Let’s Talk Food! Top Research Findings
Thesis Week 7
For my thesis I’ve narrowed down my topic area from the generic “food system” to “education for kids about food nutrition,” or “food’s origin stories,” or “food’s connection to culture.” What kind of education? Digital or tangible? Which of those three options? What is the real problem here?
I set out to find parents with young children from toddler-age all the way to kids in early elementary school, as well as parents who have teenagers to find out how they thought about their way of parenting in hindsight. I realized very quickly that there were things I needed to un-learn and re-learn to properly execute a solution for my problem area. (In it’s simplest form, the problem is that kids are not being educated about the nutritional value of fresh produce.)
1. The upbringing of the parents affects how the child thinks about and approaches food and gardening.
While experience in child-rearing is a differentiating factor, the most polarizing factor involves the parent’s own upbringing. How was the mom’s or dad’s relationship to food established? Did their parents value fresh produce organically grown off farmland? How close did the family live to a convenience store? The entry point and learning curve for parents trying to teach their kids about nutrition is very steep for the parent who was brought up in an urban area with junk food, a large family, and working-class parents; yet a simpler task for a parent who grew up with a garden and a green thumb.
2. Each family has its own set of rules stemming from culture, upbringing, environment, schedules.
It’s a seemingly obvious statement. But actually pinpointing the differences between families is much more complicated. The point that came up the most revolved around picky eating and taste preferences. The parents I talked to were very firm about not allowing their children to have too much choice when it came to what they would eat. Additionally, it was important that the children be thankful that there was food in the first place.
3. Words and explanations are powerful. Actions are critical.
How do parents get their children to eat food? How do they reason with them? How do they talk about unhealthy food? Healthy food? Do parents model the behavior? Kids pick up everything, so if you don’t eat spinach, they might protest if you try and convince them it’s healthy and good for them. If you teach them that “Pizza is a treat,” they will relate pizza to chocolate. If you sit down with them in front of a library book or a computer screen and research together how carbs or artificial flavoring affects the body, kids will see the importance of asking questions, being resourceful, and taking care of their bodies. If you do nothing, kids will eat anything around and develop unhealthy habits around consumption of food.
4. Whether it’s involving kids in meal-making or gardening, giving kids a sense of agency around food and cooking affects their eating habits and willingness to try new things.
Plastic knives will cut most small, soft veggies or fruits. Eventually allowing a child to hold a real knife (with supervision) establishes feelings of RESPONSIBILITY and demonstrates a relationship of TRUST between parent and child. In my research on edible garden programs and of children helping in the kitchen from an early age, statistics show that kids are 2x, 3x more likely to voluntarily eat fresh produce (even if it’s new) if they were involved in prepping or planting it.
5. Real behavioral change is gradual.
Any rulebook can be too simple or constricting for one parent, yet simultaneously too complex or unspecific for another. It’s important to start with simple and fun things and scale up. Otherwise, the behavior change is not sustainable.
6. An educational experience around FOOD AS RELATED TO CULTURE sounds simpler and thus more appealing.
This is especially true for parents lacking experiences with a diet heavy in fresh produce or with nutrition education. And, in the California Bay Area, acquiring fresh and culturally diverse fresh produce and eating out at various cultural restaurants is something we often take for granted.
7. The most effective education about food is/must be HOLISTIC.
Food is connected to everything we do more than we even realize. Since this is the case, teaching kids about food is related to teaching kids about cycles of life (and death), of effort (sometimes a plant still dies), culture, privilege, motor skills, commercialism…the list is endless. The most successful garden programs, and situations at home in which a child develops an appreciation for healthy food and a balanced diet, all had a holistic approach. There’s a compost bin? Take samples and examine under a microscope. Talking about the Silk Road? Try foods that people would have eaten along the way. Eating a food that has special cultural meaning? Talk about a culture’s history and a people’s way of life. Food is deeply personal to the human experience.
Takeaways
I know that whatever solution I choose, I want there to be an element of growing real plants in it. I am compelled by my research and observations. There’s just nothing like the tangibility of growing a real plant––and not just any plant, but one you can EAT afterwards!
Yes, no more aimless wandering! I am now closing in on a concept at the intersection of food, education, and culture. I am so pleasantly surprised that this is where my research has led me. It’s time to dig deep.
