Should Nutrition be taught right alongside math and science?

Board Beet
By Your Board on May 28, 2013

“They should be teaching this in high school,” commented one owner at a recent class I took by Outpost nutritionist Judy Mayer on gluten-free options held at the State Street store. Her question got me thinking, should nutritional eating be a part of the curriculum right alongside math and science? Should it just be at the high school level, or sooner than that, grade school perhaps or even earlier?

Maybe some of these startling facts will help you answer the question. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the Unites States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. For adolescents, the stats are just as concerning. In the 12-19-age range the percentage of obese adolescents increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.

Knowing where your food comes from, and what foods to eat are essential to a healthy and sustainable future not only for our local economies, our farmers, but our children. Getting kids involved at an early age teaches them the fundamentals of our ecosystem and how it all plays a part in what they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Many schools are becoming actively involved in a hands-on approach to learning about where our food comes from. They take part in planting vegetable gardens, tending to its growth, harvesting the crops, and knowing how to properly prepare and cook the fruits of their labor. It’s not only knowing your food source, but understanding the entire process and having ownership of what you eat.

Next time you go food shopping or stop by your local farmer’s market, consider taking your children and teaching them how to shop, what to buy, the source of their food, and what’s great about the colors of the rainbow when it comes to fruits and vegetables. They say the best lessons start in the home or at your local Outpost.

For additional information on Judy Mayer’s classes and counseling services, consult the Outpost website at www.outpost.coop.

Suzanne Garr,

Board Director

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Should Nutrition be taught right alongside math and science?

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