Inspiring Children To Appreciate Real Food

Reader Contribution by Rebecca Harrold
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Real food has become a high priority in our lives. We want our children to understand the difference between food and food-like substances. We want them to choose real food. As a result, we’ve given much thought to integrating an appreciation for real food into our family’s culture. Below is a list of some thoughts we’ve compiled on ways to teach children about truly nourishing food. We’ve done each of these suggestions to some extent and our children are more knowledgeable about food than their peers, and even if they find a dish unappealing, are swayed to give it a try knowing that we would only serve them what is best for them. Though they still let us know they don’t like it!

Educate yourself first

We’ve watched, listened to, and read material by people whose goal it is to promote sustainability and real food. We scour these resources for ideas, inspirations, and tips. Having knowledge about the topic gives us plenty of material to offer curious children when a teachable moment presents itself.

When the atmosphere of a home includes books, magazines, podcasts, and videos about sustainability and food production, the children can’t help but pick up on the fact that this is something important to their parents. The print material is available for them to pick-up; they hear the audio played in the vehicle; and when suitable, watch how-to videos and vlogs. In our home, we all like to watch the vlogs from Abundant Permaculture because they show an entire family working together to raise their own food. I must confess, we share these vlogs with our children in the hopes of inspiring them to pitch in and help more.

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