S/O of the "picky eater" thread - how to encourage healthful eating?

[Janna]

First off, I didn't read Colleen's entire thread. After 2 pages maybe, I think I got the gist of it, or at least I hope I did. But I, like others I read, am completely baffled at how many think salads and beans are so foreign. Well, really, vegetables in general.

 

I am concerned by this because I am giving a proposal tomorrow at my church to have a community garden in which we give produce away with our food pantry items. I think that vegetables are a necessity to healthful living - physically and mentally. Really, I don't think there are any findings or statistics that would say otherwise.

 

If so many feel this way - that lettuce and vegetables are foreign - then what good is a community garden going to do? How can I (we) help people understand the importance of incorporating more produce into their diets?

 

The problem as I see it, is that it is asking people to make a lifestyle change, and unless the person is willing to do that, they just aren't going to no matter how many statistics are thrown at them. But at the same time...? I don't know. I truly am befuddled here.

 

I plan on letting the woman that I meet with tomorrow, know that I am more than willing to offer free classes on how to prepare and cook vegetables, specifically the vegetables we'll be offering. But would people come to that? I mean, would they even care to?

 

I guess what I am wondering is, for those who don't incorporate a lot of fresh produce into your diet, if fresh, home-grown produce was given to you for *free* would you accept it? Or would you turn it down in favor of the comfort and simplicity of what you usually eat, whatever that is? If you would not accept it, would you enlighten me? If not knowing how to prepare and cook the vegetables were an issue, would you come to a free class to learn how? Or would it still not matter to you?

 

I'm genuinely curious about this. Thanks for any and all input you can give me.

[Beth in OH]

If so many feel this way - that lettuce and vegetables are foreign - then what good is a community garden going to do? How can I (we) help people understand the importance of incorporating more produce into their diets?

 

It will do good, because it sets up the expectation that vegetables are part of a meal and that vegetables go beyond canned green beans and carrots. For a really interesting read on the unhealthful diets of the low-income group (presumably the group you will be reaching with the food pantry), read the book Fatland, by Greg Critser. http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Land-Americans-Became-Fattest/dp/B000TVIW6E/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236229842&sr=8-1 After reading this book, you will be convinced that your efforts, however small, are definitely pointed in the right direction.

 

I think cooking demonstrations, recipe cards, and samples being available would be wonderful. Even if only one person takes advantage of the education you would provide, it matters to that person plus their entire family into the next generation. It would not be a wasted effort!

 

I love your idea and your spirit of caring!

 

Beth

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

 

I plan on letting the woman that I meet with tomorrow, know that I am more than willing to offer free classes on how to prepare and cook vegetables, specifically the vegetables we'll be offering. But would people come to that? I mean, would they even care to?

 

I guess what I am wondering is, for those who don't incorporate a lot of fresh produce into your diet, if fresh, home-grown produce was given to you for *free* would you accept it? Or would you turn it down in favor of the comfort and simplicity of what you usually eat, whatever that is? If you would not accept it, would you enlighten me? If not knowing how to prepare and cook the vegetables were an issue, would you come to a free class to learn how? Or would it still not matter to you?

 

I'm genuinely curious about this. Thanks for any and all input you can give me.

 

You know, around here the majority of folks who get the boxes of food from Good Samaritan ministries pick out stuff like the cookies and the noodles and the cereal and leave the beans and rice and canned veges. It's very frustrating. Shopping from the dollar menu at McD's is considered economizing. Running out of food money (because you fed yourself and your family off the dollar menu at McD's) is puzzling to them.

 

And no. The older folks would. A few of the more together (and usually not the intergenerationally-poor folks) would take the veges.

 

But the younger ones? It's DEEPLY frustrating to watch.

 

I think a class is an excellent idea. Honestly, if you can change one mind, reach one person, it's worth it.

[Anne Rittenhouse]

I would be very careful with this idea...classes, info, and new veg can feel very patronizing if not very carefully presented. I worked with our local pantry for years. Occasionally fresh fruit would arrive in the form of oranges and apples. The head lady "knew" which families she could give these items too and she "knew" when to simply leave them out of the box. Her philosophy was not to let them be thrown out or rot but rather focus her distribution for the best outcome.

 

You should also understand that many folks don't have the simple kitchen items that we take for granted. Imagine trying to make a meal with no salt, pepper, oil, or butter in the kitchen. This is why the preboxed, "all-included" is so popular. They are trapped between I've got to get food on the table today and there isn't enough money to invest in all those cupboard extras we reach for when we cook.

 

I grew a huge veg garden at that time and had plenty of extras, but not one was wanted at the township food pantry. Simply because the fresh veg was left in the garbage bins in the parking lot. That's right the boxes were weeded out right there in the parking lot and the food was binned. I had much more success by donating to the food pantry at the local mosque...why? because their hungry were more often first generation immigrants whose "poverty" diet from home was rich in fruits and veg.

 

As a complete aside, when I moved to Europe all my pantry items had to be thrown away because of the conditions of transport....they simply couldn't be moved....when I arrive I had nothing....to outfit the simplest kitchen....salt, pepper, oil, butter, sugar, flour, tea, coffee, cinnamon, oregano, jam, honey, baking powder, ect....cost over $100 extra dollars over the course of several weeks....this sometimes just not in people's budget, especially if they look at that flour and can't do anything with it.

 

There are really two intertwined issues here. The issue of poverty and the issue of immature palates. The first is economic the second is education.

 

Addressing only the second issue, which can happen at any economic level, ie my Spaghetti O's executive....we are genetically programmed to like sweet, fat, and bland. As infants, this is breast milk....this viceral instinct to reject food keeps us safe from ingesting things that might not be so good for us.

 

All of us have witnessed the progression of moving a child from milk to solids. It's slow and sometimes painful and for some children very, very difficult. Here's where I differ from many of the child development experts of the day. Many including, Brazlton, say not to fight it....this isn't a hill to die....when they're hungry....they'll eat..... and this is where all the picky eaters in my life got derailed. The got stuck on a few "nursery" foods and never moved on. The longer the time people go without a trained palate the more difficult is will be for them. Now we have families where these eating patterns have gone on for generations.

 

It's an intractable problem that is going to cost us billions in healthcare dollars and trillions in lost production and growth as these folk will eliminate themselves too early. How do we stop it.....remember "home economic" classes eliminated for a ton of reasons....Remember when dad came home shortly after five and not sometime after 8:30.....Remember when school let out at noon for one hour so children could eat a full meal either at school or at home.....Remember when mom's didn't do the afternoon run of soccor practice, ballet classes, and birthday parties......Remember when Sunday also meant Sunday roast and all the trimmings.....Remember when supermarkets had only 8 to 10 isles and didn't carry frozen pizza, frosting in a can, and breaded chicken....

 

There are tons of reasons for where we are today and lots of people very concerned. It's something that needs attention more than many things. Veg at the local pantry can help....but put it on the take it or leave it pile.

 

By the way there is another "British" reality show about food and food issues called "Freaky Eaters". Many episodes are on Youtube. The show features mostly adults who are "stuck" in very narrow diets and who want to change their ways. Each episode features many queasy minutes of these motivated people trying to stomach real adult food....like chicken, salad, and bread. To watch too long is stomach turning, but remember these folks are at least trying. The program serves to educate us about how really difficult re-educating palates can become and remind us wacko veggie eaters how very lucky we are.

Edited March 5, 2009 by Anne Rittenhouse
I just wasn't finished shooting off my mouth. Again

[Anne Rittenhouse]

I'm sorry Janna, my previous post is pretty negative about your idea and rather ranting about my passions.

 

Another way you might want to "reframe" your is to divide the garden into allotments and offer these allotments free of charge to the pantry families. This way, those who are interested will come forward, plant, and use the veg. They will also provide the labor for the garden. The church can provide the land, free tilling at the end or beginning of the season and a few "garden experts" to be available on Saturdays to help out. Word of mouth about the "real nice tomatoes I grew up at the church garden last summer" will go farther than just about anything else.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I can see several ways that the community garden might work.

 

Space for those who know how and want to but don't have a space (I remember going with my parents to a community garden at their seminary school. Acorn squash seemed so big to a four year old. But both of my parents knew how to garden).

 

Space and guidance for those who don't know how but have always wanted to know better. (This would be my group. I've grown carrots and peppers and tomatos, but never in large quantities. I've never knowingly eaten kale. I admire gardens but feel overwhelmed with the options.) What might work here is to have a garden master who teaches people that have signed on to learn. The GM would be in charge, but everyone would learn the tasks so that next cycle they could be more independant. I wonder if this would work in conjunction with a group Bible study? The food parables or the stories of God providing food?

 

Food for those who want to eat better or just want/need supplemental food. I'm not sure how interested/able these folks would be to do actual gardening. If I were working but financially strapped, this might feel like a bridge too far. Maybe a youth program where you teach youth/teens to garden and prepare the food?

 

I think that the comments about not using fresh food because you don't know what to do with it are right on. Especially the issue about needing/wanting seasonings or condiments to prepare the food well. I think that this is an incredible idea, but that you would go farthest with a team approach. Are there folks in the church who are good cooks? Maybe you need to have simple preparations of items made with the produce available at the distribution site for sampling.

Is there a local nutrition education group that would work with you? In Hawaii, there were nutrition classes at the local hospitals and those were often sites of farmer's markets. Maybe you could get local supermarkets to donate the stuff to stock a seasonings pantry? Maybe a soup kitchen that did food prep would be interested?

 

I think that personally, I would be most likely to accept things that I knew my kids would eat (most fruit) or things that I already knew how to prepare (corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers) or that could be eaten raw (tomatos). Other items might be left behind if I didn't think the kids would eat them, didn't recognize them (there was a prickly cucumber thing in the commissary last week that I'm still not sure of) or didn't think I could prepare. So if I didn't have an oven, I don't know that a way to cook squash would occur to me. If I were stressed out, I don't know that zuchini would seem like anything but another source of stress.

 

I love your idea. It frustrates me greatly that I have been living in areas where I can't really access a CSA. I'd love to get into one of those.

 

If I had a wand, I'd bestow encouragement and perseverance your direction. Just thinking about this has reminded me that I have broccoli and two cute little squash in the fridge that I should cook up. Baby steps.

[Alice]

One idea if you had the time might be to prepare some vegetable dishes first and give those out at the food pantry. Make a vegetable soup or salad or whatever. Then it's easier for someone to try it and if they like it they might be more interested in then coming to a class to learn how to cook.

 

I've found through similar experiences at my church that it works best one-on-one. So if I already have a relationship with a family and I say, "Hey, I made some gazpacho and have some extra. Can I give you guys some?" that works better then just handing out tomatoes. But it's often harder to have that relationship.

 

It can be challenging to figure out how to cook things you aren't used to. We eat pretty well and dh is Chinese-American and very adventurous eater. We joined a CSA two years ago and it was great but at times it was a challenge to figure out what to do with some of the veggies. Not that I'd never heard of them, but it just wasn't always stuff I would ordinarily buy. That was one reason we joined and that we're doing it again, because I wanted to try new stuff. But I can see how it would be intimidating.

 

And I have to take exception to the once a picky eater always a picky eater idea. I was a terribly picky eater as a child. No veggies, very limited diet. And now I think I eat pretty well, a lot of that is dh's influence. :)

[FlockOfSillies]

Most people are probably too busy for a class, and many would not want to admit that they need one.

 

It might be easier to have recipe cards to go with the vegetables, like some larger supermarket chains have. They often describe the vegetable's taste, what foods it complements, etc. You could even entitle them, "What in the world do I do with..." That may help lessen the embarrassment factor. I definitely agree with Anne that it's so easy to come across as condescending to your audience. Poor people get talked down to enough as it is (parenting pamphlets and videos from the government, etc.).

 

ETA: Just now read the other replies. The free sample thing is a great idea. People of all walks of life love getting a little cup or toothpick full of some food if it's free. You can also do the how-to-garden thing if you present it as if it were a Home Depot-style class. It's all about packaging and marketing what you're offering. If you appeal to the consumer side of your audience, you'll have more success than if you unwittingly act like their nanny.

Edited March 5, 2009 by FlockOfSillies