WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Farm Tripping

"Strong communities are built around real, local food.  Food we trust to nourish our bodies, the farmer, and planet." 

                                                                                                        --Kimball Musk 

One of my favorite childhood memories is the summers at my grandparents’ farm in Indiana.  There was something special about the big garden my grandfather planted for my grandmother.  We ate so well: fresh-picked green beans, luscious sliced tomatoes, and potatoes. Homemade vanilla ice-cream with sliced strawberries from Huber’s Farm. Fresh peach pie with homemade icep-cream on Sundays.  

In the workshops designed by Growing Healthy Kids, we see the value of taking kids to meet farmers. Sometimes it is at the local farmers market and sometimes it is going to the farm.  Kids grow from learning where real food comes from. Kids learn by doing. 

One thing these workshops have taught me is that teaching kids what real food is and where it comes from has not been a priority in educating children but it should be. Almost all of the kids educated through Growing Healthy Kids’ workshops have self-reported previously never going to a farmers market, let alone a farm, before they participated in our program.  These workshops have taught me that all kids deserve opportunities to go to farms, talk to farmers, learn what is grown in their bio-region and about real food from the people growing it. 

A trip to the farm can be life-changing. Good food is a centerpiece to a good life and connecting with the source of real food is a valuable lesson. Getting outside and slowing down as one walks the farm is a great stress reliever.  As your breath slows down, your blood pressure relaxes. You sleep better at night with a good dose of fresh air. 

Find opportunities to visit your local farmers market with your children.  Introduce yourselves to the farmers and ask them about what they grow.  Ask them why they work so hard to grow food for total strangers.  Let’s go to the farm!

Improving the health and lives of America’s children, one child at a time. 

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

 

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Reversing Childhood Obesity

 "Children need models rather than critics." 

                                                                                            --Joseph Joubert

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity now affects 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the U.S. Consequences of childhood obesity include:

·         High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease

·         Increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes

·         Breathing problems, such as asthma and sleep apnea

·         Joint problems and musculoskeletal discomfort

·         Fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-esophageal reflux (i.e., heartburn)

Childhood obesity is also related to:

·         Psychological problems such as anxiety and depression

·         Low self-esteem and lower self-reported quality of life

·         Being bullied and the stigma of being fat and unhealthy

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc., is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of all children having access to healthy, locally grown, organic food and the value of regular exercise and a good night’s sleep.  Our programs are designed to inspire children and educate parents to find joy in creating and enjoying healthy and easy family meals together.  This year is a year to bring families to the dinner table over simple dishes. We will talk with local farmers, sharing their stories.  While our workshops remain on hold (see above picture from pre-COVID adventures to the Vero Beach Farmers Market), we will continue sharing delicious kid-tested recipes from the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen.  

Our focus is on improving the health and lives of America’s children, one child at a time. We are here to serve you.   

To contact us, please send an email to growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.com.  We look forward to hearing from you this year!

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Spice It Up

"Pull up a chair.  Take a taste. Come join us.  Life is so endlessly delicious."

                    --Ruth Reichl

Kids love to play in the kitchen.  Every Growing Healthy Kids workshop we do proves it.  Give kids an age-appropriate knife and cutting board, plenty of safety instructions, and direct adult supervision, and let the fun begin.  One of my favorite ways to begin a class is to pass around a fresh herb and ask kids to guess what it is.  Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs.  If you like Mexican or Thai food, then you probably like cilantro, too.

Here is a recipe that is great to make with kids and it goes with anything Mexican.  If you do not have plastic gloves, then skip the jalapeno. Taco Tuesday never tasted so good!

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Our Recipe Collection

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

• ·        4 medium tomatillos, husks peeled, rinsed, and quartered
• ·        1 clove garlic, minced
• ·        ½ cup cilantro (remove large stems)
• ·        1 small jalapeno (using plastic gloves, cut in half and remove all seeds)
• ·        Juice of ½ lime (or more, depending on your taste and how juicy the lime is)
• ·        1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
• ·        Pink Himalayan sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and puree until nearly smooth. 

NOTE:  For added flavor, roast tomatillos under broiler until lightly browned before adding to blender.  

Use on tacos or enchiladas. 

Can store salsa in refrigerator up to 3 days. 

With love,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: A New Year Filled with Kindness

"A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change."  

                                                                                             --United Nations

We awaken to a new year, lives frozen in time.  A global pandemic keeps families homebound on invisible leaches as we navigate a condensed version of life. Children “attend” school from their kitchen tables as parents' new vocabulary includes phrases like "non-traditional education."  The world needs more kindness. 

School cafeteria staff around the nation work tirelessly to deliver prepackaged meals to children at home.  These children would, in “normal” times, eat 2 of their 3 daily meals at school.  We have a food crisis and children are hungry.  The world needs more kindness. 

A leading contributor to climate change is bovine belching.  Yep.  Burping cows.    A 2017 study found that if every meat eater switched to beans, it would put the United States halfway toward meeting the greenhouse gas emission goals in the Paris Accord.  Each year, one cow belches about 220 pounds of methane into the atmosphere.  Start on the path to plant-based eating with a commitment to Meatless Mondays.  Eat more kale and less cows.  The world needs more kindness. 

May you and your family be safe, happy, and healthy in 2021.  Teach your chidren how to cook.  Eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.  Practice kindness daily.  Repeat. 

With love,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.