7/29/2019 Fresh Start programs help kids eat healthier

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Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Starkville Daily News Page B-3

I you have readthis column beore,you know that mykids are the abso-lute worst eaters onthe planet. Its sucha waste since Im apretty good cook,but they have very

little variety in theirappetite, especiallyvegetables. I reallywish I could attacha video that Bill made o my oldest whenwe decided to make her try one o thethe two vegetables on her plate. Lets justsay that it wasnt a shining parental mo-ment, but it is good or a laugh. Expertssay to present a vegetable a certain numbero times and the children are suppose tomagically try it. I have had no luck with

that method either. Since both kids havethe same aversion, Im pretty sure it is theenvironment that is at ault. I ound threewomen who excel where I am decient toget some tips, Isabel McLemore, AmandaDahl and Jenn Gregory.

We lucked out with our daughter beingplaced in Isabel McLemores kindergartenclass. Isabel has a SEEDS garden at theSudduth school. You may have heard oher husband, Farmer Sam. Isabel plantsvegetables and fowers in the garden. The

garden project teaches them where oodcomes rom, in addition to sorting andother lessons. I asked Isabel about kale,because I have such a hard time knowingwhat to do with it. Everybody has heardthat kale is the hot new vegetable, and allo the nutritional benets to adding it toyour diet, but I cant get past the texture.Isabel suggested kale chips, and admittedthat Sam is the kale chip maker in theiramily. She shared the recipe that they use.Isabel said, Kale chips are easy and can

be changed in a variety o ways. She alsosaid, I also have a riend who roasts car-rots with olive oil and brown sugar and hergirls eat them and they dont usually touchvegetables!

All oodies can talk about these daysis arm to table. People want to knowwhere our ood comes rom and to supportlocal armers. What I had not known un-til recently is that Emerson amily schoolhas one o the only Farm to Preschoolprograms in the state called Fresh Start.

I talked to Jenn Gregory, the PTO presi-dent, and Amanda Dahl, the coordinatoror Fresh Start at Emerson Family School,to nd out more about it.

Jenn explained how the program began.The Fresh Start program began in 2011by a group o parents who were concernedabout the increasing number o overweightchildren in the state and the eating habitso their children. The program is undedthrough grants, contributions rom com-munity partners and through undraising

eorts. The program is run strictly byvolunteers (parents and Mississippi StateUniversity students through Maroon Vol-unteer Center and Volunteer Starkville).

Amanda told me how the programworks. She said, Every Friday, the chil-dren engage in hands-on learning activitiesboth in the garden and in the classroomsduring Fresh Start Friday activities. EachFriday, we cover a dierent lesson (liecycle o the plants, the role o insects, com-posting, ood groups/nutrition, etc.) in the

classroom then they carry over the lessonin the garden by identiying parts o theplants, searching or bugs, and harvesting.They will try almost anything that comesrom the garden!! They were eating tur-nips aster than I could get them peeledand carrots aster than we could get themwashed!

How awesome it that? We loved the

preschool that we picked, but I am think-ing my daughters would have benetedrom being at Emerson. Amanda alsosaid, I think the Fresh Start program isso important because it teaches childrenabout the importance o eating healthy and

where their ood comes rom at the mostcritical phase: when they are rst develop-ing ood preerences! The sooner they de-

velop healthy habits, the better! Educatingparents on nutrition is another importantaspect o the program.

Amanda is not only the coordinator orFresh Start, but she is also a registered di-etitian. I asked her or some tips to gettingkids to try new vegetables. Especially thatexpert tip to present a vegetable a certainnumber o times and the child will try it.She said Yes, research shows it can takeup to 10 exposures to a new ood beore achild may accept it. As a parent or caregiv-er, dont get discouraged i he/she doesntlike a ood at rst. Try presenting the oodin a dierent way next time: children o-ten preer the crunch o vegetables as op-posed to the mushy texture which happens

when we boil vegetables the southern

way. Make trying new oods un and ex-citing or the child, but never orce themto try something or clean their plates. Pairan unamiliar ood with one they like al-ready. Be a positive role model by play-ing up how good the new ood tastes andteaching them the importance o eatinghealthy in age appropriate terms. Avoidmaking negative aces or comments aboutnew oods...just because you may not likea ood, doesnt mean your child doesnt!Be patient and persistent! She also gaveme a yummy broccoli bite recipe that caneven please a nicky 5-year-old. They sayit takes a village to raise a child, and withthese ladies around, I like the one we livein! Maybe there is hope or the Ford girlsater all.

AJ Richey, Torian Knox, Isabel McLemore, Maddie Butler and Anna Wyatt Ford work in Sudduths SEEDS garden. (Photo

by Susan Ford)

Fresh Start program

helps kids eat healthier

susan FORd

FOOd COlumnist

Sims Gregory eats freshly washed and harvested lettuce from the Emerson FreshStart garden. (Photo by Susan Ford)

McLeMore KALe chiPS

Ingredients:kaleolive oilsalt and pepper

Directions:Preheat oven to 400. Wash kale thor-

oughly. Tear or cut kale into bite size pieces.Put them on a cookie rack or cooling rackof a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil andsprinkle with salt and pepper. Put them in

the oven for 9-10 minutes.

Variations:Baste them with BBQ sauce, or sprinkle

with cinnamon and sugar.

eMerSoN BroccoLi BiteS

Ingredients:2 c. fresh, steamed broccoli OR 16

oz. package of frozen, chopped broccoli,thawed and drained of liquid

1 c. grated cheese of your choice (ched-dar, mozzarella or parmesan work well)

3 eggs1 c. breadcrumbs seasoned with pep-

per, garlic powder, and Italian seasoningsOR 1c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:Mix all ingredients together in a largebowl (perfect for little hands to help!)

With your hands, form small patties andlay on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes,turning after the rst 15 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

Notes:This is a great recipe for serving broccoli

in a new way.

You could also add other shredded veg-etables, like carrots or zucchini.