学进去

Farm to school events are taking place nationwide this month. The events are aimed at bringing fresh food to students’ plates.

Students in Watkins Elementary grow vegetables in their school garden. They excitedly prepare for FRESHFARM classes held in the school’s kitchen. In one such class, children joyfully cut and cook freshly harvested vegetables, filling the air with their sweet smell. Regina Green, a coach of the class, stresses, “Teaching nutrition (营养) without a kitchen is like swimming lessons without a pool.” The students at Watkins Elementary are fortunate to have access to such a kitchen with various cooking tools.

At a time when diet-related diseases are a leading cause of death, it’s impossible for a cooking program to solve such a social problem. It needs many things to come together to support healthy eating. In promoting healthy eating, various factors must be considered. Among the challenges is the marketing of unhealthy products. Often there’s easy access to snacks and children’s taste preferences are shaped by the foods that are around them.

Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM play an important role in encouraging children to explore new tastes. At first, many kids were turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through different cooking ways, many kids become inspired.

The excitement of 5th graders is obvious as they happily taste the biscuits they’ve made, winning over many of their classmates. Catie Kelley, whose children have taken part in the program, shares, “Our family has new cooking experiences because of the program. The kids bring home recipes (食谱) that introduce us to dishes we don’t usually make. They show more interest at the store in identifying foods they’ve tried in the program.”

It is hoped that such school programs can arm children with the skills and inspiration needed to make healthy food choices, setting them on a path towards health in every way.