There's a Healthy Way to Make That! Part II of "Play with Your Food", a training on nutrition & creativity with Steve Dobrinski & Nikki Vega
In our last entry outlining Steven Dobrinski and Nikki Vega's training on food play, creativity, and nutrition, we talked about the importance of helping our children to form positive connections with healthy food and about the power of engaging our children through sensory exploration.
In their training, Steven and Nikki gave us several useful tips for putting these thoughts into practice, including some out-of-the-box food presentation ideas and animalistic sandwich designs (see example above). They also explained that by giving children the freedom to engage with food in an artistic way, you not only build a sense of fun and comfort surrounding healthy food items (that might otherwise seem off-putting), but you appeal to children's natural desire to engage with their surroundings through their senses; in this particular case, sight, smell, and touch.
A couple of you viewed the designs we posted and tried them out for yourself! That's wonderful. One of our VA preschool teachers, Ana, also wrote in to reiterate that asking children to think about their creations while they build (i.e. "How many pieces of cucumber do you think it will it take to make the ears and eyes?") can help improve skills such as counting, rationing, etc. This was something that Nikki mentioned as well in relation to food transformation projects, like pickling or drying.
Fulfilling the sweet tooth, not filling the sweet tooth
So what are some other hands-on and healthy dishes that can be made easily with children? For this portion of the training, Steven and Nikki gave attendees the opportunity to take the floor. A fruit pizza was suggested as a great way of incorporating "all the colors of the rainbow" into a meal (which we mentioned last time helps supply the body with a wide variety of nutrients). Another great feature of fruit pizza is that it requires no heating and can be made using a crisp tortilla base, a whole grain cracker base, or anything else that is substantial and firm (and ideally doesn't have added sugars or refined carbohydrates, like white flour).
If you look up recipes online, there are some that suggest using a sugar cookie base for your pizza or a frosting for the sauce. But we're interested in creating something that will be both enjoyable to eat and beneficial to growing bodies! Try using apple butter or coconut butter for your sauce instead. Not only is coconut delicious, but it's a prime example of a food that contains a "good fat".
We live in a culture that often demonizes fats and calories indiscriminately, so it's easy to make the mistake of thinking that all high fat and calorie foods are bad. But, as it turns out, there are good fats and bad fats, nutrient-rich calories and empty calories. In the case of fats like lauric acid –- a saturated fat found in coconuts -- it can actually reduce cholesterol and improve cognition. Coconuts are also antimicrobial (meaning they can kill off harmful bacteria in the body) and an antioxidant, boosting cell health and immune function.
But how to satiate that sweet tooth craving without using sugar? Steven and Nikki suggested using dates, honey (safe for kids 1+ years of age) or agave syrup instead. Local honey especially can help the body build immunity to seasonal allergens and also improve the immune system in general. Also, by purchasing local honey, you're supporting bees and pollination, which a huge plus considering the ongoing die-off of honey bees and the fact that we rely on them for nearly a third of our crops. Agave syrup is also an immune booster and has wonderfully beneficial anti-inflammatory properties, while dates (also an anti-inflammatory) are rich in fiber and other key nutrients like potassium and B vitamins.
The Luxury in Eating Local
So let's talk about the merits to eating local. First off, supporting local farmers and small businesses is almost always preferable to supporting large corporations (which have a higher tendency to ignore sustainability needs for the purpose of maximizing efficiency and profit). But in addition to this -- as Steven was careful to highlight -- foods lose nutrients in transit, since they are both sensitive to temperature and the passage of time. They can lose up to 30% of their nutrients in as little as three days after harvest! So, if you want a diet with maximum nutrients while also helping the planet and your local economy, then buying close to home (and organic where possible) is the way to go!
Steven and Nikki concluded their training with a segment on food label literacy and the opportunity for trainees to get extra credit (more training hours) by studying their packet on food additives, portion size, allergy labels, and fat/sodium content among other things. Are you interested in furthering your knowledge of nutrition? New Seasons is offering free wellness courses throughout the month of June! Take a look at their Spring Schedule for more info.
In their training, Steven and Nikki gave us several useful tips for putting these thoughts into practice, including some out-of-the-box food presentation ideas and animalistic sandwich designs (see example above). They also explained that by giving children the freedom to engage with food in an artistic way, you not only build a sense of fun and comfort surrounding healthy food items (that might otherwise seem off-putting), but you appeal to children's natural desire to engage with their surroundings through their senses; in this particular case, sight, smell, and touch.
A couple of you viewed the designs we posted and tried them out for yourself! That's wonderful. One of our VA preschool teachers, Ana, also wrote in to reiterate that asking children to think about their creations while they build (i.e. "How many pieces of cucumber do you think it will it take to make the ears and eyes?") can help improve skills such as counting, rationing, etc. This was something that Nikki mentioned as well in relation to food transformation projects, like pickling or drying.
Fulfilling the sweet tooth, not filling the sweet tooth
So what are some other hands-on and healthy dishes that can be made easily with children? For this portion of the training, Steven and Nikki gave attendees the opportunity to take the floor. A fruit pizza was suggested as a great way of incorporating "all the colors of the rainbow" into a meal (which we mentioned last time helps supply the body with a wide variety of nutrients). Another great feature of fruit pizza is that it requires no heating and can be made using a crisp tortilla base, a whole grain cracker base, or anything else that is substantial and firm (and ideally doesn't have added sugars or refined carbohydrates, like white flour).
If you look up recipes online, there are some that suggest using a sugar cookie base for your pizza or a frosting for the sauce. But we're interested in creating something that will be both enjoyable to eat and beneficial to growing bodies! Try using apple butter or coconut butter for your sauce instead. Not only is coconut delicious, but it's a prime example of a food that contains a "good fat".
We live in a culture that often demonizes fats and calories indiscriminately, so it's easy to make the mistake of thinking that all high fat and calorie foods are bad. But, as it turns out, there are good fats and bad fats, nutrient-rich calories and empty calories. In the case of fats like lauric acid –- a saturated fat found in coconuts -- it can actually reduce cholesterol and improve cognition. Coconuts are also antimicrobial (meaning they can kill off harmful bacteria in the body) and an antioxidant, boosting cell health and immune function.
But how to satiate that sweet tooth craving without using sugar? Steven and Nikki suggested using dates, honey (safe for kids 1+ years of age) or agave syrup instead. Local honey especially can help the body build immunity to seasonal allergens and also improve the immune system in general. Also, by purchasing local honey, you're supporting bees and pollination, which a huge plus considering the ongoing die-off of honey bees and the fact that we rely on them for nearly a third of our crops. Agave syrup is also an immune booster and has wonderfully beneficial anti-inflammatory properties, while dates (also an anti-inflammatory) are rich in fiber and other key nutrients like potassium and B vitamins.
The Luxury in Eating Local
So let's talk about the merits to eating local. First off, supporting local farmers and small businesses is almost always preferable to supporting large corporations (which have a higher tendency to ignore sustainability needs for the purpose of maximizing efficiency and profit). But in addition to this -- as Steven was careful to highlight -- foods lose nutrients in transit, since they are both sensitive to temperature and the passage of time. They can lose up to 30% of their nutrients in as little as three days after harvest! So, if you want a diet with maximum nutrients while also helping the planet and your local economy, then buying close to home (and organic where possible) is the way to go!
Steven and Nikki concluded their training with a segment on food label literacy and the opportunity for trainees to get extra credit (more training hours) by studying their packet on food additives, portion size, allergy labels, and fat/sodium content among other things. Are you interested in furthering your knowledge of nutrition? New Seasons is offering free wellness courses throughout the month of June! Take a look at their Spring Schedule for more info.
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