Teaching Kids Healthy Eating Habits

This time of year, I always start thinking of all the kids who don’t have the opportunities that my own kids do. It’s the perfect time to open your eyes and start giving back.

When I was young, my mother built us a garden out in our backyard. It was one of those super awesome ones, raised bed, wood plank outline. We grew lettuce and carrots and beans and probably a bunch of other things I can’t remember. I DO remember going into that garden and picking fresh veggies (even though I didn’t really like veggies as a kid). And then there was the day we found a bunch of baby rabbits and took them inside and protected them until they were big enough to go back out on their own.

My point is, we were fortunate to be raised learning how to grow our own food. And despite the fact that I never really cooked as a child, I certainly watched my mother and grandmother in the kitchen and picked up tips and tricks on how to create dishes for my family.

I know I was fortunate to have been exposed to all this and I also know that too many children don’t have this opportunity. This is why I really connected to this new video from got milk? called California Thrives on Milk. It’s a documentary that shares how California kids are learning how to eat better, grow their own food, and more importantly, how they can take this knowledge back to their families to help turn the tide of obesity.

What’s that old saying? Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Let’s give our kids the tools to be healthy for a lifetime!