two year old is usually happy to eat anything. He happily grazes in the garden while we pull a few weeds. We continue to work on the oldest one. We try to encourage her to be involved in menu planning, grocery shopping, even gardening but not one of these glamorous jobs has convinced her that what we serve her is better than the convenience food she craves. We’re not giving up though. We hope that as long as we serve the good stuff now she will remember it when she’s grown and make healthy choices on her own. So in the mean time, we lay off the lectures of why we’ve chosen to eat this way and simply resort to sneaking garden fresh grated zucchini into the pasta sauce.
Teaching our children the importance of eating fresh, healthy food has never been so fun.
CG: Anne, you’re working on a school-based project to help kids make healthy eating choices. Could you explain this? Why did you feel compelled to do this?
Anne: While researching local food, I was presented with so many alarming facts about the effects of industrialized food on us and our children. To protect our children’s health I think kids need to learn that real food doesn’t come from a drive-through window. There’s no denying that fast food tastes good. You can’t argue with a kid’s stomach. I think what we need to do is give kids an alternative. Expose them to the real thing. Get them involved in a fun and creative way. I just recently read Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea and have been motivated to volunteer at my daughter’s school this year. I see a test kitchen where kids ages eleven to thirteen can experiment with real food. If they make it, they will eat it or at least they’ll be more likely to eat it.
CG: Why is it important to teach children about sustainable eating?
Anne: Sadly, we have not been good stewards of our planet. Our children are inheriting an uncertain environmental future. Granted it may not solve all our environmental issues, but if we teach children about sustainability with regards to food, something they interact with multiple times a day, maybe they will connect the dots between their choices and the effect those choices have on the environment. This connection could lead them to move towards sustainability in all parts of their lives. Perhaps they will even grow to become guardians of this planet.
CG: As families, what are some ways that we can incorporate sustainable healthy eating into our busy lives?
Anne: Before you adopt a new behaviour such as this, it is important to be motivated. Otherwise, it’s tough to stick to it, especially when your stomach is growling and your toddler’s tummy is screaming! Luckily, getting motivated is easy. Simply watch a few food documentaries and/or read a few books on the subject. There are many great books that I’ve enjoyed this past year, but for motivation, it’s hard to beat the visuals of a documentary like Food, Inc. Once you’re motivated, there are many easy first steps you can make. For our family, our vegetable garden has been the most rewarding way that we have incorporated sustainable and healthy eating into our lives. The garden requires a surprisingly small amount of time relative to the rewards it brings us. Here’s a list of a few more ideas:
- Shop at your local farmer’s market once a week
- Stop at a farm gate stand once this summer.
- Pick your own berries
- Share your desire to eat more sustainably with you neighborhood grocery.
- Learn to cook, its becoming a lost art
- Preserve something – it’s easier than you think
And of course eat locally.
Part Two: Introducing Your Kids to Conservation
Part Four: Empowering Your Child to Become a Hero
Bryna Jones is a writer, mother, blogger and humanitarian from Ontario, Canada. Formerly Creative Director for at a small branding company, she specializes in online communication and social media. She is currently Advocacy Campaigns Coordinator for World Vision Canada. Follow her on Twitter @brynajones.
