Applesauce in the Classroom: planting seeds of healthy eating
From Crossroads to Beet Street to Pennsylvania Ave, D.C. is well on its way to “growing a garden city.” Alongside the many other organizations that are working to expand access to green spaces and fresh produce, the Washington Youth Garden is continuing to learn the value of inspiring young people to be agents of change. Change at their family’s dinner tables, that is.
While young people are not usually the ones making direct food purchasing choices, their ability to affect these decisions should not be underestimated. During one of our hour and a half Garden Science lessons, third and fourth graders cut up apples and watched them cook down into a sweet, cinnamon-spiced treat. We sent the young chefs home with recipes and the following week we heard several reports about applesauce-making adventures at home. (Our Garden Science program goes into classes every week for two months to teach science and nutrition lessons. The program also brings students out the Youth Garden and installs school gardens at participating schools.)
The evidence is there: studies for over 20 years have shown that children who participate in gardening learn to like healthy foods. It’s not surprising that after gardening, kids have more positive attitudes toward fruit and vegetable snacks. Watching their vegetables grow spurs interest and investment in these new foods.
At the Washington Youth Garden we make every effort to set a positive tone—we know that tasting homemade applesauce or a vegetable stir fry might be a new experience, and they might not like it. We tell them that, and remind them that that’s ok: we just want them to give it a shot. Creating opportunities for young people to help cook fresh foods from scratch makes healthy eating fun. As one of our fourth graders declared, “Everyone in the halls is jealous because we’re eating healthy AND it takes good!”
Cooking is also a great way to reinforce a clear, easily digestible message about nutrition: “Can you trace this food back to the soil? If so, it’s probably good for you.” Nutrition science can get complicated fast. By keeping our message simple and accessible, we empower young people with a real take-home message, something they can literally bring back to their parents, siblings and extended families.
Making gardens is a first great step. Helping families gain access to fresh produce is also critically important. But amongst these exciting ventures we need to continue supporting educational spaces to help coax kids out from their high-fructose-coated comfort zones.
For decades, processed food marketers have recognized kids to be hidden gold mines, hitting them over the head with catchy packaging and sugar-pumped yogurts and snacks. Nutrition education may not be as flashy and hyper as these zippy ads on TV, but over time it can be just as potent. As we seek new ways to support healthy communities, we have a lot to learn from the youngest among us. Their voices ring out loud and clear—and when they taste something good, they want more where that came from.
- Anna Benfield
Washington Youth Garden
Education Assistant
Posted in Access
