Kids and Healthy Eating

Spring is here! You wouldn't know it by going outside this morning since mother nature is playing a trick on us and saying snow is in the forecast. Even though it's chilly, I am no longer craving the heavy chilis and stews of the winter but am ready for the spring bounty of fresh asparagus and strawberries. By my watch, only 1 week until the Charlottesville Farmer's Market! Katherine and I planned on planting our shared garden this weekend but apparently we need to wait until next weekend.

This week's theme was kids and healthy eating. The Darden students were on their 2nd week of spring break so I have had some time to focus my attention to other passions: childhood obesity and healthy eating. I signed up for a share of Horse and Buggy Produce, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where from April 20 (I am counting the days) until December, I will receive a box of locally raised produce. My friend Melissa has been singing their praises for years and I cannot wait to expand my portfolio of veggie recipes. I have a tendency of buying the same vegetables every week at the Farmer's Market (bell peppers, carrots, onions) so this will be a fun experiment. 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club through the PB&J fund and teach a cooking class to a group of 4th through 6th graders. Last term it was amazing to see their willingness to try new foods (they didn't love avocado but they tried it) and I was impressed with their egg separating and knife skills. I met on Wednesday with Emily, the Director of the PB&J fund, and the other volunteers to create the lessons for this term (I am happily creating the Italian Sauces and Pizza classes). I was blown away by the talent and passion of the other volunteers. Alicia is a registered dietician with the Charlottesville City Schools and is making huge strides in getting healthier food options into the local school systems; Lori is launching her own online cupcake business, Luci is a nurse and nutritionist at the University of Virginia Hospital, and Courtney is a trained chef and the Cafe manager at Feast! (my favorite local business in town). Court and I had only communicated by e-mail because we alternated week's at the Club. From the moment I met her, I felt like I had known her forever. We share many of the same passions and obsessions (Greek yogurt and homemade granola anyone??) and she is truly who I want to be when I grow up. Isn't it fun when you meet a new friend and hours pass but it feels like mere moments? 

On a related note, what are your visions of school lunch? I cannot erase the smell of canned green beans, the rubbery taste of chicken nuggets, or the unappetizing appearance of riblet sandwiches. What is a riblet anyway? School lunch does not have a stellar reputation and I wanted to learn why we were feeding the future of our nation disgusting food-like substances (thank you Michael Pollan). Court and I attended a screening of the documentary "Lunch Line" which outlines the history of the federal school lunch program. The statistics that I learned through the documentary and from the panel discussion were staggering. I have always wondered why kids were not being exposed to fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. How hard could it be to serve these items? While there are many political motivations (ie corn/soy subsidies, big agri-business), money is a huge barrier. Our schools are trying to feed kids on $1.00/day. As someone who brings their lunch to work (usually a salad, homemade bread, and fruit), I spend at least 5 times that amount. Why is real food more expensive than fake food? Why can I spend 99 cents on a McDonald's hamburger but a small bag of nuts is $3.29? There is obviously a huge disconnect in our nation's food system. We are undervaluing the school lunch program because many children in our society get the majority of their calories and "nutrients" at school and there is massive amounts of research that link cognitive and athletic ability to good nutrition. 

The school lunch program is extremely complex with many players (federal, state, local governments, school systems, parents, kids) and it is easy to get discouraged. Plus, will the kids even eat the healthier food options. Panelists shared horror stories of spending hours making homemade spinach lasagna, fresh fajitas, and cucumber salad only to see the kids share their friend's Lunchable Nachos and throw the other (read: delicious) food away. However, as an optimist, I see huge strides happening in the Charlottesville and surrounding communities. The USDA just approved more funding for the Fresh Foods Program (money specifically used for fruits and veggies), Buford Middle School has a City Schoolyard Garden where they are teaching kids how to grow fresh food, and the PB&J Fund is working with parents at Johnson Elementary to expose them to healthier food options. Plus, there are a host of local food alliances (Local Food Hub, The UVA Food Collaborative, Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest) that are working tirelessly to get more local food into our community. This problem will not be solved overnight but I am encouraged to live in Charlottesville where fresh food is readily available and people are meeting to discuss positive solutions to a broken system. Thank you Court for attending the event with me last night! My hope is that in 5-10 years, the riblet of my childhood will no longer exist!