Taking Candy From the Kids
This month: You're never too young to benefit from organic food, says Lynda Brown.
For many mothers, feeding children organic food is one of the most important things they do. As Judy Dunwoody - who lives in Hackney, east London, and has three children under five years old - explains: "When they're young, you have control. I want my children to have a sound foundation and believe that they deserve safe food. There are enough problems bringing kids up in an inner city without having to worry about what they eat."
The school to which she sends her children, the Mapledene Care and Education Centre for the under fives, is helping Judy achieve her aims. This remarkable school cooks organic food for all its children, as well as running food workshops for them and their families. The children help prepare the food, know all the cooks, and lunch is one of the highlights of their day: home-made pizzas and scones, salads and veggie sausages are all part of daily life. They all love organic yoghurts, and for snacks they have organic dried fruit.
"Children are like sponges at that age", explains head teacher, Jan Turner, whose goal is to awaken pupils' interest in the food they eat. "Nourishing them and waking up their taste buds in this way is one of the best starts in life we can give them." Next on her agenda is to set up a kitchen garden, so the kids can see that food doesn't come just from packets or appear miraculously in shops.
Of course, not every parent is fortunate enough to live on the doorstep of such a progressive school, but that doesn't mean that your children cannot benefit from an organic diet. For Judy and other mothers I've talked to, organic food is the natural choice. She buys organic food in her local supermarket, has a weekly box scheme for organic fruit and veg, and, yes, the kids say they can taste the difference. Judy makes soups with the vegetables, while the children make their own smoothies in the blender with organic yoghurt or milk and fresh or frozen fruit. "They especially like red fruits because they say it's like liquidising frogs!"
I've always believed that you are what you eat, and that is especially true for children, who need the best possible nutrition if they are to fulfil their potential, emotionally as well as physically - behavioural problems and hyperactivity, for example, can be diet-linked. Moreover, as government statistics reveal that the average daily UK diet now contains traces of 30 different pesticides, organic foods are all the more appealing, where the use of pesticides is drastically reduced.
As for convenience foods, as I keep pointing out, organic food has no artificial additives, preservatives, hydrogenated fats, refined white sugar, and so on. As always, you need to check the labels, but most organic manufacturers producing kids' convenience food take their nutritional responsibilities seriously. The new range of children's fruit cereal bars from Organix, for instance, are as pukka as they come: 100 per cent organic, they will only do your children good.
Organix cereal bars also taste extremely good, which brings me to another important topic: enjoyment. Indeed, many shops these days are so full of mums and children doing the weekly shop together that special miniature shopping trolleys have been introduced for the kids to use. This is not merely cute, but should make every nutritionist's heart leap for joy because, as we all know, getting children to think that food is fun is often the biggest battle of all.
But if I had one wish, it would be that all schools would adopt the visionary approach of Mapledene. In Italy, where more organic food is grown than anywhere else in Europe, this has happened already. The first organic school meals scheme was started in 1987; today, there are more than a 100 initiatives country-wide, involving parents, growers and local government. Now they're intending to go a step further. A law obliging schools to serve only organic food has already been accepted by several regions, and is now going before parliament. This is catching on: in Brittany and Languedoc in France, similar schemes are being set up and farmers are supplying organic food direct to local schools.
In Britain, Mapledene apart, we have had no such luck yet. But times are changing fast and the new generation are already getting the message. In last year's Organic Foods Awards, for instance, 15-year-old William Bell beat all comers in his category to win a prize for his homemade organic pork pies. Progress indeed. I bet his mum was proud.
Source: http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/wfi/foodissues/children/0106060.asp
-
Junior Tastebuds Prove Ripe for Olive Growers
Wine might require a mature palate, but when it comes to extra virgin olive oil, ask the children to taste first...
-
Organic Foods and Children - Why Organic Matters the Most for Kids
Choosing organic products can go a long way toward minimizing a child’s exposure to pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Studies show that organic foods contain a wide range of nutrients that help to keep children healthy...
-
"Dirty Dozen" Produce Carrying more Toxic Pesticides
If you and your family are eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it...
-
Mum Creates Green Baby Food Line
Satisfying taste and nutrition can be a tough job for many new mums. Add to that a desire to keep food choices pure and organic and it can pose an even greater challenge. One Chicago mum is turning this balancing act into a thriving green business..
-
Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh Start to Healthy Eating
Studies show that babies who are fed nutritious, healthy diets grow into stronger kids and better-adjusted eaters than those who are fed poor diets...